Bankwell Financial Group, Inc. announced that Ryan J. Hildebrand has been appointed Executive Vice President in the newly created role of Chief Innovation Officer at Bankwell. Mr. Hildebrand will join Bankwell's Executive Team and report to Christopher R. Gruseke, President and CEO of Bankwell. Mr. Hildebrand will oversee growth strategies through innovation and technology.

Mr. Hildebrand recently served as the Strategic Innovation Officer at Lincoln Savings Bank. He also served as the President of the Bank?s financial technology subsidiary, LSBX, which experienced significant deposit and revenue growth under his leadership. Prior to this role, Mr. Hildebrand held the position of Head of Fintech Banking at Cross River Bank.

During his tenure, the Bank established numerous new partnerships. He also co-founded Seed, the pioneering business neobank, which he later sold to Cross River. Before that, Mr. Hildebrand was Head of Finance and Strategy at Simple, where he played a crucial role in the sale of Simple to BBVA.