Avid Modjtabai
Senior EVP, Consumer Lending, Wells Fargo
In her role overseeing the massive consumer lending operations at Wells Fargo, Avid Modjtabai is at the forefront of the flux rippling through the industry.
She is in charge of home lending for the country's biggest originator and servicer of mortgages, responsible for keeping it in sync with new regulations, including the seven new rules-totaling 3,600 pages-that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued within the first few weeks of 2013 alone.
Modjtabai also handles consumer credit cards, auto finance and student loans, all businesses experiencing regulatory turbulence of their own. But Wells' former head of technology and operations is managing the pressure well since her switch to lending in July 2011, when she took on a newly created position combining eight business units under her leadership. Now she often represents the company as it updates regulators and shareholders, with ample positive momentum to share.
Though Modjtabai exceeded performance targets such as total loans-at yearend, her group had $360 billion in loans outstanding, constituting more than 45 percent of Wells' total loans-she says measurements like those are not as critical to her as earning customer trust by providing quality products and services. An enterprise-wide program known as "One Wells Fargo," which aims to have all 80 of Wells' businesses interact with customers as one company, began under Modjtabai's leadership six years ago, when she was head of human resources. The program still reports to her, as senior leaders continue to sharpen their focus on customer service.
