John Williams
About John Williams
John M. Williams, II is Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer of Bar Harbor Bankshares’ bank subsidiary (BHBT) since April 2021, having served in progressively senior risk roles at BHB since December 2014; he is 34 years old and holds a BA in Economics from Yale University . His remit spans enterprise risk management across fraud, information security, and credit, and he was deeply involved in M&A due diligence and leading e‑commerce integrations for each transaction . Recent company performance indicators during his tenure include net interest margin rising to 3.56% in Q3 2025 (from 3.15% in Q3 2024) and total interest and dividend income increasing 15.1% year over year to $55.9 million in Q3 2025, reflecting balance‑sheet repricing and acquisition impacts . As of September 30, 2025, BHB reported assets of $4,717 million, deposits of $3,948 million, shareholder equity of $521 million, and a dividend yield of 4.20%, underscoring a focus on profitability and disciplined risk management .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar Harbor Bankshares / BHBT | Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer | Apr 2021–Present | Administers enterprise risk program; leadership across fraud, information security, and credit |
| Bar Harbor Bankshares / BHBT | Risk Management roles (progressive responsibility) | Dec 2014–Apr 2021 | Led M&A due diligence and e‑commerce integrations; strengthened risk culture |
| Maine‑based financial institution (prior employer) | Risk management capacities | Pre‑2014 | Built foundational risk expertise; prepared for enterprise risk leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Clifton (Maine) | Select Board Member | Present | Community governance; local stakeholder engagement |
| Town of Clifton (Maine) | Planning Board and TIF Committee Member | Past | Oversight of municipal planning and financing |
| Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center | Institutional Review Board Member | Past | Compliance and ethical oversight in research |
Performance & Track Record
- Enterprise Risk oversight administered by the CRO through BHB’s ERM program, with Board Risk Committee supervision and a network of management oversight committees covering credit, IT/operations, and ALM risks .
- Q3 2025 operational performance: NIM increased to 3.56% (from 3.15% yoy); total interest & dividend income rose 15.1% yoy to $55.9M, aided by commercial loan repricing and the Woodsville acquisition; non‑interest income up $914K; non‑interest expense up $8.0M primarily due to acquisition costs .
- Strategic positioning: management emphasizes profitability, dividend expansion, diversified fee income, and strong risk management as part of ongoing investment in process, technology, and training .
| Metric | Q3 2024 | Q3 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Net Interest Margin (%) | 3.15 | 3.56 |
| Total Interest & Dividend Income ($USD Millions) | 48.6 | 55.9 |
Fixed Compensation
- Individual compensation disclosure for Williams is not provided in the proxy’s NEO Summary Compensation Table (which lists CEO, CFO, CLO, Retail EVP, and Wealth President but not the CRO) .
Performance Compensation
- Individual performance award details (RSUs/PSUs, weighting, targets, payout) for Williams are not disclosed; company‑wide actions included vesting of 2021–2023 performance‑based RSUs at 103% of target and paying annual cash incentives at 148% of target for NEOs, evidencing pay‑for‑performance calibration at the enterprise level .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Beneficial ownership tables in the 2025 proxy present NEO holdings and large institutional holders; Williams’ individual ownership is not disclosed in those tables .
- Governance practices: clawback provisions exist in annual and long‑term incentive plans and hedging of company securities is prohibited; robust stock ownership guidelines apply to NEOs and independent directors (no numeric multiples disclosed in the cited sections) .
Employment Terms
- Governance/tenure: executive officers are elected annually per bylaws; all officers other than CEO/Chair/Vice Chair serve at the pleasure of the Board and CEO; no arrangements or family relationships are disclosed for executive officer selection .
- Severance/change‑in‑control: the proxy details severance economics for NEOs (e.g., CEO and CFO cash severance and equity vesting under various termination scenarios, with double‑trigger CIC for non‑CEO/CFO NEOs within 12 months of CIC), but Williams’ specific severance terms are not disclosed; therefore, his severance/CIC economics remain unknown from available filings .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Williams’ risk leadership, M&A diligence, and integration credentials support execution quality; however, absence of individual compensation and ownership disclosure limits visibility into pay‑for‑performance alignment and retention incentives for the CRO role .
- Governance risk mitigants: formal ERM architecture with Board oversight and committee framework reduces operational and compliance risk; clawbacks and hedging prohibitions strengthen incentive discipline .
- Trading signals: recent dividend yield (4.20%) and profitability focus coupled with NIM expansion and acquisition contributions point to ongoing balance‑sheet repricing tailwinds; monitor future proxies and 8‑Ks for any CRO‑related disclosures (employment changes, compensation updates) to assess selling pressure and incentive shifts .