Eagle Bancorp, Inc. Announces Leadership Transition
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) announced that Susan G. Riel, chair, president and CEO, informed the board she will retire as president and CEO in 2026 and will relinquish the chair role while remaining a director. The board has engaged an executive search firm to recruit her successor. To ensure continuity, the board elected James A. Soltesz as independent chair and Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. as vice chair, effective immediately. The company said Ms. Riel will continue leading Eagle until her successor is in place and that the board remains focused on repositioning Eagle for sustainable profitability and long‑term growth.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) ha annunciato che Susan G. Riel, presidente del consiglio, presidente e amministratore delegato, ha informato il consiglio che si ritirerà dall’incarico di presidente e CEO nel 2026 e cederà il ruolo di presidente del consiglio pur rimanendo consigliera. Il consiglio ha incaricato una società di ricerca di dirigenti per reclutare il suo successore. Per garantire la continuità, il consiglio ha eletto James A. Soltesz come presidente indipendente e Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. come vicepresidente del consiglio, con effetto immediato. L’azienda ha dichiarato che la signora Riel continuerà a guidare Eagle fino all’insediamento del suo successore e che il consiglio resta concentrato sul riposizionamento di Eagle per una redditività sostenibile e una crescita a lungo termine.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) anunció que Susan G. Riel, presidenta, presidenta del consejo y directora ejecutiva, informó a la junta que se retirará de sus cargos de presidenta y directora ejecutiva en 2026 y cederá el rol de presidenta del consejo, manteniéndose como directora. La junta ha contratado a una firma de búsqueda de ejecutivos para reclutar a su sucesor. Para garantizar la continuidad, la junta eligió a James A. Soltesz como presidente independiente y a Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. como vicepresidente del consejo, con efecto inmediato. La compañía dijo que la Sra. Riel seguirá liderando Eagle hasta que su sucesor esté en el cargo y que la junta continúa enfocándose en reposicionar a Eagle para lograr rentabilidad sostenible y crecimiento a largo plazo.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN)는 Susan G. Riel이 이사회에 2026년 에 은퇴하고 의장 직은 양도하되 회장은 계속 이사회 이사로 남아 있을 것이라고 알렸습니다. 이사회는 후임자를 찾기 위해 임원 채용 회사를 고용했습니다. 연속성을 보장하기 위해 이사회는 James A. Soltesz를 독립 의장으로, Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr.를 부의장으로 즉시 선출했습니다. 회사는 리엘 씨가 후임자가 자리에 오를 때까지 Eagle를 이끌 것이며 이사회가 지속 가능한 수익성과 장기적 성장을 위해 Eagle의 재포지셔닝에 집중하고 있다고 밝혔습니다.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) a annoncé que Susan G. Riel, présidente, directrice générale et présidente du conseil, a informé le conseil qu’elle prendra sa retraite en tant que présidente et directrice générale en 2026 et renoncera au poste de président du conseil tout en restant administratrice. Le conseil a mandaté une société de recherche de cadres pour recruter son successeur. Pour assurer la continuité, le conseil a élu James A. Soltesz comme président indépendant et Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. comme vice-président du conseil, à effet immédiat. L’entreprise a déclaré que Mme Riel continuera de diriger Eagle jusqu’à ce que son successeur soit en place et que le conseil demeure concentré sur le repositionnement d’Eagle pour une rentabilité durable et une croissance à long terme.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) hat bekannt gegeben, dass Susan G. Riel, Vorsitzende, Präsidentin und CEO, dem Vorstand mitgeteilt hat, dass sie 2026 als Präsidentin und CEO in den Ruhestand tritt und das Vorsitzamt abgibt, während sie gleichzeitig weiterhin Vorstandsmitglied bleibt. Der Vorstand hat eine Executive-Search-Firma beauftragt, um ihre Nachfolge zu finden. Um Kontinuität zu gewährleisten, wählte der Vorstand James A. Soltesz zum unabhängigen Vorsitzenden und Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. zum stellvertretenden Vorsitzenden, mit sofortiger Wirkung. Das Unternehmen sagte, Frau Riel werde Eagle weiterhin führen, bis ihr Nachfolger im Amt ist, und der Vorstand bleibe darauf fokussiert, Eagle neu zu positionieren, um nachhaltige Rentabilität und langfristiges Wachstum sicherzustellen.
Eagle Bancorp (NASDAQ: EGBN) أعلن أن Susan G. Riel، رئيسة المجلس والرئيسة والمدير التنفيذي، أبلغت المجلس بأنها ستتقاعد من مناصبها كـرئيسة والمدير التنفيذي في 2026 وستتخلى عن دور رئيس المجلس مع بقائها كعضو في المجلس. ولقد تعهّد المجلس بتعيين شركة بحث عن التنفيذيين لاختيار خلفها. ولضمان الاستمرارية، اختار المجلس James A. Soltesz كـرئيس مستقل للمجلس وLouis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. كنائب رئيس المجلس، اعتباراً من سريان فوراً. وقالت الشركة إن السيدة ريل ستواصل قيادة Eagle حتى يتوفر خلفها ونوه المجلس بأنه يظل مركزاً على إعادة تموضع Eagle لتحقيق ربحية مستدامة ونمو طويل الأجل.
- Succession plan initiated with executive search firm engaged
- Immediate board continuity via appointment of Soltesz as chair and Mathews as vice chair
- Susan Riel to remain as director and lead until successor is in place
- CEO transition timeline extends into 2026, creating near‑term leadership uncertainty
- Chair role vacated by outgoing CEO, altering board leadership structure
- Successor unknown—search may affect strategy execution until hire
Chair, President and CEO Susan G. Riel to Retire in 2026
Board Conducting Search for New CEO
Appoints James A. Soltesz as Chair and Louis P. “Pete” Mathews Jr. as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, Effective Immediately
BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eagle Bancorp, Inc. ("Eagle" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: EGBN), the Bethesda-based holding company for EagleBank, one of the largest community banks in the Washington D.C. area, today announced that Susan G. Riel has informed the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) of her intention to retire as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2026. She will remain on the Board but will relinquish her Chair role. The Board has engaged a leading executive search firm to assist with the recruitment of Ms. Riel’s successor and the evaluation of all candidates.
To ensure a smooth leadership transition, the Board has elected James A. (“Jim”) Soltesz, formerly the Board’s Lead Independent Director, as independent Chair of the Board, and Louis P. (“Pete”) Mathews Jr. as Vice Chair, effective immediately. Ms. Riel continues to serve as a director of the Company.
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Susan for her many years of dedication to Eagle and its employees, customers, mission and shareholders,” said Mr. Soltesz, Chair of the Board. “The Board looks forward to working with Susan to ensure a seamless transition and to building on the foundation Susan has established. We wish her the very best in retirement.”
“It has been a privilege to lead Eagle over the last seven years, and to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team,” said Ms. Riel. “Together, we have built one of the region’s premier community banks, known for our superior, personalized service to our customers and our unwavering commitment to our communities. I am confident that Eagle is well positioned for continued success, and I look forward to leading Eagle until my successor is identified and in place.”
Mr. Soltesz added, “The Board has the utmost confidence in the Company’s strategic direction. During this succession process, the Eagle team will remain focused on the proactive steps we have initiated to reposition Eagle for sustainable profitability and long-term growth.”
About James A. (“Jim”) Soltesz
Jim Soltesz joined the Board of Eagle Bancorp in 2007 and was appointed Lead Independent Director in 2021. He has served as the President and CEO of Soltesz, Inc., which provides engineering and related services for real estate development projects in Eagle’s markets, since 2001. He is licensed as a Professional Engineer, is a recognized expert in local land use and entitlement processes and has worked on commercial, residential, healthcare, logistics, data centers, institutional facilities, professional sports venues and major infrastructure projects with local, national and international real estate developers and brokerage houses.
In 2024, Mr. Soltesz was appointed by Maryland Governor Wes Moore to the Board of the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO); he also serves on the Board of the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation. He previously chaired the Regulatory Reform Commission under Governor Larry Hogan and currently serves on the Steering Committee for Prince George's County Executive Aisha Braveboy, where he focuses on economic development initiatives. Mr. Soltesz is a past trustee of Georgetown Preparatory School, the Mater Dei School, and Catholic Charities. He has been inducted into the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the Industry Icon award by the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers.
Mr. Soltesz holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Purdue University, and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati.
About Louis P. (“Pete”) Mathews Jr.
Pete Mathews joined the Board of Eagle Bancorp in July 2024. He is a former Senior Executive Vice President at M&T Bank. At the time of his retirement in 2022, he was the Senior Deputy Credit Officer overseeing the Commercial Credit teams supporting the bank’s Commercial Lending and Commercial Real Estate segments. Before that, he was the Deputy Credit Officer in charge of the Commercial Real Estate Credit group. He began his career over 45 years ago at First National Bank of Maryland in the Retail Branch Management Program. Thereafter, he maintained various Relationship Manager and Team Leader roles within commercial and commercial real estate lending. At the time that First National Bank of Maryland (or Allfirst Bank, as it later came to be known) merged with M&T Bank in 2003, Mr. Mathews was in charge of the Commercial Real Estate Division. He ran the Mid-Atlantic CRE unit for M&T until becoming the bank’s Senior Real Estate Credit Officer in 2005.
Mr. Mathews currently serves on the Board of Catholic Charities of Baltimore and chairs the Board of Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc. Mr. Mathews obtained a Bachelor of Arts in American History from Princeton University.
About Eagle Bancorp: The Company is the holding company for EagleBank, which commenced operations in 1998. The Bank is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and operates through twelve banking offices and four lending offices located in Suburban Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia. The Company focuses on building relationships with businesses, professionals and individuals in its marketplace, and is committed to a culture of respect, opportunity, belonging, and inclusion in both its workplace and the communities in which it operates.
EagleBank Contact
Eric Newell, Chief Financial Officer, Eagle Bancorp, Inc.
240.497.1796
FAQ
When will Eagle Bancorp (EGBN) CEO Susan G. Riel retire?
Who is the new chair of Eagle Bancorp's board effective November 3, 2025?
Did Eagle Bancorp appoint a vice chair and who is it for EGBN?
Will Susan Riel remain with Eagle Bancorp after announcing retirement?
Is Eagle Bancorp using an executive search firm to find a new CEO (EGBN)?
How does the Eagle Bancorp board describe the company’s focus during the EGBN succession?
