Private bank and trust company's CEO carves up leadership responsibilities. Bank of Florida Trust has a new president in Scott Kellett, formerly head of the Naples, Fla.-based private bank's business on the west coast of Florida. He takes the title from CEO Julie Husler, who had also been president until about two weeks ago.

Husler describes Kellet, a lawyer by training, as "a highly respected trust professional and [a] strong leader" who "skillfully combines investment expertise and knowledge of ever-changing tax laws, with a keen attention to serving his clients' current needs and reaching their future objectives."

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Kellet has been a wealth manager for 15 years. Prior to joining Bank of Florida Trust, he was a private-client group leader with Fifth Third Bank (more precisely Fifth Third Bank Investment Advisors, formerly First National Bank of Florida); before that he was an "administrative manager" with SunTrust Banks.

Founded in 2000, Bank of Florida Trust is a state-chartered subsidiary of Bank of Florida Corporation. It has branches in Naples and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In addition to trust and private-banking services, it provides family-office and business-succession planning as well as investment and financial consulting.

In fact, investment consulting is Bank of Florida Trust's mainstay, according to Husler. "Although we are a trust company by name, is our primary focus, " she says. "We provide non-proprietary, objective advice and engage best-in-class, proven money managers from around the country for our client portfolios."

Bank of Florida Trust caters mainly to affluent company executives, professionals, entrepreneurs and retired people. Its sister company Bank of Florida, which focuses on business banking, has about a dozen branches on Florida's east and west coasts. -FWR

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