M&M Consulting Names J. Jeffrey Sullivan President, CEO

SPRINGFIELD — M&M Consulting, LLC, a New England-based risk-management advisor to financial institutions, has named J. Jeffrey Sullivan president and CEO. He succeeds Jay Friedland, who founded the company in 1996 and will now serve as chairman of the company.

M&M Consulting’s clients range from one-branch institutions to regional banks covering multiple states. The M&M team includes a wide range of subject-matter experts in strategy, technology, and operations, including attorneys, CPAs, and other certified professionals. The cross-disciplinary M&M model allows financial institutions a more cost-effective, efficient strategy to handle the increasing complexity of regulatory compliance and risk oversight.

“Community financial institutions are the lifeblood of our local economies,” said Sullivan. “As regulations become more complex and burdensome, firms like M&M Consulting can provide meaningful assistance to help these institutions survive and thrive.”

Sullivan was most recently president and COO of United Bank, a $5 billion regional bank based in West Springfield. He oversaw all facets of the bank’s operations, including enterprise risk management, retail banking operations, and the commercial and consumer lending teams. He was chief lending officer at United Bank for nine years, chaired the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act committee, and was a member of the asset and liability management committee. Prior to United, Sullivan worked for 11 years for a Chittenden Corp. subsidiary, the Bank of Western Massachusetts, and for six years in the BayBank system. A lifelong New England resident, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College and his MBA from UMass Amherst.

“Jeff’s deep background in community banking blends perfectly with the diverse skill sets of our team and will add tremendous value to the managers and the boards of directors that we serve,” said Friedland. “We understand the challenges and complexities of today’s highly regulated and low-rate environment, and Jeff will lead us in maintaining our balance of technical expertise and knowledge of strategic and operational priorities for our clients.”