Financial institutions

When HSBC announced 16 appointments amid changes to top management in April, Bouazza, who previously co-led the bank's Latin American business, was the lone woman selected.

Tepid loan demand, falling interest rates and heightened competition from nonbank lenders are just some of the headwinds facing commercial lenders these days, but Ardalan believes MUFG can expand its credit appetite without compromising safety and soundness.

First Republic Bank has been understandably mum about who might replace founder and Chief Executive James Herbert when he retires in two years, but Hafize Gaye Erkan, its 39-year-old president, is considered a leading candidate.

Nandita Bakhshi, CEO of Bank of the West, has pushed the bank's environmental commitments further, including $1 billion in clean energy financing over the next five years.

Three years into the turnaround plan at CIT Group, Ellen Alemany continues to remake the commercial finance company she inherited into more of a traditional bank. The purchase of Mutual of Omaha Bank is another step toward that goal.

It was the only large bank to publicly disclose the unadjusted pay gap between men and women, and now it's committing to narrowing the gap by moving more women into higher-paying leadership roles.

As head of commercial banking at PNC Financial Services Group, Stephanie Novosel knows full well that competition for loans is intense and that to win business banks need to add value that goes beyond offering competitive loan terms.

In June, Warson became the first person to hold the newly created job of chairman of Citi Private Bank, North America.

In her role as head of virtual channels at Citizens Financial Group, Beth Johnson is relentlessly focused on making banking simpler for consumers.

Amy Brady, KeyCorp's chief information officer, is keen to spread the word to potential employees about tech opportunities in Cleveland.