CrossFirst Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:CFB), announced today that it has named Ben Clouse as Chief Financial Officer. In the CFO role, Mr. Clouse will lead the financial organization and be responsible for overall long-range financial planning and reporting as well as support execution of the bank’s growth strategy.
“After conducting a thorough nationwide search, we are pleased to have found the ideal CFO candidate right here in Kansas City,” said President & CEO of CrossFirst Mike Maddox. “Ben has deep and extensive experience in leading financial operations as well as driving operational change, including as the Chief Financial Officer of a publicly-traded company. He will be a key part of our executive leadership team and I know will be instrumental in helping us to continue to grow strategically as well as meet the evolving and changing needs of our clients.”
Prior to joining CrossFirst, Mr. Clouse was CFO of Waddell & Reed, Financial, Inc. (Waddell). Waddell was the holding company for one of the oldest mutual fund companies in the United States (Ivy Funds) and a nationwide broker-dealer and investment advisor (Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors). As CFO, Mr. Clouse was a member of the executive leadership team leading accounting, data analytics, financial planning and analysis, investor relations, procurement, tax, and treasury.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to join the CrossFirst team at such an exciting and important time, both for the company and the industry,” said Clouse. “The pace of change in banking stands to only continue to increase, and I believe that the entrepreneurial spirit that is one of the hallmarks of CrossFirst positions us incredibly well going forward as we continue to deepen our presence in existing markets and look at new opportunities on the horizon.”
Mr. Clouse began his career in the audit practice of Deloitte and has held successive roles of increasing responsibility across multiple financial disciplines in a variety of industries including financial services, banking, consumer retail and digital tax preparation and transportation. Mr. Clouse obtained a business degree and a Master of Accountancy from Kansas State University and has been previously licensed as a Certified Public Accountant and previously designated as a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 27 Financial and Operations Principal license holder.
Mr. Clouse succeeds David O’Toole as CFO, who announced his retirement from CrossFirst earlier this year. Mr. O’Toole will remain in his role as Chief Investment Officer while supporting an orderly transition.
“I again want to thank David O’Toole for his service to CrossFirst and our clients over the past 15 years,” added Mike Maddox. “We will continue to benefit from David’s leadership and experience as a strategic advisor to the company going forward.”
Mr. Clouse begins his role as CFO effective July 12, 2021.
