Andalusia native Richard Anthony will be among the five distinguished business leaders who will be inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame Thurs., Nov. 1, in Birmingham at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

Anthony, 66, was chairman and chief executive officer of Synovus Financial Corp., a regional banking company headquartered in Columbus, Ga., with banking offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama and his master’s in business administration from the University of Virginia.

His banking career began at AmSouth Bank where he served as executive vice president. As a co-founder of First Commercial Bancshares in 1985, he helped lead the company’s expansion into Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery and Huntsville, using its Jasper community banking presence as a foundation.

Anthony was president of First Commercial Bancshares when it merged with Synovus in 1992. In 2006, he was named chairman and CEO. His service at Synovus concluded in April 2012, when he retired as a board member.

Family members said Anthony has a grandfather and uncle who previously were inducted in the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, former Gov. Charles Henderson and Fox Henderson Sr. He is the son of Eland and Jane Anthony of Andalusia.

For ticket information to the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, or to purchase tables, contact Diane Harrison, director of alumni and corporate initiatives at the Culverhouse College of Commerce, dharriso@cba.ua.edu, 205-348-2930.