American Banker has announced its 15th annual ranking of the Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance. The 25-person list that recognises the most influential female leaders in the banking industry, includes two Indian-Americans, Nandita Bakhshi and Ranjana Clark. President and chief executive officer of Bank of the West and co-CEO at BNP Paribas USA, Bakhshi stands fourth on the list.
The publication described her as a 30-year industry veteran with extensive experience in retail banking and payments. It said when she arrived last year at Bank of the West, she embarked on a listening tour across the San Francisco-based lender's 23-state footprint. She also launched a virtual office called Nandita's Corner, where the bank's 10,000 employees were encouraged to share their ideas. One of the key initiatives during her first year as CEO was the launch of the bank's logo. Bakhshi began her career as a part-time teller and said in the report, “When you get to the position where you are hiring and training people, you don't settle. Make sure you recruit first-rate talent and it will improve your whole organisation.”
Head of transaction banking for the Americas and San Francisco Bay Area president of MUFG Union Bank, Clark came at number 19 on the 25-person list. She is a 34-year veteran of the financial industry who had done stints at PayPal, Western Union, Wachovia, and Deutsche Bank, before joining MUFG Union in 2013. “Clients are seeking more of a self-service model to access information and perform operations,” she said in the report.
