Bio

Chris Bertsch is President of Compass Operating Partners and serves as a Senior Operating Partner to Castle Creek portfolio companies. Across his more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, Chris has assisted countless banks of all asset sizes in delivering over $1Bn in profitability improvements. Mr. Bertsch has focused his career on business transformation using technology and process improvement, most recently serving as the Global Head of Banking Operations Transformation at JP Morgan. Other experience includes similar operational improvement roles at Discover Financial Services and Comerica Bank. He brings a diverse range of skills to partner institutions in areas including retail branch management, commercial lending, consumer banking, acquisition due diligence, technology planning and implementation, vendor management, and process redesign and optimization. His wide range of experience allows him to effectively advise banks in areas like vendor negotiation, investment due diligence, efficiency improvement, revenue enhancement, system conversions and acquisition integration. Additionally, his experience with cutting-edge financial technology and his use of data and artificial intelligence, has equipped him to consult on these emerging technology topics and their various applications. Mr. Bertsch graduated magna cum laude from both Michigan State University and the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a B.S. in Finance and a M.B.A respectfully.