Equity Bancshares, the Wichita, KS-based holding company of Equity Bank, hired Richard M. Sems as president of Equity Bank. Craig Anderson, who has served as the bank’s president since 2021, resigned.

Sems will oversee all of Equity’s sales and service teams, including customer-facing resources and business lines, such as commercial, retail, mortgage and trust. He also will be a member of the Equity Bank board of directors.

“We are pleased to continue adding leadership and talent to our Equity Bank team. Rick’s track record and diverse banking experience will fit well with our entrepreneurial culture, and he will aid our agile and robust service and sales teams across business and consumer platforms in all our regions,” Brad S. Elliott, chairman and CEO of Equity Bancshares, said.

Sems most recently served as chief banking officer for First Bank of St. Louis and worked for the company beginning in 2016 as president of the Midwest. Sems’ experience includes developing sales campaigns in retail and commercial banking and leading First Bank’s COVID-19 customer response, including Paycheck Protection Program implementation. He also led branch transformation and wealth management strategies while overseeing development of banking teams throughout the company.

Sems also served in a variety of banking leadership roles for other financial institutions prior to joining First Bank. He will relocate to Wichita, KS, and begin working for Equity on May 15.

“Our mission is to deliver sophisticated and innovative products with the expert service and care of a hometown community bank and to serve as a home for experienced, motivated banking talent with a high degree of care for our customers,” Elliott said. “Rick will be a key leader for our company teams and an outstanding resource for our communities.”