From The CEO Desk: Thoughts from the Most Powerful Women in Banking Conference
By Katherine Regnier - Nov 7, 2024
The American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking Conference recently took place in Manhattan, New York. This annual premier event brings together female leaders to connect, discuss and share insights on what’s shaping the banking industry. I had the opportunity to attend the conference for the first time this year. Many topics were discussed – from AI to employee experience strategies. Here, I’m going to dive into some of my key takeways.
AI in Banking: Focus on your Staff
A recurring theme was that the most promising use case for AI at a financial institution today (to save bankers time and money) is using AI to make staff more productive and efficient. Which not only results in a boost in productivity, but increased employee morale. How can you do this? Automate the mundane, repetitive tasks, create a knowledge base to get answers quicker across your financial institution to free up time for your staff to spend more time on high impact tasks.
Employee Experience drives Customer Satisfaction and Growth
It’s so important to not forget how important your employees are at helping to deliver an exceptional customer experience – you need to ensure that your staff are equipped with the right workflows and tools so that every interaction they have with your customers is quick and accurate.
The Path to Achieving Career Goals: People, Network and Connections
Curiosity, courage and building connections are at the forefront of what is needed to achieve your career goals. But, it ultimately always comes back to the people, the network and connections.
Anu Aiyengar, Head of Global M&A J.P. Morgan said, “Don’t accept what someone tells you, continue to ask why.” Highlighting the value of taking risks, staying open-minded and continuously asking “why.”
Santander’s Transformation
Ana Botin, Executive Chair at Banco Santander (and the first woman to chair a global financial institution), has helped to transform Santander into one of the leading financial institutions in the world with 168 million customers. Their transformation can be attributed to a focus on technology, innovation and customer centricity. Plus, the importance of having the best person leading the charge, not the second best person – the delta between the best and the second best makes all the difference.
She also emphasized the importance of diversity in leadership. “When I started, 20% of senior leaders were women—now it’s 31%. We need more mentorship. We need to focus on identifying those ready to lead and building their confidence.”
The insights and strategies shared during the conference were so valuable. I’m incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to connect and learn from women leaders that are leading the evolution of the banking industry and building solutions that will run the future of banking.! 🚀
Learn more about The Most Powerful Women In Banking.
