Arvest Bank hires JPMorgan exec for new digital banking role

On Tuesday (Sept. 7), Fayetteville-chartered Arvest Bank announced the hiring of Melanie Fuller as president of digital banking solutions. Fuller spent the past decade working in Ohio in various leadership roles for JPMorgan Chase, including head of experience and technology for customer service and as the executive director of strategy and operations.

An Arvest spokesman said Fuller would eventually relocate to the state and office in Northwest Arkansas.

Fuller’s position is new at Arvest. According to a news release, the new division is part of the bank’s multi-year transformation strategy, which includes adopting a next-generation core banking platform and enhancing digital payments and services capabilities.

“As we implement our strategic transformation at Arvest to meet the needs of our customers’ digital banking needs of the future, we sought a visionary leader who would help us create and deliver best-in-class products, services and experiences,” Arvest president and CEO Kevin Sabin said in a statement. “Melanie’s proven track record in delivering innovative customer experiences and technology left no doubt that she is the right person to lead us into the future.”

In the news release, Arvest highlighted Fuller’s experience at driving large-scale, strategic transformations across functions, lines of business and channels. According to the release, that experience makes her an ideal fit to lead the company’s digital banking strategy.

Fuller has a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in business administration from Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business. In her spare time, Fuller leads English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Arvest Bank operates more than 230 bank branches in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas. According to the FDIC, as of March 31, the bank had $26.2 billion in assets.