Mark K. Olson has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer of Heritage Oaks Bancorp and Heritage Oaks Bank.

"Mark is a great addition to our executive management team," said Heritage Oaks Bancorp president and CEO Simone F. Lagomarsino in a prepared statement Wednesday. "Mark's strong financial background and leadership experience are an important asset to us as we move forward."

Olson has more than 23 years of experience in the financial services industry and has held several senior financial management positions before joining Heritage Oaks on Jan. 7. Most recently he was executive vice president and chief financial officer at Pacific Capital Bancorp and its subsidiary Santa Barbara Bank & Trust.

In his new role, he will be responsible for directing and overseeing Heritage Oaks’ finance and accounting functions. He is a CPA and holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Utah State University.