Succession planning

Andy Cecere is the new CEO-in-waiting at the Minneapolis bank, but interest in his future plans took a back seat as investors and others tried to get their heads around why the current boss, Richard Davis, is choosing to leave seven years before the typical retirement age.

From preparing Generations X and Y to replace baby boomers in leadership positions and enticing more demanding millennials to finding compliance talent and integrating divergent staffs post-merger, HR executives cited a variety of issues they expect to be tackling this year.

The highly regarded and outspoken Richard Davis is a hard act to follow, but Andy Cecere, who will take over the successful Minneapolis company in a few months, is said to have the right blend of knowledge and judicious temperament for meeting the business challenges that lie ahead.

The Minneapolis company announced that Richard Davis will retire as CEO this spring. He will be succeeded by longtime deputy Andy Cecere.

New Frontier Bancshares in St. Charles, Mo., has hired the leader of another local bank as its new CEO.

Washington Federal Chairman and Chief Executive Roy M. Whitehead will hand off his CEO duties to Brent Beardall this spring.

The $605 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that Stephen Marsh, its CEO since 2008, retired on Dec. 31.

Lakeland Bancorp in Oak Ridge, N.J., has named a new chief financial officer and chief operating officer as two other executives plan to retire.

Daryl Tressler will retire as president and CEO of MainSource Bank in Greensburg, Ind., at the end of this year.

Bank of Montreal's Bill Downe, the longest serving chief executive officer among Canada's biggest lenders, said he has no immediate plans for retirement even after a management shuffle at the company.

As the banking environment demands a different skill set for those operating leaner branch networks, institutions should look at tellers as a longer-term human resource with growth potential.

FirstBank in Lakewood, Colo., named the successors to its CEO and president, who are both retiring after holding those titles for 17 years.

Andrew Jetter is stepping down as the chief executive of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka after serving as the president and the CEO for 14 years.

Wayne Savings Bancshares in Wooster, Ohio, is looking for a new CEO.

Kevin S. Kim thought he was joining a bank board to bring youth to an aging slate of directors. Eight years, four acquisitions and a banking crisis later, he is now the chief executive of the nation's largest Korean-American bank.

Citizens Building and Loan in Greer, S.C., will have a new president and chief executive next year.

Johnson, 54, will succeed her father, Edward "Ned" Johnson, as chairman of the family-run firm in early December.

HomeBancorp in Tampa, Fla., has appointed several executives to expanded roles, all to take effect at the start of the year.

The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without mandated paid parental leave, but innovative leave policies are an opportunity to attract and retain employees in a highly competitive industry.

TD Bank Group in Toronto will have a new president and chief executive for its U.S. banking unit next summer.