George Makris Jr. is back at the helm of Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark.
The $27.3 billion-asset company said in a press release that Makris, who was CEO from 2014 to 2022, will return to the post on Jan. 1. He will succeed Bob Fehlman, who is stepping down “to focus on personal interests and family medical issues.”
Fehlman will serve in an advisory role through the first quarter.
“I want to express my deep appreciation to Bob for his decades of service to our organization,” Makris said in the release. “Bob has been a tremendous asset to the bank for many years, and we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement. Bob has played a significant role in the expansion of the bank and has been a leader of our better bank initiative as CEO.”
Separately, Simmons said it hired Chris Van Steenberg as its chief operating officer. Van Steenberg recently served as chief digital and product officer at First Horizon.