Synovus Bank today announced the appointment of Mark Snead as chief executive officer of Montgomery-based Sterling Bank. Snead will begin January 1, 2016, following the year-end retirement of current CEO Alan Worrell.

“Montgomery and the River Region are important areas of growth for Synovus, and we are very fortunate to have a banker of Mark’s energy and experience lead the talented team there,” said R. Dallis “D” Copeland Jr., chief community banking officer of Synovus. “He knows he has big shoes to fill, however, with the retirement of Alan Worrell, who has served Montgomery with great skill and care for decades. We congratulate Alan on a well-earned retirement, and we thank him for the example he has set for bankers everywhere.”

“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve Montgomery and the River Region at Sterling Bank,” said Worrell. “Community banking is a noble and important undertaking, and the Sterling team and our community have benefitted from the resources and expertise of Synovus. While I will miss working with team mates and customers on a daily basis, I have the greatest confidence in Mark Snead, and I am certain that Sterling is in very capable hands.”

Worrell will remain chairman of Sterling Bank’s board of advisors. He co-founded Sterling Bank in 1989 and will continue to help guide its growth and success through his role as chairman.

Snead joins Sterling from Synovus’ Columbus Bank & Trust division, where he currently serves as vice president, commercial lending. Snead graduated from Auburn University and joined CB&T as a management trainee in 2000. He has held a number of retail and commercial banking positions over the last 15 years at Synovus, including commercial real estate and regional lending. Snead will relocate to Montgomery.