Horizon Bank Expands Board of Directors, Appointing Two New Independent Directors

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., May 25, 2023 -- (NASDAQ GS: HBNC) Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon” or the “Company”) announced today the appointment of Kevin Ahern and Brian Maass to serve as independent directors on the Board of its wholly owned subsidiary, Horizon Bank. With the additions of Ahern and Maass, the Horizon Bank Board will expand to 14 Directors, 12 of whom are independent.

"Both are exceptional leaders, with considerable expertise and demonstrated track records in asset liability management, client relationship building, capital development, and strategy, which aligns well with Horizon’s initiatives for growth and complements the board's shared knowledge and experience in several key areas," said Thomas Prame, President of Horizon Bancorp Inc. & Horizon Bank. "We are pleased to have Kevin and Brian add their financial expertise and experiences to our bank’s board of directors and look forward to their valuable and fresh perspectives that will help maximize shareholder value."

Kevin Ahern

Ahern has 35 years of experience as an executive, entrepreneur and operator in the financial services industry. He currently is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Brush Creek Partners, a private equity investment firm. Ahern is the former Founder, Chairman, and CEO of CIC Bancshares, a bank holding company and its subsidiary bank, Centennial Bank. Under Ahern’s leadership, CIC grew total assets from $37 million to over $750 million with a strategic focus on both organic growth and accretive acquisitions. CIC Bancshares was acquired by Heartland Financial, USA (“HTLF”) and Mr. Ahern continued his leadership position as Executive Chairman of Centennial Bank and Chairman of Citywide Banks and was an Executive Vice President of HTLF. Ahern also served as President and COO of Braddock Financial Corporation, a Colorado-based alternative asset management and private equity firm focused in the structured securities markets as well as serving as an Executive VP of CoBiz Financial, Inc. as Treasurer and Managing Director of corporate development. Mr. Ahern has also held positions with Aetna Investment Management, Mutual Asset Management, ING Investment Management, and Sterling Partners where he was a quantitative fixed income analyst, trader, portfolio manager, managing director, and chief investment officer.

Currently, he serves on the board of directors of InBank Corp, a New Mexico and Colorado-based bank holding company, Bancorp 34, Inc., an Arizona-based bank holding company, ERI Group, Inc., Gemini XIII, LLC, and is Chairman of Investment Trust Company.

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Ahern obtained a Master of Business Administration focused in finance, General from the University of Connecticut and a B.S. in Finance and Insurance from the University of Northern Colorado.

Brian Maass

Maass operates as a consultant, finance executive, and strategic business partner to CEOs, executive teams, and board of directors. He brings to Horizon more than 25 years of experience across the disciplines of corporate finance, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, balance sheet and interest rate management, accounting, and capital markets.

Most recently, Maass served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for TCF Financial Corporation, a bank holding company and its subsidiary bank, TCF Bank. During his tenure, he led key initiatives involving operations optimization, profitability enhancements, and completed several transformative mergers that increased the organization from $18 billion to $48 billion.  Additionally, Maass had held the positions of EVP Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer during his career at TCF. 

Prior to TCF, Maass also held various positions at Wells Fargo Bank, culminating as Senior Vice President – Treasury Global Funding with responsibilities that included company-wide liquidity management, collateral management, funding forecasts, hedging strategies, and development and execution of global funding strategies.

Maass obtained a Master’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Northern Illinois University. He is formerly a registered Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois.

About Horizon Bancorp, Inc.
Celebrating 150 years, Horizon Bancorp, Inc. is an independent, commercial bank holding company serving Indiana and Michigan through its commercial banking subsidiary, Horizon Bank. Horizon Bancorp, Inc. may be reached online at www.horizonbank.com. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC.

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Contact: Thomas Prame
President
Phone: (219) 814-5983