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Peter J. Van Sistine

Director at Bank First
Board

About Peter J. Van Sistine

Independent director (age 68) serving on BFC’s Board since 2018; Chair of the Compensation Committee and Board representative to the Information Technology Committee. Background spans 40+ years in financial technology: Founder & CEO of pvsfintechgroup (since 2023), prior senior executive roles at NCR (Global Enterprise Account EVP), FIS (27 years as EVP of Sales), Metavante, and earlier experience at Valley Bank. Education includes University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Past Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureCommittees/Impact
NCRGlobal Enterprise Account Executive Vice PresidentNot disclosedCustomer Experience and Journey offerings as a Service leadership
FISExecutive Vice President of Sales27 yearsLed sales/marketing programs to drive new business and retention; supported organic growth and acquisitions
MetavanteSenior roles in fintechNot disclosedCRM, Digital Banking, Data Warehousing, Executive Information Solutions expertise
Valley Bank (Appleton, WI)Banking rolesNot disclosedCommunity banking roots

External Roles

OrganizationRoleTenureNotes
pvsfintechgroupFounder & CEOSince 2023Fintech partnerships focus

No other public company directorships are disclosed in the 2025 proxy for Mr. Van Sistine.

Board Governance

CommitteeRole2024 Activity/FrequencyNotes
Compensation CommitteeChair3 meetings in 2024 All members meet SEC/NASDAQ independence; no interlocks requiring disclosure
Information Technology CommitteeBoard representative/advisorBi-monthly meetings Advises on cybersecurity, fraud, and information security risk
Independence statusIndependentAs determined by the Board (NASDAQ/SEC rules)Listed as independent; committee independence satisfied
  • Board meeting cadence: Company Board met 6 times; Bank Board met 11 times in 2024; all incumbent directors attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all (serving a full year) attended the 2024 Annual Meeting.
  • Board committee composition table lists Mr. Van Sistine as an independent director, Director Since 2018, and Chair (C) of Compensation Committee.

Fixed Compensation (Non-Employee Director – FY2024)

ComponentAmount
Annual retainer (cash)$25,000
Compensation Committee Chair fee$15,000
Cash fees paid (total)$40,000
Dividends on unvested stock awards$911
All other compensation$0
Total compensation$95,941

Compensation structure for non-employee directors (2024 policy): Annual stock award $55,000; Audit/Comp/GN Chair fees $15,000; Board Chair fee $25,000 (if independent); Lead Independent Director fee $25,000 (if Chair not independent). No changes made to director compensation in 2024 following 2023 adjustments.

Performance Compensation (Equity Awards – FY2024)

Term/MetricDetail
Equity typeRestricted stock (time-based)
Grant dateMarch 1, 2024 (for 2023 board service)
Shares granted641 shares
Grant-date fair value per share$85.85
Grant-date value$55,030
Vesting scheduleOne-year anniversary of grant (time-based, no performance metrics)
Performance metrics tied to director equityNone disclosed (director equity is time-based)

Other Directorships & Interlocks

ItemDisclosure
Compensation Committee interlocksNone; no member has officer history with the Company; no related-party transactions requiring disclosure; no interlocking relationships under SEC rules

Expertise & Qualifications

  • Financial technology leadership (CRM, Digital Banking, Data Warehousing, Executive Information) with deep community banking roots.
  • Cybersecurity/fraud/information security oversight via IT Committee role.
  • Education: University of Wisconsin; Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Equity Ownership

MeasureValue
Beneficial ownership (Apr 7, 2025)9,020 shares
% of shares outstandingLess than 1% (based on 9,980,470 outstanding)
Ownership formAll shares held directly (footnote o)
Stock ownership guidelinesAt election: ≥2,000 shares; within 5 years: ≥5x annual stock award or $275,000; all directors complied in FY2024
PledgingNo pledging disclosed
Hedging/insider trading policyDirectors subject to Insider Trading Policy (on website)

Governance Assessment

  • Board effectiveness: Independent director since 2018; Chairs Compensation Committee; active governance via IT Committee advisory role; committee independence affirmed; Compensation Committee met 3 times in 2024.
  • Alignment: Holds 9,020 shares; director equity granted annually ($55k target, time-based vesting); director ownership policy in place and reported compliant across directors in 2024.
  • Attendance/engagement: Board and committee attendance at least 75% for incumbents; Annual Meeting attendance for those serving a full year.
  • Conflicts/related-party exposure: No related-party transactions requiring disclosure; loans to related persons only on market terms in ordinary course; Compensation Committee interlocks not present per SEC rules.

RED FLAGS: None disclosed—no related-party transactions, no interlocks, no pledging, no non-market loans, and no director-specific perquisites or tax gross-ups reported. Monitoring focus areas: ongoing fintech leadership outside the Company (vendor or partnership interactions) and continued compliance with ownership guidelines.