BUFFALO, N.Y., July 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Niagara Financial Group (Nasdaq:FNFG) announced today it has named Ricky Otey as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Executive. In this role, Otey will provide leadership to partners across the company with the goal of supporting and enhancing First Niagara's customer experience.
Otey will help First Niagara brand a customer service commitment as part of the bank's relationship-based model. Otey will provide direct leadership to the First Niagara Customer Contact Centers in Lockport and Albany.
"First Niagara is committed to becoming something really special," said Scott Fisher, First Niagara Managing Director for Retail Banking, "Key to that is a relentless focus on our customers and Ricky will provide great leadership in this area."
Otey brings more than 20 years of customer-focused leadership experience including 16 years with Wachovia (and its predecessor, First Union) in regional and area leadership roles. He joins First Niagara from Capital One Bank, where he served as Regional President for the Austin, Texas market, State President for Texas and most recently as Northeast USA Market Executive over a six-year period. He is a graduate of Longwood University.
Otey and his wife Adriene will be relocating to Buffalo from New York City.
About First Niagara
First Niagara, through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Niagara Bank, N.A., is a multi-state community-oriented bank with nearly 430 branches, approximately $35 billion in assets, $28 billion in deposits, and approximately 6,000 employees providing financial services to individuals, families and businesses across Upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.firstniagara.com.