Horizon Bancorp Adds Two Independent Directors to Board

What Happened
Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBNC) filed an 8‑K on August 17, 2026, reporting that its Board increased from 11 to 13 directors and elected Nicholas J. Ritter and Charles W. Sulerzyski to the Class of 2027. Each will serve until the 2027 annual meeting (or until a successor is elected). Both were also appointed to the board of Horizon Bank, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary.

Key Details

• Board size increased from 11 to 13 members, effective August 17, 2026.
• New directors: Nicholas J. Ritter (age 49), retired Executive VP & Chief Information Security Officer of WorldPay; Charles W. Sulerzyski (age 69), retired President & CEO of Peoples Bancorp, Inc.
• Committee assignments: Ritter — Enterprise Risk Management Committee and Operations & Cyber Security Committee; Sulerzyski — Enterprise Risk Management and Wealth Committees.
• The Board declared both directors “independent” under Horizon’s governance guidelines and Nasdaq/SEC rules. They will receive the same non‑employee director compensation disclosed in the company’s March 20, 2026 proxy.
• Horizon Bancorp reported $6.6 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026 (company background from the filing).

Why It Matters
The appointments expand the Board and add specific experience in cybersecurity (Ritter) and regional bank leadership and growth (Sulerzyski). Both are placed on risk‑focused committees, which indicates an emphasis on enterprise risk and operational/cyber oversight. For investors, these are governance changes (not executive departures or financial reports) that may affect board oversight and expertise; the filing notes no related‑party transactions or special arrangements tied to their selection.