Banking on Success
When women in the workplace – especially entrepreneurs – think about banks, they almost always have access to capital in mind. And, no question, that is an incredibly useful linkage. But there's another potentially beneficial linkage women seldom consider, that of a career in banking.
A 1997 survey of business school graduate students revealed that fewer than 20% of the women students thought about pursuing a banking opportunity after graduation. The most common reasons for dismissing this potential career path was that working in a bank was seen as bureaucratic and "boring," with little or no growth opportunity.
At Wachovia, nothing could be further from the truth. Women now comprise over half of the total work force at Wachovia.
Women lead the corporation's Human Resources and Corporate Relations unit and its Marketing team, which both report directly to the company's chairman and CEO, Ken Thompson.
For the past six years, Wachovia has been the No. 1 major bank in the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index – and a woman leads the bank's Customer Experience unit. A woman also leads the company's largest single line of business, the Retail Bank.
Closer to home, Wachovia's Central Banking Group – a region that includes Texas, Colorado, Kansas and Illinois – is led by a 12-member Operating Committee. Six of them are women. In Texas, Wachovia further divides its operations into three geographic regions, each led by a Regional President. Two of the three are women.
Finding, hiring and creating opportunities for women are among the top priorities of Wachovia's Human Capital initiative. And it shows. Training magazine has named Wachovia to of its list of "100 Best companies in North America for Developing Human Capital" for eight straight years. Wachovia has been on Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies" list for 11 years in a row. And this year, PINK magazine name Wachovia to its "Elite Eight" for our work in this critical area.
Wachovia 's commitment to women is also evident in the fact that this is our fourth year to sponsor the Texas Conference for Women. Whether you need a loan, would like a line of credit, or want to explore an interesting, challenging, high-growth career, Wachovia is a great place to start.
< Return to the newsletter home | 
