Sierra Bancorp, parent of Bank of the Sierra, announced Natalia Coen has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer for both the company and the bank. As its sixth executive officer, Coen will oversee the bank’s risk management program.
“We are overjoyed to add Natalia to the team at Bank of the Sierra,” said Kevin McPhaill, the Bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The addition of Natalia is yet another sign that our company continues to grow, and we know her abilities and experience will be critical to our future success.”
Coen has more than 18 years of experience in the banking industry. Prior to joining Bank of the Sierra, she was Chief Risk and Compliance Officer for Gateway First Bank in Jenks, OK. In this position, Coen managed Gateway’s enterprise risk management framework, which included establishing its risk monitoring, metrics, and tolerance. She also previously served as Senior Vice President and Director of Compliance for CoBiz Financial, and its subsidiary CoBiz Bank, in Denver.
Coen graduated with a master’s degree in international economic policy studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Hugh Boyle will continue as Chief Credit Officer for Sierra Bancorp and Bank of the Sierra, a role he has held since joining the Company in 2020. After an executive leadership change in 2021, Boyle stepped up to accept the combined role of Chief Credit and Chief Risk Officer. Over the last two years, he has worked tirelessly to improve and strengthen the Bank’s culture and enterprise risk management framework while also maintaining his duties within credit and lending. After successfully serving both executive officer positions, Boyle’s return to exclusively focusing on credit will allow him more time to support the Bank’s strategic initiatives of both diversification and growth in lending. He will also lead the transition with Coen to oversee the enterprise risk management department.