Arkansas Business reported Tuesday that George Makris, the current executive chair of Simmons First National Corp. will resume his role as CEO in the first quarter of 2025.
He will take over for current CEO Bob Fehlman, who is retiring to focus on personal interests and family medical issues, Simmons said in a news release. He will assume an advisory role in the first quarter of 2025. Fehlman worked for the bank for 35 years and became CEO in 2023 after serving in a variety of positions.
Makris served as CEO from 2014 through 2022 as well as chairman of the company and said in the press 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.
Simmons also announced that Chris Van Steenberg has been hired as chief operating officer. He has more than 25 years in the financial services industry, most recently as executive vice president, chief digital and product officer for First Horizon Bank in Memphis.
