Leane Cerven will retire as executive vice president, chief risk officer, general counsel and corporate secretary of Peoples Bank and Finward Bancorp effective May 5.
Cerven joined the bank in 2010 as general counsel and corporate secretary, and in 2021, assumed the duties of chief risk officer.
“Leane has played an instrumental role in the bank’s growth since she joined us over 10 years ago,” said Benjamin Bochnowski, chief executive officer, in a press release. “… Leane’s work to build a strong risk management organization will provide for a smooth transition and will ensure stability for the bank. While this is part of a planned transition, we will miss her immensely both personally and professionally.”
Lynette Klemm, the director of audit, will replace Cerven as the interim chief risk officer until a permanent replacement is named. Klemm has been working in the banking industry for 34 years. She is a certified bank auditor, among other designations. Bridget Stout, a senior auditor, will become interim director of audit.
Before joining the bank, Cerven was vice president and legal counsel for Bank One and an associate attorney with Mayer, Brown & Platt. She is a 2014 graduate of the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking, former chair of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking Advisory Board, and a Stonier capstone adviser and facilitator.
Cerven also is involved in the community. She is the president of the South Shore Arts board of directors in Munster and serves on the finance council of St. Thomas More Church in Munster, and on the bioethics committees for St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart.
Finward Bancorp, which has headquarters in Munster, is the holding company of Peoples Bank, which has 29 locations in Lake and Porter counties and the Chicago area.
