Dimitar A. Karaivanov was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer in January 2024. Prior to being appointed President & CEO, Mr. Karaivanov served as Chief Operating Officer since October 2022. Mr. Karaivanov joined Community Financial System, Inc. in June 2021 as Executive Vice President of Financial Services and Corporate Development.
Prior to joining Community Financial System, Mr. Karaivanov served as Managing Director in Lazard’s Financial Institutions Group since June 2018. Prior to Lazard, he spent more than a dozen years in investment banking at a number of leading financial services firms after he began his career in public accounting. He has over 15 years of experience as an investment banker for banks, other financial institutions and fintech companies.
Mr. Karaivanov holds an MBA degree from The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business. He is also a graduate of the American Bankers Association's Stonier Graduate School of Banking.