The Board of Directors at Avidia Bank announced the appointment of two new directors today: Kennedy Saul and Vanessa Candela.

Kennedy Saul, who has served as a corporator for Avidia since 2022, is an experienced Technology Executive leader in Channel, Partner & Business Development. He’s led many Global Teams and is a sought-after keynote speaker and thought leader. Kennedy is skilled in leveraging technology and business strategy to build businesses, and in helping deliver cutting-edge enterprise solutions for the high tech and financial services industries. He currently serves as a Market Development Director at Accenture and has held prior executive and consulting positions with leading companies, including Ernst & Young, Virtustream, EMC, SAP, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), KPMG, and Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems (SNI).

He holds a bachelor’s in mathematics and computer science from New Jersey City University and has been actively involved in this community as a soccer coach and a mentor for the Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science and other STEM organizations.

“I’m looking forward to expanding my involvement with Avidia as a director,” said Saul. “The bank has a strong culture of innovation, and I am excited to share my experience in technology and business to help the bank grow for the future.”

Vanessa Candela is a seasoned corporate attorney with more than 23 years of experience advising public and private companies on all aspects of their business. She currently serves as Chief Legal & Risk Officer of Celonis, the global leader in Process Mining headquartered in Munich and New York City with 3,000 employees and more than 20 offices worldwide. Vanessa leads the legal, ethics and compliance, information security, information technology, and ESG global functions, driving global initiatives and advising senior management on corporate strategy and direction. Prior to joining Celonis, she served as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Netcracker Technology, where she led the legal, compliance, and security teams. She has also held senior positions with Virtustream and EMC.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Boston College and law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.

“I am delighted to join the Avidia Board of Directors, and to have the opportunity to work with an exceptional group of professionals,” said Candela. “I look forward to leveraging my insights and experience to help the bank as it builds toward the future.”

The addition of the new directors complements the important transition in leadership this year as Avidia welcomed new President & CEO, Robert Cozzone, who replaced Mark O’Connell who retired after 35 years of service.

“This is an exciting time for us as we continue to build our leadership team for the future of banking at Avidia,” said Michael Murphy, Avidia’s Chairman of the Board. “The leadership of Robert and combined business and technology experience of Ken and Vanessa will be instrumental in helping us reach the next level.”

About Avidia Bank:

Avidia Bank is a $2.5 billion community bank headquartered in Hudson, MA with additional branches in Westborough, Framingham, Shrewsbury, Clinton, Leominster, Marlborough, and Northborough. For more than 150 years, the Bank has provided personal, commercial, and residential banking services. Learn more at avidiabank.com. Member FDIC. Member DIF.