The bank talked about its "strategic commitment" to the middle market, citing the role that family offices and private equity make around ownership, decision-making and deployment of capital.

Cleveland, Ohio-headquartered KeyBank, which recently announced 2025 and fourth-quarter figures, has added a five-person family office and private capital team to its ranks.

The team is led by Ward Nixon, who is joining as commercial leader based in KeyBank's Overland Park, Kansas office.

The bank said the hire reflects its “strategic commitment to the middle market as family offices and private equity increasingly drive ownership, capital deployment, and strategic decision-making.”

Nixon brings experience in commercial banking and leveraged finance across Chicago, Minnesota, Texas, Missouri, and Kansas, specializing in family office and private equity sponsor finance, the bank said in a statement yesterday. 

"We're making a deliberate investment in the middle market by building capabilities that reflect how our clients actually operate," Ken Gavrity, president of Key Commercial Bank, said. "Family offices are increasingly influential capital providers and owners – they require sophisticated banking relationships that integrate capital markets, commercial banking, and wealth advisory. We've built a destination platform that attracts elite teams like Ward's because we can deliver that coordination through one relationship team. This is differentiated service for a differentiated client segment."

Joining Nixon are:
-- Andrew Hendricks, senior relationship manager, with 13 years serving private equity and family office clients across industries, deal sizes, and capital structures; 
-- Chris Tallent, senior payments advisor, with nearly 25 years of commercial banking expertise spanning treasury services operations, product leadership, and payments strategy; 
-- Judy Evans, senior commercial analyst, a Certified Treasury Professional with deep experience in treasury management, risk management, and complex client relationships; and 
-- Adam Hazlett, associate portfolio manager, with experience from Deloitte's M&A practice and a middle-market private equity firm specializing in complex transactions and financial analysis.

Nixon reports to Chris Doyle, who leads private capital strategy for Key Commercial Bank. This addition adds to team hires in Chicago and Southern California.

In January, Family Wealth Report interviewed Joe Skarda, president of Key Wealth, about the wealth management segment of the New York-listed bank.