BOSTON – Eastern Bank has appointed Karl-Henry Francois as senior vice president and commercial banking relationship manager, the bank announced June 5.
Francois has more than 20 years of banking experience, including 18 years specializing in lending solutions for middle-market businesses in loan products, treasury management, hedging strategies and debt capital markets.
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Prior to Francios’ hiring, Eastern Bankshares Inc., the holding company of Eastern Bank, announced on April 24 that it had entered into a merger agreement with HarborOne Bancorp Inc., the holding company of Brockton, Mass.-based HarborOne Bank, in a deal valued at approximately $490 million in which Eastern Bank would acquire HarborOne Bank’s $5.7 billion in assets and its 30 banking centers, including its nine Rhode Island branches, in the stock-and-cash transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025. The merger will mark Eastern Bank’s entrance into Rhode Island, as it currently does not have any Ocean State-based locations.
Francois, who’s expertise includes industries such as food and beverage, paper and packaging, transportation and manufacturing, most recently worked as senior vice president and relationship manager at Citizens Financial Group Inc.
“Karl-Henry Francois brings a strong background in serving the credit, refinancing and overall lending and financing needs of middle-market companies, and we are excited to welcome him to Eastern Bank’s Commercial Banking team,” said Greg Buscone, executive vice president and chief commercial banking officer at Eastern Bank.
Francois earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Suffolk University and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Bentley University.
Francois currently serves on the board of directors of Bridgewell, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals facing intellectual, developmental, psychiatric and physical challenges, as well as the board of the New England Human Services Collaborative.
“I am honored to join Eastern Bank’s commercial lending team, and to help middle-market companies across our region achieve their business goals,” Francois said.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
