Leadership succession at BOH Commercial Banking

HONOLULU, Hawaii—Bank of Hawaii announces the following leadership succession plans in its Commercial Banking Division.

After a 45-year career at Bank of Hawaii, vice chair and chief commercial officer Wayne Y. Hamano will retire on Jan. 13, 2022. Hamano first joined the bank as a commercial credit analyst and went on to lead various businesses in the bank, including the Commercial Banking Group, and has been a member of Bank of Hawaii’s Executive Committee since 2006.

“Wayne’s depth of experience and strong ties to the community have made countless contributions to the success of our business clients over the years. He will always be a part of our Bank of Hawaii ‘ohana, and we are deeply grateful for his leadership and commitment to building partnerships across the state,” said Bank of Hawaii chairman, president and CEO Peter Ho.

In advance of Hamano’s retirement, Bank of Hawaii announces the following appointments and promotions:

Vice chair James C. Polk has been promoted to chief banking officer. With 32 years of experience in the financial services industry and more than 20 years at Bank of Hawaii, Polk has held a variety of leadership roles, including overseeing the bank’s Commercial Banking Group, Retail Lending and Deposit Products, and most recently, Trust Services and Bankoh Investment Services Inc. Polk is a member of the bank’s Executive Committee.

In this new role, Polk will oversee Commercial Banking, in addition to his current responsibilities of the bank’s Trust Services Group, Cash Management, Merchant Services and Corporate Facilities.

Polk currently serves on the board of directors for Hawaii Medical Service Association and After-School All-Stars Hawaii, and is a trustee for Hawaii Pacific University.

Polk earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, as well as a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.

Guy C. Churchill and Dirk K. Yoshizawa have both been promoted to senior executive vice president and co-lead executives of Bank of Hawaii’s Commercial Banking Group. Churchill and Yoshizawa will report to Polk, and as members of the bank’s Operating Committee, share in the responsibility of overseeing the various departments within Commercial Banking.

Churchill will continue to oversee Corporate Banking, Commercial Real Estate, Guam Commercial Banking, and will assume expanded responsibility for Commercial Deposit Management/Financial Services and International Commercial.

Churchill joined the bank in October 2017 as executive vice president and commercial real estate lending division manager. With his expertise and collaborative leadership style, he helped to broaden the bank’s Commercial Real Estate Loan Division by identifying and developing affordable housing business opportunities. In 2018, his role was expanded to include leading the bank’s Large Commercial Banking segment. In addition, Churchill has been instrumental in building out and leading the bank’s Sustainable Finance Group, which is focused on both renewable energy projects as well as affordable housing in Hawaii and the West Pacific region.

Since 2019, Churchill has served on the Aloha United Way board of directors and is its incoming treasurer for 2022. He is also treasurer for Hawaii Nature Center, recently joined the board of directors for Move Oahu Forward, and serves on the Managing Committee of the Urban Land Institute Hawaii.

Prior to joining the bank, Churchill was SVP and team lead at Wells Fargo from 2007 to 2017, managing its commercial real estate office in Honolulu. Churchill earned his bachelor of science degree in leadership and organizational development from Vanderbilt University after graduating from Punahou School, and a master of business administration in finance from the University of Southern California.

Yoshizawa will continue his oversight of the bank’s four state of Hawaii Commercial Banking Centers, the Fast Track Loan team, Auto Dealer Finance, and Equipment Leasing. Yoshizawa will assume the added responsibility of Commercial Banking Service & Support and the Business Planning & Strategy team.

Yoshizawa joined Bank of Hawaii in 1995 as a bank associate. He was promoted to senior vice president in 2012, managing the Pearlridge Commercial Banking Center. In 2018, he was appointed executive vice president. In 2019, Yoshizawa was promoted to executive director of the bank’s four Commercial Banking Centers across the state, including its commercial banking officers on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island, and subsequently added oversight responsibility for Dealer Finance, Fast Track Loan team, and Equipment Leasing. Yoshizawa was also instrumental in developing and leading Bank of Hawaii’s loan program supporting AOAOs (Association of Apartment Owners).

Since 2012, he has served on the board of directors for the Friends of Waikiki Aquarium as co-chair. Yoshizawa also serves as vice chair on the board for the University Health Partners of Hawaii and for the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.

Yoshizawa earned his bachelor of arts degree in economics from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, and is a Mililani High School graduate. (PR)