American Banker has once again recognized BNY Mellon leaders as part of its 2021 Most Powerful Women program. For the second year in a row, Chief Financial Officer Emily Portney has been named to its Most Powerful Women in Finance list and Chief Audit Executive Paulette Mullings Bradnock to its Most Powerful Women to Watch list.
Additionally, Global Head of Human Resources Jolen Anderson and Chief Operations and Technology Officer Bridget Engle were highlighted as standouts in their respective roles.
“I am incredibly proud that American Banker has recognized Emily, Paulette, Jolen and Bridget for their leadership skills and their relentless commitment to serving our clients and our people. They are some of the most versatile and knowledgeable executives in our industry and are tremendous contributors to BNY Mellon’s high-performance culture and success. This recognition is a testament to that and is so well-deserved,” said Todd Gibbons, Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon.
Having run various businesses and client organizations, Emily Portney brings a unique perspective to the CFO role at BNY Mellon. She partners across the organization to help execute on strategic initiatives that bring the best of BNY Mellon to clients while delivering on financial outcomes. Portney is redefining the role of the finance professional to that of an advisor and partner to the lines of business. As part of this effort, she is creating a Finance identity — investing in culture and engagement, diversifying recruitment efforts and cross-pollinating finance and business expertise for innovative solutions. Portney has improved communication across businesses and functions and is reshaping BNY Mellon’s narrative to the outside world. Read Portney’s full American Banker profile.
Paulette Mullings Bradnock manages BNY Mellon’s Global Internal Audit function. Her principal concern is the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal control environment, the reliability of financial reporting and compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Bradnock has led her department on a pioneering initiative to embed innovation into everything they do. This journey to “re-imagine” processes and all aspects of the audit lifecycle has resulted in an opportunity to replace a labor-intensive procedure with a streamlined digital process that automates the collection, assessment, and documentation of key data for risk factors. American Banker has included Bradnock in its Most Powerful Women to Watch list for five consecutive years since 2017. Read Bradnock’s full American Banker profile.
As Global Head of Human Resources, Jolen Anderson directs the strategies, policies and practices supporting the company's diverse and inclusive culture, while developing enterprise teams, leaders and employees to competitively position the company for the future of work. Anderson is also keenly focused on building the confidence and competency of HR professionals. Her efforts around Global Impact Citizenship – comprised of BNY Mellon’s ESG and Philanthropy efforts – contributed to Fortune naming the bank one of the 2020 World’s Most Admired Companies.
Bridget Engle is the Chief Operations and Technology Officer for BNY Mellon. During the summer of 2020, she was tapped to oversee Global Operations in addition to Global Technology, integrating the two businesses together. Engle now manages 30,000 employees, accounting for more than 60% of the BNY Mellon workforce. Her strategic direction guides the firm’s multi-billion-dollar investments to support resiliency and cybersecurity, operations and application development. Engle is masterful at creating innovative strategies to engineer client solutions, setting the north star of bold ambition and leading execution with focus and relentless persistence.
“For 19 years, this list has honored trailblazers, change-makers and unparalleled achievers — individuals who have helped transform the industry despite countless obstacles,” said Gemma Postlethwaite, CEO of Arizent, publisher of American Banker. “This year's honorees are a testament to the perpetual resilience required of leaders today."
The Most Powerful Women in Finance, Most Powerful Women to Watch and Most Powerful Women in Banking - Standouts are all featured on American Banker's website.