In celebration of ‘The 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking,’ industry leaders gathered at the Plaza Hotel on Tuesday evening to honor the top women in banking, who were selected by the editors of U.S. Banker and American Banker.
While it was enjoyable and celebratory, when the top banking women came to the stage, they not only showed appreciation for being named as the leading women in their field, but they took on a more aggressive and positive public defense of the industry they enjoy serving in.
“I’m very proud of what I do, where I do it. I’m very proud of the industry I belong to,” said Heidi Miller, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s treasury and securities services unit, and who was recognized as U.S. Banker’s Most Powerful Woman in Banking. “By separating the headlines and the press reports of a parallel universe from the reality that I know about what most of us do — and yes, that includes derivatives traders and securitizers — I believe that most of us have done our jobs admirably, even in a tough environment.”
Miller concluded later on in an after-speech interview that her speech couldn’t have flown at an earlier time, and wouldn’t have worked during the prior climate of negativism concerning bankers.
This was the 7th annual list assembled to honor The 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking, and was attended by over 500 people. Attendees and those reporting on it said it was more like a high school pep rally than anything else, and went beyond the individual accomplishments of the women honored to a celebration of the banking industry itself, reaffirming their important place in the economic, financial and business world.
