Financial Services >> CEO Interviews >> June 14, 1999
EDWARD J. WEHMER has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of
the Wintrust Financial Corporation since its formation in 1996. In 1998,
he was named President and Chief Executive Officer of the company. In
this role, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the
corporation and overseeing the execution of the company's day-to-day
operations. From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Wehmer served as the President of
Lake Forest Bank and Trust Company. He was one of the founders and
principle organizers of each of Wintrust's banking subsidiaries and has
served as Chairman or Vice Chairman and a Director of each of the
subsidiary banks, First Insurance Funding Corporation, Tricom and
Wintrust Asset Management Corporation since their inception. Prior to
joining the company, Mr. Wehmer, from 1985 to 1991, served as Senior
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of River Forest
Bancorp, Chicago (now Corus Bancshares), as well as President and CEO of
Lincoln National Bank in Chicago, River Forest's largest bank
subsidiary. Mr. Wehmer is a Certified Public Accountant, and earlier in
his career he spent seven years with the accounting firm of Ernst &
Young LLP, specializing in the banking field, particularly in the area
of bank mergers and acquisitions. A graduate of Georgetown University,
Mr. Wehmer is a long time resident of Lake Forest and is active in
several charitable and fraternal organizations. Profile
Mr. Wehmer: Wintrust Financial is a very unique and a very young
company. We are six de novo community banks, a commercial premium
finance
