Photo courtesy of New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp

The state’s only multi-bank mutual holding company has a new top strategy officer.

New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp, which functions as the parent company and back-office support provider for Meredith Village Savings Bank, Merrimack County Savings Bank, Savings Bank of Walpole and NHTrust, said it hired Jonathan Dowst in February.

“I’m excited to have Jon on board as our Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer,” Gregg Tewksbury, president and CEO of NHMB, said in a statement. “We plan to leverage Jon’s expertise in executing our newly refreshed strategic plan, growing our family of banks, and solidifying our enterprise risk management program. As part of our Executive Team, Jon will play a key role in shaping our company’s growth in the coming years.”

Dowst is formerly the president and CEO of Pentucket Bank, and president of River Run Bancorp MHC just over the state line in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

River Run is the mutual holding company for two Massachusetts banks, Pentucket Bank and Newburyport Bank, and is the first in a wave of such mutual bank team-ups that has washed over Massachusetts in the last four years.

“I’m really happy to become a part of this great team,” Dowst said in a statement. “NHMB operates as a shared services provider to four unique brands, and it’s a privilege to be part of executing the strategic plan aimed at enhancing NHMB’s support for these affiliates and the communities they serve.”