KeyBank recruits family office team led by former CrossFirst Bank exec
Nixon joined CrossFirst in June 2016, according to LinkedIn, where he was promoted to the role of executive director of sponsor finance in 2023.
Nixon joins Key in the wake of CrossFirst’s acquisition by Champaign, Illinois’, First Busey Corp., parent of Busey Bank. That deal, valued at $916.8 million, was completed in 2025.
At Key, Nixon will be reporting to Chris Doyle, who leads private capital strategy for Key’s commercial bank.
Ken Gavrity, president of Key Commercial Bank, told Crain’s that these hires mark a big step for Key as it represents the bank’s “first dedicated national family office capability.”
“We’ve supported family offices locally for decades, but these clients now require integrated solutions across commercial banking, capital markets and wealth,” Gavrity said. “This reflects our commitment to the private capital segment and recognizes family offices as increasingly influential middle market capital providers.”
The rest of the group joining Nixon comprises: Andrew Hendricks, senior relationship manager; Chris Tallent, senior payments advisor; Judy Evans, senior commercial analyst; and Adam Hazlett, associate portfolio manager.
“We’re making a deliberate investment in the middle market by building capabilities that reflect how our clients actually operate,” Gavrity said in a company announcement. “Family offices are increasingly influential capital providers and owners—they require sophisticated banking relationships that integrate capital markets, commercial banking, and wealth advisory. We’ve built a destination platform that attracts elite teams like Ward’s because we can deliver that coordination through one relationship team. This is a differentiated service for a differentiated client segment.”
In terms of broader growth plans for that segment, Gavrity simply said that “we’re always interested in adding talented bankers who align with our strategic priorities, and that won’t change,” but that this “isn’t about a hiring spree, it’s about being disciplined and deliberate.”
“When we find banks with differentiated capabilities and strong client relationships in strategically important segments, we move quickly,” he said. “We’ll continue to look for bankers and leaders who share that profile.”
“Rather than focusing on headcount or office locations, what’s important is the breadth of expertise they bring individually and collectively—they complement our regional private capital bankers and strengthen our ability to serve family offices across the enterprise, from sponsor relationships to portfolio company banking to wealth advisory,” Gavrity adds. “This is a continuation of our commitment to serving the private capital segment nationally.”
