Stamford-based First County Bank has named veteran banker Nitin J. Mhatre as its next chief executive officer, with a start date of April 15.
Mhatre most recently led Massachusetts-based Berkshire Bank, where he served as president and CEO starting in 2021. His tenure included Berkshire Hills Bancorp’s merger with Brookline Bancorp — a deal that closed Sept. 1, 2025, and created Beacon Financial Corp.
He left Berkshire in 2025 as part of the leadership transition tied to the merger’s closing.
Mhatre will succeed Robert J. Granata, who has announced plans to retire as CEO at the end of July. Granata will remain chairman through July 31 and continue serving on the bank’s board.
First County Bank — which has $2.2 billion in assets and 13 branches in Fairfield County, including in Stamford, Fairfield, Darien, Greenwich, Norwalk and Westport — said its board conducted a search that included internal and external candidates.
Mhatre holds an engineering degree and an MBA from Bombay University and completed Harvard Business School’s General Management Program. He has also served in leadership and board roles with the Consumer Bankers Association and organizations including Junior Achievement of Connecticut and Cradles to Crayons Boston, the bank said.
Prior to Berkshire, Mhatre served as executive vice president of community banking at Stamford-based Webster Bank, where he led the bank’s consumer and business banking operations and served on its executive team.
