JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) announced on Monday that it has hired former senator and secretary of housing and urban development Mel Martinez, as a senior executive for the Florida, Caribbean and Central America region.
Martinez, who served in the Bush administration’s cabinet between 2001 and 2003 and as a senator between 2004 and 2009, had most recently been working as a lawyer in DLA Piper’s Orlando office. He will become a member of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM)’s executive committee and work as a senior adviser to the firm’s clients in the region, including corporations, nonprofit organizations and governments.
“Mel has been a business and civic leader and a role model in Florida for decades,” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. “He has served the people of Florida well at both the local and national level and now he will help JPMorgan Chase continue our expansion to serve the consumers, businesses and communities of Florida and the region.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) said in a statement that its hoping to bolster its presence in Florida, including by adding 20 new branches a year in the state. The company took a major step in building out its Sunshine State operations when it acquired Washington Mutual in late 2008 during the height of the financial crisis.
“I’m thrilled to accept this new challenge and look forward to building upon the reputation of this premier financial services company,” Mr. Martinez said in a statement.
