Sandie O'Connor is at the forefront of high-level policy discussions currently shaping the banking industry.

As chief operating officer at Northern Trust, Jana Schreuder is ensuring that the Chicago custody bank stays on the cutting edge of innovation.

When a female employee is about to squander a big break for fear of being out of her depth, Barbara Desoer gladly butts in. In such situations, she pushes the employee to realize that she is indeed ready for the next challenge of her career.

Since taking the helm of Citigroup's Latin American business in June 2015, Jane Fraser has been working to make it a simpler, stronger and more transparent institution in the region.

Anne Finucane is in charge of positioning Bank of America for future success and a big part of that job is figuring out how to reach millennials.

Dorothy Savarese draws inspiration from her ability to make a positive difference in the communities her bank serves.

Diane Morais has been driving a transformation at Ally Bank since she took over as president and chief executive in March 2015.

LeeAnne Linderman is a self-styled "change master." And considering how much change she has been leading at Zions Bancorp. lately, the label is more apt than ever.

"Everyone feels better when they feel welcome, whether it's someone coming to work or a customer walking through the door," said Mary Walworth Navarro, who headed the strategic review that led to the word "welcome" becoming a key component of the Huntington's marketing efforts.

In her first few months as general counsel at JPMorgan Chase — the nation's largest bank by assets — Friedman has come up with creative ways to get her 1,900 employees working cohesively.

PNC Financial Services Group is increasingly leaning on Karen Larrimer to help transform many of the ways it interacts with customers.

Patricia "Patti" Husic doesn't give up once she sets her mind to something.

In a rapidly changing banking environment, Royal Bank of Canada is trying to stay on top of the competition by being more agile. Janice Fukakusa, the company's chief administrative officer and chief financial officer, is a major contributor to that cause.

Between the volatility in the energy sector and the geopolitical turmoil in Latin America, Anne Clarke Wolff's global corporate banking team has a lot to keep up with.

Ranjana Clark took a risk when she left banking five years ago for a job in fintech. But the decision put her on a fast track to the executive suite.

In the last year, KeyCorp, under CIO Amy Brady's direction, has made several noteworthy choices as it looks to be a standout amid the digital changes that banks are facing.

Melanie Dressel manages by walking around. Each year, the president and CEO of Columbia Banking System makes it a priority to visit each of the bank's branches, as well as its various departments, to help her better understand what is working for customers and what the bank can be doing better.

Doing better is what Diana Reid is always aiming for and that approach to her work is serving her well. As head of PNC Real Estate, her business has posted double-digit commercial real estate loan growth for four consecutive years.

Huntington Bancshares pulled the trigger on the largest acquisition in its history because it had Helga Houston on its side.

Regions Financial was more proactive than most energy lenders in getting ahead of credit troubles caused by falling oil prices, and the Birmingham, Ala., company has Chief Credit Officer Barb Godin to thank for that.