Dive Brief:
- Renasant Bank has hired Catherine Mealor, a Keefe, Bruyette and Woods managing director, to serve as its next CFO, the Tupelo, Mississippi-based lender said Tuesday.
- Mealor will join Renasant on Oct. 5 and take the CFO role starting Jan. 1, succeeding Jim Mabry, who will retire in early 2027, the bank said.
- Renasant’s board intends to nominate Mabry for a director seat at the bank’s 2027 annual shareholder meeting, the lender said.
Dive Insight:
When she becomes Renasant’s CFO, Mealor will be the second consecutive KBW alum to serve as the Mississippi bank’s finance chief: Mabry worked as a managing director at KBW from 2000 to 2015, according to LinkedIn – meaning he and Mealor were colleagues for 12 years. Mealor began her KBW stint in 2003, according to LinkedIn.
In a statement Tuesday, Renasant CEO Kevin Chapman said of Mealor: “We expect her energy, experience, and strategic mindset to help lead the next chapter of our company.”
At KBW, Mealor is responsible for small and midcap research coverage for banks throughout the southeast. As such, she’s worked closely with Renasant and said Tuesday she is “thrilled to join the company at such an exciting time.”
“I have great respect for Renasant’s corporate culture, strong financial performance and the way in which the company serves its clients, communities, employees and shareholders alike,” she said. “I look forward to working with a team I have long admired to further enhance its financial strength and shareholder value.”
During Mabry’s time as CFO, Renasant nearly doubled in size – from roughly $14 billion in assets in 2020 to about $26.8 billion as of June 30. Much of that growth came from Renasant’s acquisition of Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based The First Bancshares, which finalized last year, giving the bank its first foothold in Louisiana.
Chapman, too, is intimately familiar with Renasant’s CFO role: He preceded Mabry as the Mississippi bank’s finance chief, then was named chief operating officer in 2020 and ascended to CEO last year.
Chapman credited Mabry for his “service and insight to Renasant, and me, over the past six years, where we successfully navigated numerous macroeconomic events … significantly improved profitability and successfully completed our largest merger.”
Mabry came to Renasant with a background in mergers and acquisitions. Between his time at KBW and his tenure at Renasant, he served as executive vice president for M&A and investor relations at SouthState Bank, according to LinkedIn.
“Jim has helped position Renasant for future success, and I look forward to him continuing as a member of Renasant’s Board of Directors,” Chapman said Tuesday.
