Harris Financial
- Women hold 34% of executive roles
- Recruiting unit works with employee groups to promote diverse talent pool
One of the strongest contenders in the team awards category in recent years, Harris continued to impress by increasing the percentage of women in executive-level positions, up from 8 percent in 2005 to 34 percent this year. The Chicago-based bank, part of BMO Financial Group, counts 946 women among its 1,926 corporate officers, and reports that a third of its "emerging leaders" under CEO Ellen Costello are female.
Despite a challenging year (net income down 2.8 percent), women-led units including Erica Kuhlmann's food and consumer banking group had big gains. Kuhlmann, as managing director, grew deposit balances by more than 200 percent by leading Harris' expansion in the agribusiness, foods and packaged goods arena. North Illinois district executive Daniela O'Leary-Gill increased revenues 11 percent, and net income by 37 percent, in Harris' Chicago hub market, while also leading the integration of AMCORE branches into the fold. Human Resources head Deirdre Drake, named the 2010 Leader of the Year by the National Association of Business Owners, again provided employee "engagement" scores that were six points higher than industry benchmarks.
The Team
Ellen Costello
Cecily Mistarz
Julie Curran
Pamela Dean
Mary Jo Herseth
Deborah Korompilas
Erica Kuhlmann
Margie Lawless
Daniela O’Leary-Gill
Deirdre Drake
Justine Fedak
Julia Fredricks
Christy Horn
Erin Norton
Gail Palac
Pamela Piarowski
Judith Rice
Cynthia Ulrich
Beth Bondi
Lois Robinson
