First Citizens BancShares, Inc. announced David G. Leitch has been appointed to the board of directors of First Citizens BancShares, Inc. and its subsidiary, First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, effective January 1, 2024. A distinguished leader, executive and lawyer, Leitch brings extensive experience and valuable insight to the board. He retired from Bank of America Corp., where he served as vice chair from 2021 to 2022 and as its global general counsel from 2016 to 2021. During his tenure at Bank of America, his responsibilities included oversight of that bank's legal functions and relationships with regulatory and legal authorities around the world.

In addition, he was chief legal advisor to the company's board of directors and senior management, participating on several management level committees overseeing risk management, including matters relating to operational and technology related risks, compensation practices and disclosure requirements. Prior to his role at Bank of America, he served as general counsel and group vice president of Ford Motor Co. from 2005 to 2015.

Before joining Ford, Leitch spent several years working for the federal government in a range of roles, including deputy counsel to the president of the United States, chief counsel for the Federal Aviation Administration and deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice. During his time in private practice, Leitch was a partner in the appellate litigation group at Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. (now Hogan Lovells US LLP) in Washington, D.C. After graduating first in his class from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1985, Leitch worked first as a law clerk for Circuit Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and later for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court of the United States. He earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University.

Leitch will serve on the board's audit committee and compensation, nominations and governance committee.