Gateway First Bank, one of the largest banks in Oklahoma, announced Tuesday that the company is bringing on Deirdre Cherry as its chief credit officer.

This latest hire marks at least the fifth high-level hire the bank has made since its merger earlier this year. In May, the company (formerly known as Gateway Mortgage Group) acquired Farmers Exchange Bank to become Gateway First Bank. From appointing a new chief risk officer to a new chief mortgage operations officer, the company has been busy, to say the least. 

Joining the team as chief credit officer, Cherry will review of Gateway’s loan portfolio on a continuing basis with the goal of guiding risk-appropriate growth, according to Gateway. She will also assist in the detection of deterioration in loan quality and review the portfolio to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

“We are committed at Gateway to bringing in the best talent in the industry, and Deirdre is no exception with her depth and breadth of experience in the banking industry,” said Stephen Curry, CEO of Gateway. “Her knowledge on credit training, pricing models, collateral evaluation and risk rating will help us as we continue to grow as a company.”

Prior to joining Gateway, Cherry served as senior capital advisor at Bank of the West. She has served in other leadership roles such as director at Merill Lynch and Deutsche Bank as well as senior vice president at U.S. Trust. The bulk of her experience, however, stems from more than 24 years of working with JPMorgan and its predecessor institutions. 

“I am proud to be a member of the Gateway team during this unprecedented time of rapid growth and advancement,” Cherry said. I look forward to using my industry experience to help the team strive for even greater excellence and live out the company’s core values and making a difference in our company and community every day.”