Zions Bancorp

Zions Bancorp.

  • Tenfold growth in mentorships, training
  • Women-led divisions contributed 20% toward expense reduction

A top storyline for Zions this past year was the creation of a small-business unit under Lori Chillingworth, who by the first quarter had helped to raise business deposits $29 million (or 57.8 percent) and lower charge-offs by 63.7 percent. Zions also saw a 6.2 percent expansion of assets under management in its wealth advisory services under Julianne Cruz, and a doubling of income in private banking, headed by Susan Speer. Perhaps no department was transformed as much as Diana Kirk's learning and diversity division, which expanded mentorship program participation from 34 to 220 participants at mid-year—65 percent of them women and minorities—by establishing online coursework.
Women-led divisions at Zions and its subsidiary banks were instrumental in CEO Harris Simmons' efforts to curb costs without resorting to layoffs, by accounting for a 20 percent corporate-wide reduction in expenses. Zions also saw an improvement in asset quality thanks in part to the risk-management efforts of seven female staffers, who pruned $1 billion off the $2.8 billion of nonperforming assets on the books in March 2010. The ranks of women in leadership positions have held steady, accounting for 36 of 147 management and operating committee members at Zions (including five of 15 at Zions First National Bank).

The Team

Patricia Frobes
LeeAnne B. Linderman
Lori B. Chillingworth
Julianne Cruz

Diana E. Kirk
Susan H. Speer
Connie Spyropoulos-Linardakis
Cindy Smith
Lisa Kimball
Anya Lewis
Deborah Bateman
Suzette (Suzie) Jones
Marylyn Manis-Hassanein
Mary Murray
Jodi Delahunt Hubbell
Deborah Wapensky Nugent
Lauren Jassney
Kimberlee Casaday
Jennifer Christopulos
Marisa Drury
Janet Fisher
Jeanine Flint
Stephanie Horne
Cassaundra Johnson
Gena Jones
Rebecca Kearns
Teresa Law
Aegea Lee
Janet Louie
Maureen McDaid
Cecilia Mitchell
Toni Nielsen
Nancy Olson
Chrstine Redgrave
Leslie Reuter
Cristie Richards
Ursula St. Geme
Ginger Smith
Jennifer Smith
Kim Soper
Kathleen Thomas
Susan Tucker
Kristy Walker
Chantel Chase
Renee Miller
Diane Hartz Warsoff

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