Cathy Bessant keeps a yellow sticky note attached to her phone asking her what she has done each day to generate revenue, connect with a colleague and communicate with a customer.
"Even if I just look at it at the end of the day and I can't think of something I had done personally, it prompts me to pick up the phone and call somebody, write a note or send an e-mail," says Bessant, a Bank of America veteran who took the helm of the newly formed global technology and operations unit in January.
Considering the scope of her new job it's no surprise that communication is top of mind for Bessant. Her unit oversees enterprise technology and delivery, corporate workplace, corporate security, global sourcing and delivery, and more. In all, it serves 58 million consumer, small-business, corporate and investment clients in 150 countries. Staying connected, Bessant says, "is really key."
Bessant started at BofA in 1982 as a corporate banker in Texas and has held a variety of positions there, including president of the company's Florida operations and chief marketing officer. Immediately prior to being appointed to her current role, Bessant was president of global corporate banking, which handles corporate finance, treasury, debit and risk management products.
"I find change very energizing," Bessant says. "I think all of us as executives and managers have a responsibility to create change and ensure on an ongoing basis a really dynamic perspective."
