Special Program Root Tag

The structured finance and securitization businesses that Julie Caperton runs at Wells Fargo are some of the most complex businesses in the company — and some of the most profitable.

It's not often that a Wall Street research firm turns to the CIA, but Wells Fargo's Diane Schumaker-Krieg is always intent on finding an edge.

Risk was the main order of business for Suni Harford last year. In her role directing sales, trading and origination for Citigroup's global securities and banking unit, she was charged with identifying franchise risk issues for each product line.

Staying positive, empowering people and being a risk-taker who makes a difference are guideposts that have steered Fidelity Investments' Kathleen Murphy through a 25-year career in financial services and benefits.

For three consecutive years, HSBC has ranked first in Bloomberg's Latin American bonds league table under the guidance of Katia Bouazza, who has earned one of the highest profiles of any investment banker, male or female, in the region.

Two years ago, JPMorgan Chase asked Catherine Keating to transfer her private bank experience over to the institutional investment side of the house. She's delivered not only with solid numbers but has done so by incorporating a key aspect of private banking: segmentation.

For Liz Myers and team at J.P. Morgan, the first half of the year was dominated by large IPOs, with the firm underwriting 20 transactions that raised more than $1 billion apiece, including the $5 billion offering from the insurance subsidiary of Banco de Brazil.

With its announced purchase of the Credit Suisse Customized Fund Investment Group, Grosvenor Capital Management will not just nearly double its assets under management, it also will gain the services of one of the most high-profile names in private equity and fund-of-funds management in Kelly Williams.

With a prime role in two global exchange mergers last year, Caroline Silver has no problem with name recognition in the sector. As Michael Overlander, the CEO of derivatives broker Sucden Financial told Bloomberg last year, "Her name should be changed to Caroline Gold."

In addition to being an industry giant with many opportunities to run large business lines, Wells Fargo takes a studied approach to leadership development, with special emphasis on women and other diversity candidates who have been traditionally underrepresented in the financial services sector.

After buying Marshall & Ilsley in 2011, BMO Financial Group's U.S. arm faced a full plate of challenges. But with the guidance of Justine Fedak, head of brand, advertising and sponsorships in North America, BMO Financial and its BMO Harris Bank subsidiary took their message straight to Milwaukee.

Two years ago, Huntington Bank laid out an inclusion strategy that would make senior leaders more accountable and leave other employees feeling better trained, better utilized and more engaged. The results so far have been as impressive as the Midwestern regional's recent financial performance.

Revenue up, expenses down. That's the formula Julie Castle helped perfect as chief operating officer of Zions First National Bank's wealth management affiliate, Contango Capital Advisors. In June she was rewarded with a promotion to CEO of the unit.

KeyCorp's Beth Mooney tops the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking list; the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance list is led by Karen Peetz of BNY Mellon; and Mary Callahan Erdoes at JPMorgan Chase heads the 25 Women to Watch list.

When the division of labor at home isn't so clear, relationships with our partners can feel very transactional.

A pillar of stability on JPMorgan Chase's 12-member operating committee, Mary Callahan Erdoes runs the asset management division with a sharp eye for talent and a calm appraisal of the company's recent run-ins with regulators.

KeyCorp wasn't looking to make history when it named a female CEO in 2011. It wanted a stronger leader and a good fit for the company. Based on what Beth Mooney has accomplished so far, she's delivering on all fronts.

Last April, Abigail Johnson spoke with a group of 350 brokers and registered investment advisers about the strategy and innovation that lie ahead for Fidelity Investments. What emerged out of the executive forum in Naples, Fla., was an excited boost of confidence.

With a significant promotion at BNY Mellon and an eventful year as chairman of the Penn State trustee board, Karen Peetz further refines the leadership skills that have long made her worth watching.

The winners of the American Banker Young Women's Leadership Award aim high.