Financial Institutions, Inc., parent company of Five Star Bank, SDN Insurance Agency, LLC, and Courier Capital, LLC, announced Scott Bader has been promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the Bank. In his role, Bader will be responsible for the execution and evolution of the Bank’s comprehensive information and cybersecurity program, as well as compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements regarding information access, security and privacy.

“Scott is an exceptional and proven leader who I’m confident will help the Bank achieve its strategic goals while ensuring customer and bank information is maintained in a highly secure manner,” said Gary Pacos, Chief Risk Officer of Five Star Bank. “Having led Five Star Bank’s technology function through significant growth during the past 15 years, Scott has strong technology experience, deep institutional knowledge and a keen understanding of the sophisticated threats facing the financial services industry today, all of which are key to supporting Five Star Bank and its affiliates into the future.”

Since joining the Bank in 2008, Bader has taken on steadily increasing responsibility in the information security and technology functions. From 2010 to 2014, as Senior Vice President and Information Security Officer and Technology Services Manager, he led the launch of the Bank’s information security program. Since 2014, he has served as Senior Vice President and Technology Services Director and played an integral role in the Bank’s digital transformation. Prior to joining Five Star Bank, Bader worked in progressive technology roles at retailer Chico’s FAS, Inc. Bader also served in the United States Marine Corps from 1990 to 1994, working on an international counterintelligence team.

Bader earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Florida Gulf Coast University.