Norman R. Bobins Named Illinois Bankers Association Banker of the Year

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., June 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Norman R. Bobins, non-executive chairman of The PrivateBank and Trust Company, Chicago, was honored as the 2014 Illinois Banker of the Year by the Illinois Bankers Association (IBA). The award was presented during the IBA's Annual Conference and Trade Show held at the Swissôtel in Chicago on June 17.

This is the twelfth year for the Illinois Banker of the Year award, which is the highest honor the Illinois Bankers Association can bestow on one of its members. It is presented annually to an individual whose dedication to excellence has most profoundly enhanced the banking industry.

Bobins is also chief executive of Norman Bobins Consulting LLC (NBC). Prior to founding NBC in 2008, he spent 40 years in banking, starting his career at American National Bank and Trust Company in 1967. In 1981, he joined Exchange National Bank, which was acquired by LaSalle Bank. He retired from LaSalle Bank Corporation as chairman, president and chief executive officer in 2007.

Bobins has been involved with the Illinois Bankers Association and the banking industry for several decades. He was an active member of the IBA's Committee of Multi-Bank Holding Companies and also on the Committee on State Legislation. He served on the IBA Board of Directors from 1986 – 1990. Bobins was the driving force behind the launch and development of the IBA's Midwest Bank Leaders Conference in 2008 and has served as the facilitator for that conference for each year since its inception. He also served as the keynote speaker at the Chicago Area Chapter Holiday Breakfast in 2010.

Bobins is extremely involved in his community, serving on countless for-profit and not-for-profit boards and committees. He is a former member of the Board of Education of the City of Chicago, having been appointed by Mayor Daley for four consecutive four-year terms. He is chairman of the board of trustees of WTTW Communications, Inc. and

vice chairman of the Auditorium theatre Board. He is also a member of the boards of directors of the Brain Research Foundation, The Field Museum, Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, Navy Pier, Inc., and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. In addition, he is a Life Member of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is the former chairman of the board of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. Bobins was appointed as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and completed his term of service in November 2013.

He has received numerous awards, including the 1992 Human Rights Medallion from the American Jewish Committee, the 2003 University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Distinguished Corporate Alumnus Award, the 2004 Arts Legend Award for an Advocate from the Illinois Arts Alliance Foundation, the 2005 Harvard Business School Club of Chicago Business Statesman Award, the 2007 Chicagoland Chamber's Daniel H. Burnham Distinguished Leadership Award, the 2007 Order of Lincoln, which is the State of Illinois' highest award, and the 2012 Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.

The Illinois Bankers Association is a full-service trade association dedicated to creating a positive business climate that benefits the entire banking industry and the communities they serve. Founded in 1891, the IBA brings together state and national banks and savings banks of all sizes in Illinois. Collectively, the IBA represents nearly 90 percent of the assets of the Illinois banking industry, which employs more than 100,000 men and women in over 5,000 offices across the state.

SOURCE Illinois Bankers Association