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The Southern Bank names new executive VP, chief administrative officer

Jason Thomas //May 4, 2023//

The Southern Bank names new executive VP, chief administrative officer

Jason Thomas //May 4, 2023//

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The Southern Banks has added to its executive team.

Kristi Eller has been named executive vice president and chief administrative officer at the bank, according to a news release.

The Spartanburg location of the Georgia-based bank is under construction and will be the second location in South Carolina. In addition, the Greenville branch is open to customers.

Eller has more than 35 years of experience in community and regional banks, according to the release. She was most recently the executive vice president and chief operations officer for GrandSouth Bank, acquired by First Bank in 2023. Her experience includes financial planning, technology operations, risk management and compliance, branch administration, internal and external audits, and mergers and acquisitions.

Related content: The Southern Bank opens Greenville branch

Kristi Eller has been named executive vice president and chief administrative officer at The Southern Bank. (Photo/Provided)Eller’s career in banking began with North Carolina National Bank (NCNB) Chapel Hill in 1984, and she continued in the management associate program in Charlotte. Before joining GrandSouth Bank, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Yadkin Bank. With more than 20 years of leadership with Yadkin Bank and its subsidiaries, she saw the bank grow through de novo and acquisitions to $7.5 billion in assets and 100 branch locations throughout North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. Eller is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Finance, as well as a graduate of the North Carolina School of Banking.

“Kristi’s extensive experience in leading bank and technology operations is going to lead The Southern Bank and its customers to great success,” said Scott Frierson, president of The Southern Bank, in the release. “Her expertise gives her the ability to understand an organization, its business mission, and its operational needs to support a stable, reliable, secure, and cost-effective bank.”

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