Resources

Three of the most powerful women in banking go beyond the balance sheet.

As the only female among the 125 brokers in her office, Julie Goodridge felt that gender mattered in a big way. The CEO of NorthStar Asset Management shares the experience that prompted her to leave the corporate world to start her own company focused on socially responsible investing.

Given the customer base in the banking industry, success depends on embracing diversity, says Grace Huebscher, who heads multifamily finance for Capital One.

Well, only if you want to optimize solutions, says Michele Trolli, the chief information officer at M&T Bank Corp. And what bank doesn't want to do that?

The banking industry needs women to polish its tarnished image, insists Jill Castilla, the CEO at Citizens Bank of Edmond (Okla.).

In today's complex regulatory environment, a diversity of perspective is more important than ever, says Citi's Elinor Hoover. And the world over, women are wielding the power of the wallet — or the purse, so to speak — in a way that the banking industry can't ignore.

Some people might think gender matters, concedes FirstMerit's Sandy Pierce. But for her, it doesn't.