Erkonen, Knieriem Join First Interstate Executive Team

We are pleased to announce two new leaders have joined the First Interstate Bank executive team. 

Chief Information Officer Scott Erkonen and Chief Risk Officer Karlyn Knieriem join First Interstate as part of First Interstate BancSystem’s merger with Great Western Bancorp. Phil Gaglia, our current Chief Risk Officer, will retire in June of this year and will continue to assist with the transition until that time.

The merger of GWB into FIBK was completed February 1, 2022. Great Western Bank branches will become First Interstate Bank in May 2022. Until then, clients will continue to be served through their respective Great Western and First Interstate branches, websites, and mobile apps. 

Erkonen has served as the Chief Information Officer for Great Western Bank since 2016 and provided overall leadership and executive oversight for Information Technology and Information Security. He has held various roles in more than 25 years in the industry, including Senior Vice President of Home Federal Bank; Director of Client Relationships for Orange Parachute – specializing in Information Security, Cyber Risk Management and Information Technology Governance; and Infrastructure and Information Security for First Premier Bank and First Premier Bankcard. 

Erkonen currently serves on the Board of First Priority of the Great Plains and remains active in the community as a volunteer for various nonprofit organizations and advisory boards. He attended Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, and is a former faculty member at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

With over 25 years of experience in financial services across a variety of roles including finance, treasury, retail, credit and risk management, Knieriem first began this role in 2018 with Great Western Bank – originally joining as the Head of Enterprise Risk Management in 2016. She also enjoyed a lengthy career at First National Bank of Omaha where she worked in a number of senior leadership positions. Knieriem earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree with specialization in Accounting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.