Kristin Broughton

Beth Johnson, who has risen over three decades to become chief marketing officer and head of virtual channels at Citizens Bank, has advanced by looking for opportunities rather than maintaining a fixed idea of where to go.

Cathy Bessant, Bank of America's chief operations and technology officer and American Banker's Most Powerful Woman in Banking for 2018, keeps pushing herself, while testing the limits of what the industry can do.

As companies grappled this year with the fallout from the #MeToo movement, Stacey Friedman led an initiative at JPMorgan Chase to make sure employees feel comfortable calling out misbehavior when they see it.

Over the past two and a half years, Ellen Alemany has made several big changes at CIT Group, selling off international business lines and turning the focus to traditional middle-market lending.

Among Sandy Pierce's accomplishments during the past year, the senior executive vice president and regional banking director merged the wealth units of Huntingdon and First Merit, rebranding the business as Huntington Private Bank.

Thasunda Duckett, the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, is leading the charge as JPMorgan Chase expands its retail bank.

As chief risk officer, Helga Houston is responsible for Huntington Bancshares' annual capital plan, as well as maintaining solid credit quality. And her work speaks for itself.

Karen Larrimer, the head of PNC's retail banking unit, she has a number of big challenges on her plate including leading the charge on the launch of the company’s digital-only bank to consumers nationwide.

In her nearly six years as chief financial officer, Marianne Lake has emerged as the public voice of JPMorgan Chase, fielding questions from investors and reporters in a rapid-fire style that makes her sound unflappable. Nowhere was that more on display than earlier this year.

Dorothy Savarese, who is nearing her 14^th year as CEO of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, has recently overseen a growth spurt of sorts at the institution, breaking ground on a new headquarters and expanding locations.