Special Program Root Tag

Sandie O'Connor role managing JPMorgan Chase's relationships with regulators has taken on new significance, given the company's involvement in dustups on assorted regulatory fronts, but the drama hasn't prevented O'Connor from addressing more workaday concerns.

In her role overseeing marketing, communications, public policy and corporate social responsibility for Bank of America, Anne Finucane leads a massive effort to redefine the company's tarnished image.

Patricia Callahan works on many fronts to shape how Wells Fargo is viewed both by the public and by its own employees. That's a function of her daily duties, but it took on heightened importance for her last year as Wells rolled out new ads focused squarely on reputation.

Next to industry giants, Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank is about as tiny as it sounds. Dorothy Savarese, its president and CEO, is likewise petite. But such surface details belie the influence she is bringing to bear not only in her community, but across her home state of Massachusetts and in the nation's capital.

Royal Bank of Canada initiated some major strategic moves in the past year, and Janice Fukakusa has been instrumental in bringing them to fruition.

Deborah McWhinney is a guiding force in Citigroup's stated intention of becoming the world's leading digital bank.

Like others in the banking industry, KeyCorp had to scramble to make up for revenue lost to regulatory changes, and much of this maneuvering fell to Maria Coyne.

LeeAnne Linderman has long been in charge of Zions First National Bank's network of 128 branches in Utah and Idaho. Now she also has oversight of 172 ATMs, online and mobile banking, and whatever other emerging technology might come along.

The outstanding results Alberta Cefis posted last year — improving revenue, deposit balances, expense control, risk management and so on — extend a streak of contributions she has made going back more than 14 years, to when she joined Scotiabank.

Michelle Van Dyke's definition of power is not based on how big her territory is (it covers parts of five states and holds $25 billion of Fifth Third's assets) or how many employees she is responsible for (5,500). To her, power comes from being a role model and paving the way for others.

With its new branding effort, Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks is declaring its purpose: Lighting the Way to Financial Well-Being. Rilla Delorier personally developed and spearheaded the concept, after she came to the conclusion that SunTrust had been focused too much on perspiration rather than inspiration.

Perhaps it is a manifestation of Maura Markus' get-things-done attitude that new technology and products are rolling out so quickly at Bank of the West these days. Outstanding results are a priority too, and she is not falling short in that regard either.

Caryl Athanasiu might not contribute directly to profit at Wells Fargo, but at a time when operational risk is a key concern for regulators, keeping the bank out of trouble ultimately can have an earnings impact.

This summer, with JPMorgan still in the hot seat over a spate of regulatory issues, it was Marianne Lake who did most of the talking on the company's second-quarter earnings call, which immediately inspired talk about her potential as a Jamie Dimon successor.

A top priority at Capital One last year was the integration of the card business it acquired from HSBC. Leading the task was Heather Cox, the company's EVP of domestic card operations.

Dispatched to Charlotte, N.C., after Wells Fargo's acquisition of Wachovia, Laura Schulte has played a central role in making Wells a major retail force throughout the eastern half of the country.

As she continues to help guide Comerica to the financial performance targets she established for the company, Karen Parkhill will take on a brand new challenge: preparing Comerica to join the list of large bank holding companies stress tested each year by the Federal Reserve.

Righting the ship at Bank of America is a monumental task, and employee engagement is crucial. That's where Andrea Smith comes in.

The tireless Peyton Patterson says she has a five-year strategic plan for Connecticut's BNC Financial. If the first 12 months of her tenure are any indication, it's going to be a busy five years.

With designs on expanding its commercial business from Southern California to Washington state, and perhaps points beyond, Union Bank in July announced it was putting Ardalan in charge of commercial banking for its western region.