Khaja (Jay) Ahmed currently serves as Senior Vice President, Market President at Highpoint Community Bank, with over twenty years of experience in commercial lending and credit risk management. As a key member of the bank’s leadership team, Jay is tasked with driving commercial loan growth in both the greater Grand Rapids and Kent County markets.
Since joining Highpoint Community Bank in March 2013, Jay has played an instrumental role in establishing and developing the bank’s commercial lending department. Jay’s vision helped to shape many more areas, such as centralized credit underwriting and loan processing, internal loan review, and collections. His dedication and expertise have been recognized in a series of well-deserved promotions: from Assistant Vice President in 2014, to Vice President in 2015, Senior Vice President in 2021, and ultimately to his current position of SVP, Market President in 2022.
Before joining Highpoint Community Bank, Jay honed his skills as a Senior Credit Analyst at Firstbank Corp for ten years, where he gained valuable experience in credit risk management, loan review, loan processing, and handling special assets. Prior to that, he served for nine years at a CPA firm in Chennai, India managing financial audits, preparing financial statements, and handling tax filings for small-to-medium-sized businesses and banks.
Jay holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration & accounting from the University of Madras, India. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking.
Beyond his professional achievements, Jay is deeply committed to serving his community. Jay serves on the Board of Directors for Certified Commercial Investment Management (CCIM) and is a member of the Education Committee for Commercial Alliance of Realtors West Michigan (CARWM). Additionally, he contributes to the Diverse Business Enterprise Certification Evaluation Committee through his involvement in the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
Jay’s multifaceted expertise and community involvement make him vital to both Highpoint Community Bank and the local business landscape.
