Gerald A. "Jerry" Enos Jr., Wachovia Corp.'s longtime head of operations, is also being put in charge of technology and e-commerce.
The Charlotte company said Tuesday that Mr. Enos would succeed Jean E. Davis when she retires in early June. Ms. Davis has been with Wachovia since 1985 and has held her current position since March 1999.
Mr. Enos has been with Wachovia since 1982. Both he and Ms. Davis were involved in integrating the old Wachovia's systems with those of First Union Corp. when it bought their company in 2001 and took its name.
"Jean Davis has done a great job and leaves big shoes to fill," Mr. Enos, 46, said in an interview. He has been the head of operations and reported to Ms. Davis since last year. In his new position, he will report to Wachovia chief executive Ken Thompson.
Ms. Davis, 50, said that her office is in charge of "providing the technology that supports Wachovia Corp."
That includes maintaining a consistent look and feel for its online banking platform, making sure the Web site is always available, and supporting the technology needs of branches, brokerages, and other offices, she said.
"If you don't have good technology and good operations, you can't maintain your edge" in customer service.
Mr. Enos will start taking over some of her duties immediately, with Ms. Davis acting as an adviser. The transition will be complete by her retirement date.
"If I get in Jerry's way between now and then, he may shuffle me out sooner," Ms. Davis joked.
A key part of Mr. Enos' job is deciding which systems to keep when Wachovia buys other banking companies. First Union's purchase of the old Wachovia "was positioned as a merger of equals," and it was difficult to evaluate systems of similar size and capabilities, he said.
In subsequent deals, such as the November 2004 purchase of SouthTrust Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., the systems were "different in size and scope and scale," so the decisions were easier, he said.
Ms. Davis said the online channel is "the fastest growth channel," and that some projects, such as Wachovia's conversion to online banking software from Corillian Corp., are being done to provide a consistent experience to customers who interact with the banking company more and more through technology.
Mr. Enos expects to make few major changes in Wachovia's technology operations, though he would like "an increased focus on benchmarking, relative to our peers," to move Wachovia's name higher on industry scorecards.
