After a 36-year career at BB&T, which has now become Truist, Phil Marion has announced his retirement. He will leave the bank Sept. 30, officials stated.
Currently, Marion serves as regional president of Truist’s N.C. Southeast Region, headquartered in Whiteville. He assumed that role for BB&T in November 2012, leaving his position as city executive for BB&T’s Wilmington market. He was succeeded by current City Executive Charlie Mattox.
The bank’s southeastern region consists of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Robeson and Sampson counties.
Marion’s career began at Southern National Bank, where he held various management and executive positions before joining BB&T in 1985.
Within Winston-Salem-based BB&T, Marion served as a business services officer in Raleigh and in the Piedmont Region. He became a corporate banker in the Piedmont Region before moving to Lumberton as that market’s city executive. He next assumed that position for the Wilmington market.
In 1995, he led a team through BB&T’s merger with Southern National Bank.
While he worked in the Wilmington area, Marion served on the boards of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and Wilmington Business Development. He was a trustee of the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an Advisory Board member of the university’s Endowment Fund.
Marion’s involvement with the Boy Scouts of America has included serving on the Executive Board of the BSA’s Cape Fear Council. He was the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award in 2012.
Marion’s retirement comes at a time of change for the recently merged financial institution. Truist just announced that CEO Kelly King will retire Sept. 12. Former BB&T President Chris Henson, who became head of Banking and Insurance for Truist in December 2019 when the BB&T-SunTrust merger became final, is retiring Sept. 30. And the financial institution’s treasurer, Donna Goodrich, steps down Sept. 3 after 35 years at BB&T.
Marion is not the only regional president to retire. Gray Reed, Truist’s Triangle regional president, will also leave the institution Sept. 30.
