Chulick's appointment fits in with bank holding company's succession plans. UMB Financial has made former Bank of America private banker Thomas Chulick president of its St. Louis, Mo.-based private-client unit UMB Investment & Wealth Management.

Chulick's hire, coinciding with the appointment of former US Bank executive David Naunheim as head of UMB's commercial-banking business, is part of the bank holding company's leadership succession plan.

Perfect time

In addition to their business-unit responsibilities, Chulick and Naunheim will work with Peter Genovese, UMB's vice chairman and CEO of UMB Bank's St. Louis region, in the company's newly created "Office of the CEO" structure. Ken Kotiza, who is due to retire as president of UMB Bank's St. Louis region at the end of the year, will also advise the newcomers.

Because of recent growth "there couldn't be a more perfect time for Ken and I to focus our efforts and experience in transitioning UMB's future in St. Louis," says Genovese. "We have established a core leadership group [that] compliments the attributes [Naunheim] and [Chulick] bring to our community and customers."

Together Genovese and Kotiza have more than 75 years of banking experience; nearly 50 of them near the top at UMB.

But UMB's succession planning doesn't extend to the very top. Mariner Kemper, chairman and CEO of the company since 2004, isn't slated to step down any time soon.

Kansas City, Mo.-based UMB's bank subsidiaries have about 140 branches in Missouri, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Arizona. Its non-bank subsidiaries include securities and insurance units, an investment-service group and a trust company. -FWR

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