We’re excited to announce the addition of Christian Ruppe as Chief Innovation Officer, Senior Vice President. In this newly created position, Christian will utilize his deep industry knowledge to develop and execute a meaningful innovation strategy that aligns with the Company’s strategic initiatives and culture.
Commenting on the announcement, Heath Fountain, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “As community banking evolves with the rising role of technology, our focus has been to embrace innovation and enhance our customer experience. With the addition of Christian as Chief Innovation Officer, we will enhance our ability to provide our customers with an engaging banking experience.”
Christian’s career in banking began as CEO and Co-Founder of Monotto, a financial technology company helping account holders automate savings, which was later acquired by Horicon Bank. After the acquisition of Monotto, Christian served as Vice President of Digital Banking at Horicon Bank, where he spearheaded the bank’s digital transformation and worked to blur the lines between physical branches and digital solutions. During his subsequent role as Vice President of Innovation and Strategy, he steered the bank’s vision through cross-team collaboration, Fintech partnerships, and a data-driven mindset. Christian has become a prominent voice in the community banking space, pushing topics such as diversity in leadership, and he was recently awarded ICBA’s 40 Under 40: Emerging Community Bank Leaders in 2022.
Kimberly Dockery, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, stated, “We are very excited to welcome Christian to the Colony Bank team. He is a well-known and well-respected professional who’s visions for the future of banking will perpetuate Colony Bank’s position as an industry trailblazer. In addition, his passion for financial inclusion will help us to connect our customers across various channels as we continue to grow.”
About Colony Bankcorp
Colony Bankcorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for Colony Bank. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia, Colony operates 37 locations throughout Georgia. At Colony Bank, we offer a wide range of banking services including personal banking, business banking, mortgage solutions, government guaranteed lending solutions, and more. We have expanded our services to also include consumer insurance products, such as automotive, homeowners, and other insurance needs for our community. Colony’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CBAN.” For more information, please visit colony.bank. You can also follow the Company on social media.
