Brian Jackson, left, and Jonathan Schneider (Photos provided by Simmons Bank)
Simmons Bank of Pine Bluff announced an expansion of its executive leadership team with two hirings.
Brian Jackson joins the bank as president of consumer and wealth management. Jonathan Schneider was hired as president of commercial banking.
The hires aim to support Simmons’ next phase of growth and “shape the future of how we serve our clients and create sustainable value for our shareholders,” President and CEO Jay Brogdon said in a news release.
Jackson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry. He most recently served as executive vice president and head of consumer product, pricing and origination partnerships at Regions Bank. In that role, he was responsible for new product development, ongoing product and portfolio management, and pricing for consumer and small business deposit products.
Jackson holds a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Central Florida and is a certified public accountant.
Schneider has 18 years of commercial banking experience, including the development of commercial and industrial loans, and commercial deposit strategies. He most recently served as executive director and head of specialty banking at Veritex Bank of Dallas, Texas, where he designed and executed strategies for growing private equity and sponsor relationships.
Schneider holds a bachelor’s from Liberty University and is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking.
Jackson and Schneider join Simmons after the bank posted a $397.6 million annual loss due to the sale of more than $3 billion of its investment securities in 2025.
Wealth Management Expansion
Simmons also announced the addition of an eight-person private banking and wealth management team that will expand the bank’s operations in the Midwest.
The group led by Rick Sartori joins Simmons from Canada-based BMO Financial Group’s U.S. wealth management unit. Sartori’s team provides services to clients in markets including St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Wichita.
The group managed a portfolio with more than $750 million in assets under management, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.
In a statement, Brogdon said expanding the depth and reach of the company’s wealth management business is a key objective in the bank’s strategic plan. The addition of Sartori’s team also represents a opportunity for Simmons to drive organic growth and increase fee income. Simmons (Nasdaq: SFNC) reported $10.3 million in fourth-quarter income from wealth management fees, up from $9.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.
“Rick and his team bring a proven record of high performance and are a natural fit given their familiarity with markets where we already have a strong banking presence,” Brogdon said.
Sartori spent 10 years as director of BMO Wealth Management in St. Louis. He previously worked for U.S. Trust in St. Louis as a private client advisor.