Six weeks after completing its acquisition of People’s United Bank, M&T Bank has named a regional president for the Eastern Massachusetts market.
The Buffalo-based M&T Bank has named Grace Lee as its Eastern Massachusetts regional president and group lead of New England government banking. Lee previously led government banking for People’s United in Massachusetts since 2014.
M&T said it uses a local engagement model that separates geographic areas within its footprint into community regions led by regional presidents.
“Because they know their communities best, these regionally based teams work to create differentiated strategies to serve their markets, combining the capabilities of a large institution with the care and empathy of a neighborhood bank,” the statement said.
The regional team also makes decisions locally about community activities, grants and lending, M&T said. M&T is still working on integrating People’s United systems and branches and expects the conversion to be completed later in 2022, according to M&T’s website.
In her new role, Lee will ensure collaboration across all lines of business, the statement said. She will also direct community banking activities that “advance the bank’s localized focus to provide more value for customers, businesses and communities across the region,” the bank said.
“Grace brings years of experience and excellence in banking and treasury management in both the public and private sector and direct ties to the communities she serves,” Mike Keegan, M&T Bank senior executive vice president and head of community banking, said in the statement. “Grace will be an integral part of our regional team in Eastern Massachusetts, continuing her long-standing commitment to the region and dedication to reaching underserved communities.”
Before joining People’s United, Lee was special counsel and vice-chair of the public finance group for law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC, the statement said. She was also a general counsel and first deputy treasurer of the Massachusetts treasurer’s office, where she oversaw the operations of the treasury and its various divisions. She has also worked as a civil rights attorney for the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, and as chief of the civil rights division for the Norfolk County district attorney’s office.
Lee is a board member of the Roxbury Community College Foundation, Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, New England Council, New England Legal Foundation, and Women in Public Finance, the statement said. She is also an executive member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.
