Janet Garufis runs the largest community bank in the affluent and highly competitive California counties of Santa Barbara and Ventura. She also runs marathons.

Thasunda Duckett overcame doubts about accepting a promotion while raising two small children and now manages a business unit that ranks as one of the nation's largest auto lenders.

More is expected of all chief risk officers these days given the heightened regulatory scrutiny across the industry. But Helga Houston's responsibilities extend beyond those of most CROs.

Bita Ardalan is MUFG Union Bank's go-to executive for starting and building new business lines or turning around existing ones — with good reason.

Since joining Deutsche Bank two years ago, Susan Skerritt has raised the performance and profile of transaction banking in the Americas while helping to advance the careers of promising female managers.

Barb Godin has some simple advice for ambitious female bankers looking to advance in their careers: "Don't just let life happen."

Since joining UMB Financial, Begonya Klumb has built two divisions — investor relations and mergers and acquisitions — from the ground up. Now she's heading up its healthcare services unit.

Synovus Financial is back to playing offense and it is counting on Liz Dukes shape growth strategies across all business lines.

As HSBC sharpens its focus on international corporate banking, it's counting on Cate Luzio to strengthen its relationships with multinationals.

When Maria Tedesco joined Santander Bank as its head of retail banking in April 2014, customer attrition was high and the bank was losing deposit share. Tedesco was hired away from rival Citizens Financial to reverse these trends and position Santander as the regional bank of choice in all of its key markets.

Smarts matter, of course, but the key to career advancement lies in your ability to lead and motivate others, says Nandita Bakhshi.

Bank of the West is widely viewed as a tech innovator, and some of the credit goes to CIO Kirsten Garen.

A former regulator, Yvette Hollingsworth Clark is boosting compliance staff at one of the nation's largest retail banks.

Executives from TD, Northern Trust, Synovus, Wells Fargo, PNC and EnerBank explain why they rate the importance of board service so highly.

Diversity takes a lot of different forms, and the need for it in the boardroom is becoming more widely recognized as an imperative. Some of our Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance — including Northern Trust's Jana Schreuder and Citi's Julie Monaco — offer their perspectives.

Why is the goal of better gender balance in the senior ranks so elusive? And what can we do about it? Some of our Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance weigh in.

One of the things that struck me in getting to know the women in our rankings better is that some of them have had significant career setbacks along the way. But they exude confidence anyway, because they have learned how to be fearless.

Confidence, accountability and a willingness to take risks are common traits among highly motivated executives. But true power comes from execution, says HSBC's North American CEO, who advises women to "be in it to win it."

Successful. Influential. Innovative. These women are driving results at their institutions, and paving the way for the female talent behind them.

Can true innovation happen when so much of the industry is still working on systems built in the 20th century?