Cadence Bank (NYSE: CADE) today announced the appointment of Fernando Araujo and Alice Rodriguez to its board of directors, effective Jan. 17, 2025. Araujo and Rodriguez join the board as independent directors.
Araujo is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience in all aspects of oil and gas upstream operations. He has served as the chief executive officer of Berry Corporation (NASDAQ: BRY), a company engaged in the safe and responsible development and production of conventional oil reserves in the Western United States, since January 2024, and as a director since March 2024. He joined the company in 2020 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Prior to his time at Berry, Araujo worked for some of the most accomplished brands in the industry, including Schlumberger, Apache Corporation, Repsol S.A. and Shell Oil.
Rodriguez spent over 35 years at JPMorgan Chase & Co. (and its predecessors) in various executive leadership roles, most recently as head of its community impact organization. Since her retirement from JPMorgan, she has taken on a more active role as co-owner of Kendall Milagro, Inc., a boutique home builder in Dallas. She and her husband co-founded the company more than 20 years ago. Supporting her commitment to minority-driven causes, Rodriguez served as chair of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce from 2020-2022 and is currently a board member of Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, a privately held regulated electricity transmission and distribution company.
“We are honored to welcome Fernando and Alice to our board of directors,” said Dan Rollins, chairman and chief executive officer of Cadence Bank. “Fernando’s insights and experience in leading diverse teams as well as in asset development and acquisitions within a highly regulated environment will be instrumental in driving our vision to help people, companies and communities prosper. Likewise, Alice’s extensive leadership across all sectors of the banking industry – consumer, business, wealth management, operations and community impact and development, coupled with her experience as a small business operator, will be invaluable to our growth trajectory.”
“I am excited to join the Cadence Bank board of directors,” said Araujo. “Cadence is well-positioned in the industry and shares a similar operational focus on seeking positive outcomes for all stakeholders and leveraging technology to improve efficiencies. I look forward to collaborating with this talented team to drive growth and deliver impactful results while harnessing an entrepreneurial spirit.”
Rodriguez added: “I look forward to using my strategic, operational and execution expertise to positively impact Cadence’s growth journey. Throughout my career, I have always put people and purpose first, and I appreciate the company’s shared commitment to supporting people, companies and communities.”
