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"I would always rather have the most determined, encouraging, find-a-way person on my team than the smartest person in the room," said Liz Dukes Wolverton, Synovus Financial's chief strategy officer.

Last year, Yvette Hollingsworth Clark spearheaded an industrywide initiative to develop a so-called "Compliance Officer Bill of Rights."

Last year, First United Bank and Trust CEO Karen Glenn made her boldest move to date with a deal to acquire the $85 million-asset Bank of Ohio County in Beaver Dam, Ky. With that deal, the first in its 20-year history, First United boosted its assets by nearly 45%, to $275 million.

Angela Birmingham has held a number of high-ranking banking jobs in her career, but until she started helping her oldest daughter with college applications last year she had never given much thought to being a role model for other women.

Though the general counsel and head of compliance at TD Bank is primarily responsible for making sure the bank's business units are playing by the rules, Ellen Patterson says it is also her team's mission to root out inefficiencies that might be slowing down decision-making and causing pain to customers.

Michelle Di Gangi is quietly building Bank of the West into a force in small- and midsize-business lending.

Retaining top talent is a priority for Joan Parsons, Silicon Valley Bank's executive vice president for corporate banking, so last year she launched an internal development program that provides top employees with new experiences and challenges that might ultimately prevent them from jumping ship.

Mary Callahan Erdoes is not as much of a household name as Warren Buffett or Jamie Dimon, but as J.P. Morgan Asset Management's chief executive, she has undeniable influence on Wall Street.

After the U.K. vote in June to leave the European Union, Barbara Byrne had one message for her employees at Barclays: Pay close attention to how it plays out.

"As women, we need to remind ourselves to have an 'opt-in' attitude," said Abigail Johnson, President and CEO of Fidelity Investments. "Career downturns happen to everyone and we must remember to treat them as opportunities to change how we work or try something new. That is what shows our true mettle."