Simmons First National Corp. of Pine Bluff, the holding company for Simmons Bank, on Monday announced that George Makris Jr. plans to retire as chairman and CEO of both companies at the end of 2025.
Jay Brogdon, president of Simmons First and Simmons Bank, is set to succeed Makris and join the boards of directors effective Jan. 1.
Brogdon joined Simmons in 2021 as CFO. He previously spent more than 13 years at Stephens Inc., where he was managing director in the investment banking division. Prior to Stephens, he spent four years at Deloitte.
Makris has been CEO of Simmons since 2014, except for a two-year period when Bob Felhman was the company’s chief executive. Fehlman retired at the beginning of 2025 to focus on personal interests and family medical issues, and Makris returned to the role.
Makris has been on the company’s board of directors since 1997. His position as chairman will be assumed by Marty Casteel, a former chairman, CEO and president of Simmons Bank with more than 30 years of experience in the industry.
“The Board and I are confident the time is right for this transition, and Jay is well-prepared to succeed in his new role,” Makris said in a statement. “Marty has been a trusted colleague for many years and is eminently qualified to serve as independent Chairman. I look forward to seeing continued progress toward building shareholder value through the achievement of our ambitious strategic objectives.”
The leadership moves reflect the company’s “deliberate and measured approach to succession planning,” Steve Cosse, lead independent director of Simmons First, said in a statement. He said that under Makris, the company has developed a “talented executive leadership team with a long runway.”“We are very thankful to George for his decade-plus tenure as CEO, overseeing the Company’s geographic transformation that led to a period of unprecedented growth, often during complex and challenging environments,” Cosse said.
Brogdon has served as president since January 2023, overseeing all revenue lines, finance, operations, information technology and corporate strategy.
He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Harding University.
“Simmons is committed to building value for our customers, communities and shareholders, and our team does this with great integrity and passion,” Brogdon said. “We will continue to build upon our longstanding culture and are excited about the opportunities ahead.”
Simmons in July reported net income of $54.8 million, a 34% jump from $40.8 million in the same quarter a year ago. Shares of the company closed at $19.02 on Friday. Over the past 12 months, shares were down 1%.
