Tim Spence, chairman, president and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, refers to Fifth Third executive Jessie Rohrkemper as a "utility infielder."
In baseball, a utility infielder adeptly plays second base, third base and shortstop, and sometimes other positions. As it relates to Rohrkemper's work at the bank, her "utility infielder" status enables her to tackle problems and unearth opportunities across the bank, colleagues say.
"I think with the engineering mindset that I have, I really thrive between strategy and execution, and I really thrive with complex problems and ambiguity, and being able to break those down into the simplest parts in order to solve a problem," she said. Rohrkemper studied industrial engineering at Ohio University, as well as organizational leadership and economics at Northern Kentucky University.
One problem Rohrkemper, senior vice president and head of treasury management/commercial payments support services, set out to solve was shrinking the time it takes to open a commercial deposit account. Before Rohrkemper dove into the issue, it took 38 to 42 business days to open a commercial deposit account.
Rohrkemper convened a group of co-workers known as the "Deposit Knights" and they managed to narrow the account-opening window to as little as one business day.
Rohrkemper has also steered the treasury management and commercial payments units toward improved financial results. In 2024, the treasury management business saw year-over-year fee growth of 9%, and a 5% rise in account servicing fees above the targeted amount. Additionally, her efforts led to commercial deposits climbing $144 million above last year's target to a little over $64.5 billion, along with $399 million in expense reductions and $700 million in interest rate reductions.
In addition, Rohrkemper directed an initiative fueled by advanced analytics to evaluate annual pricing and cost activities carried out by the commercial payment product teams. The result: a $15 million lift in profit.
Rohrkemper attributes those successes to teamwork. As a former high school basketball player and current seventh-grade basketball coach, Rohrkemper comes by her teamwork mentality naturally.
Bridgit Chayt, executive vice president and head of commercial payments and treasury management at Fifth Third, said Rorhkemper's basketball-influenced leadership continues to be a cornerstone of the bank's success. Rohrkemper joined the bank in 2005.
"Jessie is a transformational leader. Her strategic vision and operational excellence have shaped key initiatives across the bank," said Chayt. "From driving digital modernization and marketing innovation to founding critical business control functions in commercial payments, her ability to quickly synthesize complex challenges and inspire collaborative solutions has unlocked new opportunities and elevated team performance."
Health care executive Kristen Wevers, one of Rohrkemper's classmates in the Executive MBA program at Xavier University and now a friend and mentor, said Rohrkemper's "exceptional talent" could easily catapult her to the CEO role at a bank or another organization.
"Jessie embodies the future of banking, where integrity, innovation and meaningful human connection are as important as financial success," said Wevers. "I have every confidence that she will continue to thrive, empower others at every level — up, down and sideways — and leave an enduring impact on the industry and beyond."
