Eastern Bank names Hessan and Nearhos to board of directors

Boston, MA Eastern Bank, a full-service commercial bank headquartered in Boston, has added two accomplished professionals to its board of directors. Joining the board will be: Diane Hessan, CEO of the Startup Institute, and Barry Nearhos, who recently retired as the Northeast managing partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“Eastern Bank is incredibly fortunate to add two dynamic leaders with diverse perspectives to our board,” said Richard Holbrook, Eastern’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Their collective talents and experience will help us further elevate our mission and transform our business to continue to better compete and serve our customers and our communities in the years ahead.”

Hessan is a successful entrepreneur, marketer and author, who is currently the CEO of Startup Institute, which is dedicated to helping people transform their careers and find jobs they love. Hessan also serves as chairman of C Space (formerly Communispace), which she founded and was CEO, leading the company to 13 years of exponential growth. With more than 500 employees and offices in over a dozen countries, C Space is the leader in helping companies achieve customer-inspired growth, “with a Blue Chip client list that would make a Madison Avenue giant jealous,” according to Advertising Age. Hessan also serves on the boards of Panera Bread Company and Coach Up, Inc., a privately held company that helps connect aspiring athletes with private coaches. She also serves on a variety of nonprofit boards, including Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, MassChallenge and Tufts University. She received her B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School.

Nearhos recently retired from a 36-year career at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he led teams in providing audit, business advisory and other services to clients of all sizes, representing many industries, including life sciences, telecommunications, technology and manufacturing. He played a leadership role in the Northeast audit practices and later ran the Northeast region leading a practice with 3,000 people, while serving on a variety of nonprofit boards, including: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Jobs for Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable; in addition, he was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of Virtusa, a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company. Nearhos received his B.S. in Accounting from Boston College.

Founded in 1818 and based in Boston, Eastern Bank is the oldest and largest mutual bank in the United States, with $9.6 billion in assets and nearly 100 branches serving communities in eastern Massachusetts and southern and coastal New Hampshire. Eastern Bank offers banking, investments and insurance all under one roof, and prides itself on working harder to understand its customers’ needs so it can deliver these services in a committed and personal way. Eastern Bank, which includes Eastern Wealth Management and Eastern Insurance, is a recognized leader in corporate social responsibility and for its advocacy on behalf of a number of social justice causes. For more information, visit: www.easternbank.com, www.facebook.com/easternbank or www.twitter.com/easternbank.