Diana Marszalek 01 Aug 2018 // 11:18PM GMT
SAN FRANCISCO — Longtime Wells Fargo corporate comms head Oscar Suris has left the job after nine years — the latest in a string of changes in the bank’s PR operation as it tries to rebuild public trust after the fake accounts scandal.
"My nearly nine-year ride with Wells Fargo has been among the most rewarding of my career. Even through its toughest times, I took pride in working alongside colleagues, teammates and leaders whom I had nothing but great respect for. I now look forward to creating the next chapter in my career," Suris said in a statement issued by Wells Fargo.
Suris announced his departure on Twitter Tuesday, his last day in the executive VP and head of corporate communications role he has held since 2009.
“Some news: Today’s my last day as head of Corp. Communications for @WellsFargo as the next gen of our Comms leaders begin to drive the direction of our Stakeholder Relations group,” he wrote.
“I want to thank the men and women of @WellsFargo’s Corp. Communications team. I’ll never forget their professionalism, trust and friendship. They inspire me today and will continue to do so in the future,” he said in a post.
Wells Fargo would not comment on Suris' replacement, only saying that the corporate communications team will be reporting to Wells Fargo veteran Jim Rowe. He heads the stakeholder relations group launched last July, as part of Wells Fargo's effort to rebound from the crisis stemming from the creation of millions of phony bank and credit card accounts in individuals' names, without their permission — costing the bank public trust in addition to big fines, regulatory probes and class-action lawsuits.
Suris joined Wells Fargo after spending time in the auto industry. He held corporate communications director roles at Ford and the auto retailer AutoNation before that.
His departure is the second major change in Wells Fargo’s communications division this summer. In June, Jennifer Temple, who has been part of Wells Fargo’s comms team since 2012, left to lead HPE’s communications. She had been overseeing the bank’s consumer lending, wealth investment and management and corporate risk divisions.