Management Change/Compensation (Form 8-K)

ITEM 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers

Effective June 1, 2026, the Boards of Directors of Southern First Bancshares, Inc. (the "Company") and Southern First Bank (the "Bank") approved the appointment of Mr. Bryan Kennedy as a director. Mr. Kennedy will serve as a director of the Company and the Bank as well as on the Risk Committee of the Boards. Mr. Kennedy will participate in the current director compensation arrangements generally applicable to the Company's non-employee directors as described in the Company's Proxy Statement filed in connection with its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Kennedy and other persons pursuant to which he was selected as director. In addition, Mr. Kennedy has not engaged in any transaction with the Company or the Bank that would be reportable as a related party transaction under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

Mr. Kennedy recently retired from a 43-year career in commercial banking, most recently serving SouthState Bank as Northern Banking Group President over North Carolina and Virginia. His experience includes leadership positions at various financial institutions such as First Charlotte Bank, Park Meridian Bank and Regions Bank. In 2006, Mr. Kennedy founded Park Sterling Bank, the largest capitalized start-up in North Carolina history, which was sold to SouthState Bank in 2017. Mr. Kennedy also serves as the Lead Independent Director of the Cato Corporation, an NYSE-traded women's specialty apparel retailer, where he has served as director since 2009. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his MBA from the University of North Carolina. The Boards believe Mr. Kennedy's ties to the Charlotte community, a key market for the Bank, and his extensive commercial banking and public company board experience will enhance his ability to serve as a director of the Company and the Bank.

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