Douglas L. Kennedy is the president and chief executive officer of Peapack-Gladstone Bank. He is responsible for developing and executing on the Bank’s strategic vision—Expanding Our Reach—which was launched in 2013. Mr. Kennedy leads Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s wealth, lending and deposit lines of business, along with its branding, human capital, operations and technology functions, to deliver Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s unique private banking style of client service and superior product solutions.
With more than 40 years in the industry, Mr. Kennedy is a passionate, highly competitive, creative, and versatile financial services leader with a proven track record of building and repositioning businesses. He is dedicated to the communities where he lives and works, and is an innovator who has made it his mission to transform Peapack-Gladstone Bank and its wealth management division, Peapack Private, into a financial services powerhouse, able to compete at the highest level. In 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 the Bank was recognized by American Banker as a “Best Bank to Work For”.
Mr. Kennedy challenges his employees to live by a set of strategic and visionary core principles that put clients, each other and the community above all else. He encourages both corporate and individual responsibility, and proactive reinvestment in communities with the greatest needs. He values volunteerism and generously gives to local organizations that are important to the fabric of everyday life.
Mr. Kennedy is a graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA in finance. He sits on Sacred Heart’s board of trustees and is also a member of Montclair State University’s board of trustees. Mr. Kennedy serves on the boards of the New Jersey Bankers Association and New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Kennedy was named to the NJBIZ “Power 100” list in 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been named to the NJBIZ “Power 50 Banking” list in previous years. In 2020, Mr. Kennedy was named an NJBIZ “Icon”. In 2021 and 2022, Mr. Kennedy was also named to the ROI-NJ “Influencers: Power List - Banking & Finance”. He was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed) in January 2020.
