Farmers and Merchants Trust Co. has appointed Christine Walker-Bowman as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Long Beach-based trust company, which manages $6.5 billion in assets.

FMTC has been in the Walker family since its founding more than 100 years ago. A fifth generation Walker, Walker-Bowman has been working in the family business for 20 years in a number of roles including chief risk manager. She is the first woman to hold the chief operating officer position at the company.

In this new role, one of Walker-Bowman’s priorities will be strengthening the company’s digital presence.

“This includes expanding our presence online on our website and becoming more engaged with platforms like LinkedIn,” Walker-Bowman said. “We see it as a meaningful platform for engaging with current and prospective clients, spotlighting our team and expertise, and reinforcing the trust and relationship-based service FMTC is known for.”

Interacting with digital channels

Additionally, the company will be paying closer attention to the ways in which clients interact with its digital channels and using those insights to better the platform.

“Strengthening our digital infrastructure doesn’t mean becoming less human but allowing us to make our high-touch services even more accessible,” Walker-Bowman said.

With just over 50% of the total wealth in the United States coming from baby boomers, according to Statista, Walker-Bowman stressed the need for family planning and connecting to subsequent generations.

Key to this effort is expanding financial education offerings and both online and community engagement, she said.

Daniel Walker, chair and president of FMTC and father to Walker-Bowman, said his daughter’s appointment is “a proud moment for our family.”