The Most Powerful Women in Banking

Having run both businesses and client-relationship organizations, Emily Portney, chief financial officer of BNY Mellon, brings a well- rounded vision to her oversight of the firm's finance functions, which include tax, treasury, capital management and investor relations — where she regularly articulates and advocates the value of the franchise to the public.

Maria Hackley, managing director and global co-head of industrials, banking, capital markets and advisory at Citi, understands how crucial it is for bankers to create strong, original content to distinguish themselves during client presentations.

Ida Liu became head of Citi's North American private bank in 2019 and then went on to beat her projections by 12% in 2020 despite the pandemic. That helped her get a promotion last year to global head, running 50 offices across the globe and overseeing more than $500 billion in client business.

Four years after AllianceBernstein announced it was relocating its headquarters from New York City to Nashville, the move was completed in May. Kate Burke, then the chief operating officer and head of private wealth, oversaw the move, relocating over 1,000 employees to the Music City.

Kara McShane took over as head of the commercial real estate team at Wells Fargo at an inauspicious time: February 2020, when COVID-19 was heading toward pandemic status and offices were starting to empty out.