PROVIDENCE – Beth Johnson, chief marketing officer and head of consumer strategy at Citizens Financial Group Inc., has been named one of the “most powerful women in banking” by American Banker.
Johnson joined the Providence-based company in 2013. This year, she was named one of American Banker’s 2017 Most Powerful Women in Banking.
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The coveted annual award recognizes the professional achievements of the 25 top-performing female executives in banking and financial services.
Johnson was named No. 25.
“Beth is among the exceptional talent moving this industry forward,” said Bonnie McGeer, executive editor of American Banker and chair of the award program. “The women selected for this honor are tackling tough business challenges with great success.”
American Banker specifically cites Johnson’s handling of the findings in a story earlier this year by the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper interviewed current and former Citizens employees who said they had fabricated some information about meetings through the bank’s ambitious Citizens Checkup program.
“Johnson said the company recently completed a review of Citizens Checkup and found no instances of customer harm,” according to the awards.
Johnson, who is also responsible for marketing activities including brand and customer experience, has helped advance consumer bank’s growth and probability, according to the bank.
“Under her leadership, the company has been building a database that is designed to reveal which customers are best suited for specific products,” according to American Banker. “Citizens said that it has seen a 35 percent increase in marketing response rates.”
Chairman and CEO Bruce Van Saun lauded Johnson and her performance in a statement.
“We are very pleased that American Banker has organized Beth’s contributions around innovation, digital channels and customer experience,” said Van Saun.
The company, with $151.4 billion in assets, is the largest Rhode Island-based bank. It operates in 11 states in New England, the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.
Johnson was the only woman from a Rhode Island financial institution to make the list, although Ellen Alemany, chairman and CEO of CIT Group, was named No. 3.
Alemany was the CEO of Citizens under its former parent the Royal Bank of Scotland, or RBS. She took the job at then-RBS Citizens Financial Group Inc. on the eve of the financial crisis of 2008, according to American Banker.
“Alemany wore several hats as head of the U.S. subsidiary, including serving on the management committee for the Royal Bank of Scotland and participating on the Federal Reserve’s advisory council,” according to American Banker. “During the height of the crisis, she would often start her day with a 3 a.m. conference call with her U.K. counterparts.”
Alemany, now leading CIT Group in New York, preceded Van Saun, who has been heralded for his leadership taking the bank through an initial public offering in 2013 and subsequently becoming independent from its former London-based parent company.
Van Saun says it’s people like Johnson who make meeting the bank’s mission possible.
“Through her leadership and accomplishments, Beth truly embodies the Citizens mission of helping our customers, colleague and communities reach their potential,” he said.
Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.
