Northwest Names Golding New York Region President

BUFFALO, N.Y., Sept. 12, 2016

In his new role, Mr. Golding will be responsible for the growth and profitability of the bank across its New York Region.  In addition to overseeing 36 offices in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Monroe and Niagara counties, John will coordinate all business development efforts in his region through Northwest business lines and personnel.

Mr. Golding comes to Northwest from First Niagara, where he most recently served as senior director of Small Business Banking.  In that role, he developed and implemented First Niagara's small business strategy across its four-state footprint.  He also maintained the day-to-day operations of the company's small business organization, serving customers with revenues up to $2MM through a team of 40 small business bankers who served 400 locations.

Previously, he served as retail banking director for First Niagara's Tri-State Region, chief operating officer of a community bank and as retail banking director for a large regional bank.

A graduate of North Carolina Wesleyan College, Mr. Golding received his bachelor's degree in business administration and hospitality management.

About Northwest Bank
Northwest operates 167 full-service community banking offices and 9 free-standing drive through facilities in Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Maryland. Founded in 1896, Northwest is a full-service financial institution offering a complete line of personal and business banking products including employee benefits, investment management services, insurance and trust. Northwest Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company of Northwest Bank and is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market as NWBI. More information about Northwest can be found online at www.northwest.com.