Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Scott Pittillo of Pine Bluff National Bank (Small Bank Category Finalist)

3 min read

It wasn’t a case of Scott Pittillo choosing banking. It was a case of banking choosing Pittillo.

Pittillo, executive vice president and CFO of Pine Bluff National Bank, began his professional life as a purchasing coordinator for Century Tube & Conduit late in 2001 and had not considered banking. But current PBNB President and CEO Chuck Morgan saw something in Pittillo, recruited him, and Pittillo had a new career.

“I guess the attraction was just the opportunity,” said Pittillo, 33. “I didn’t have very much experience in finance at all. I like the chain reaction of change. When this moves, what is the effect on the other end of the equation, the other end of the chain?”

Morgan wasn’t necessarily looking for an experienced banker but rather one who, in Pittillo’s recollection, was “someone with local ties, that was trainable and would work hard. I felt I met that criteria, so I joined PBNB.”

But despite his efforts, Pittillo at first wasn’t sure he wanted to be recognized as a CFO of the Year finalist. “This is more a reflection on the people and the team we have here at the bank more than it is a personal reflection on my abilities,” said Pittillo, who earlier this year was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40.

Pittillo started as a consumer lending officer and improved his qualifications in the field by getting degrees from Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University and the Moore School of Investments at the University of South Carolina.

In his 10-year run at PBNB, Pittillo has been promoted to vice president of commercial lending, senior vice president of lending and funds management and finally his current position as executive vice president and CFO of PBNB and Jefferson Bancshares Inc.

Rather than micromanage a number of tasks and responsibilities, Pittillo’s approach is to be an expert in only a few. Better to excel in a handful of things, he said, than to be mediocre in several.

It’s a philosophy that has helped Pittillo and the bank grapple with regulatory pressures stemming from government-mandated financial reform while maintaining a leadership role among similar-sized institutions in the state.

Pittillo is also proud of his role as the United Way campaign chair last fall as he teamed with local businesses to raise more than $1.28 million.

While logging more than 10 years in the field that chose him, Pittillo has also chosen to log some miles. One of his top personal accomplishments, becoming a long-distance runner, followed a decision to improve his health three years ago.

Pittillo has since completed five marathons, eight triathlons and a number of other races of varying distances.

“I’m a very competitive person,” he said. “I guess whether it be work or anything that I go after, I usually go after 100 percent.”

Buy your tickets to the CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon to show your support for Scott.

Send this to a friend