First California said that Dr Sohn is widely recognized for his past role as executive vice president and chief economic officer for Wells Fargo Banks. He served as a senior economist on the President's Council of Economic Advisors during the Nixon administration, where he was responsible for economic and legislative matters pertaining to the Federal Reserve and financial markets.

Currently, Dr Sohn is Martin V Smith professor at California State University, Channel Islands. He also serves as vice chairman of the board at Forever 21, an apparel retailer, and sits on the board of directors for Claremont Graduate University and the Music Center in Los Angeles.

Previously, Dr Sohn was president and CEO of Hanmi Financial from 2005 through 2007. He joined Norwest Bank Minneapolis in 1974 and held various positions of increasing responsibility focusing on macroeconomic forecasting, monetary policy, asset-liability management and regulatory matters in relation to financial institutions. He was later named senior vice president at the parent company, Norwest Corporation. After the acquisition of Wells Fargo by Norwest, Dr Sohn was appointed as chief economic officer of the combined entity now known as Wells Fargo & Company.

CG Kum, president and CEO, said: "We look forward to benefiting from Dr Sohn's insightful economic foresight. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our board as we navigate through a most challenging economic environment. His combination of professional and academic backgrounds will provide additional guidance as we continue to strengthen First California's presence as the leading bank of choice in the southern California region."

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