The Huntington National Bank announced Jay Turakhia as Regional President for Northeast Ohio, succeeding Sean Richardson, who has been promoted to president of Huntington Distribution Finance.

Turakhia brings to this role extensive experience in regional and commercial banking. He will oversee Huntington's Northeast Ohio region, which spans across Cleveland, Akron, Canton and the surrounding communities, continuing the bank's commitment to making people's lives better, helping businesses thrive and strengthening the communities it serves.

"Jay is a proven leader with a strong track record of driving results and building meaningful relationships," said Christian Corts, regional banking director at Huntington Bank. "His experience and leadership will be invaluable as he steps into this important role."

Turakhia will be responsible for guiding local teams in delivering Huntington's highly differentiated regional banking model. He will oversee strategic business and community engagement and drive regional growth initiatives.

Most recently, Turakhia served as the Greater Baltimore Market President at Truist. He also held various roles at PNC. Turakhia graduated from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead the Northeast Ohio region. This community means a great deal to me – not only professionally, but personally," said Turakhia. "My family's roots in this community run deep – my father's journey in the United States began in Solon and many relatives still call Northeast Ohio home. I've spent a lifetime being shaped by this community, and I look forward to building on the strong foundation Sean has established."

Richardson, who has served as the Northeast Ohio Regional President since 2016, will now advance to president of Huntington Distribution Finance, which offers floorplan financing solutions to manufacturers, distributors and dealers in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. He replaces Jay Deverell, who is retiring after leading the business for the last nine years.

"Sean has more than 30 years of experience serving and advising owner-managed businesses, as well as leading commercial middle-market and upper middle-market sales teams across northern Ohio," said Mike DiCecco, executive managing director of Huntington's asset finance group, which includes its Distribution Finance business. "He also has a particularly strong track record of building relationships and partnerships with clients ranging from large publicly held organizations to private middle-market companies. I'm confident Sean will continue Huntington Distribution Finance's momentum, expand our capabilities and deliver value to our clients."

Richardson joined Huntington through its merger with FirstMerit and has played a key role in strengthening the bank's presence in Northeast Ohio.

"It's been an honor to serve Northeast Ohio and work alongside such dedicated colleagues," said Richardson. "I'm excited to take on this new challenge and continue supporting Huntington's mission to help businesses thrive."

In addition to his new role, Richardson will serve as Chairman of Huntington's Cleveland Advisory Board, helping to deepen the bank's engagement with local business and community leaders.

Turakhia will officially join Huntington on November 3.