CFO of Indiana’s Finward Bancorp to retire in May

Finward Bancorp Chief Risk Officer Leane Cerven will retire in May.  

Cerven, the Munster, Ind.-based bank’s general counsel and corporate secretary, joined both the holding company and its subsidiary Peoples Bank in 2010.

Peoples Bank Director of Audit Lynette Klemm will replace Cerven as interim chief risk officer. Klemm, a Certified Bank Auditor, Certified Financial Services Auditor and Certified Risk Professional, has worked in internal auditing in the banking industry for 34 years. Senior Auditor Bridget Stout will assume the director of audit position on an interim basis.

Prior to joining Finward Bancorp, Cerven, who is licensed to practice law in Indiana and Illinois, was vice president and legal counsel for Bank One, Chicago, and an associate attorney with Mayer, Brown & Platt, Chicago. She graduated from the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking in 2014.  

“[Cerven’s] work to build a strong risk management organization will provide for a smooth transition and will ensure stability for the bank,” said CEO Benjamin Bochnowski.