Politician-turned commercial lender Randy Hultgren to run state association
A former four-term Illinois Congressman who left Capitol Hill to become a commercial lending executive has been named president and CEO of the Illinois Bankers Association (IBA).
Randy Hultgren, a Republican who was elected to represent Illinois’ 14th Congressional District in 2010 and served until losing re-election in 2018, will replace Linda Koch, who is leaving the trade group after serving 18 years as its leader.
Hultgren, who served on the House Financial Services Committee, took on a post-Congress job as senior vice president of commercial lending with Wintrust Financial, Chicago’s second largest banking company. In an interview with The Center Square, he viewed his new role as the perfect mix for his public and private sector work.
“I feel like this is sort of this culmination of bringing together all of this experience, all that I've learned, all that I've worked on in private sector in my career and then also my public service,” Hultgren said. “I'm thrilled and excited to have an impact on the issues that I really care about and working with people that I really enjoy to be able to get good things done.”
"We selected Randy to lead our organization after a nationwide search," said IBA Chairman Kevin Olson of Grundy Bank. "His outstanding reputation, demonstrated leadership skills and proven ability to connect with all Illinois bankers as well as our other important stakeholders truly stand out. We are confident Randy is the right person to lead us into the next decade."
