Taking my best and moving it forward

Earlier this week I shared news of my retirement from Wells Fargo. It is something I have been thinking about for some time, and while it was a tough decision, the time is right. I have spent the last 28 years in the financial industry – 22 of them with Wells Fargo – and the last six plus as Wells Fargo’s CFO.

When I started my commercial finance company in 1998, which was later purchased by Wells Fargo, I did not imagine the path would lead me to the CFO role. I am grateful for the many experiences I’ve had at the company and responsibilities that have included leading teams in investment banking and capital markets, finance and accounting, technology, data, and various operations around the world. But I am most thankful for the opportunities to work with such wonderful, dedicated people and some of the brightest minds in financial services. I am proud of the big wins, the thousands of personal connections over the years, and the success we realized in spite of the challenges. We also had a few laughs along the way – never underestimate the potency of banker humor.

This is a major change for me, but I see change as an exciting opportunity. It’s a chance for me to let the next generation of leaders take the reins. I am a firm believer that you shouldn’t stay in the same role forever. I will walk away a better person because of the impact my coworkers had on me, confident I contributed to the good of the company, and I will leave it in extremely capable hands.

Mike Santomassimo will join Wells Fargo as our new CFO this fall. I have known and worked with Mike for the last couple of years. His financial expertise, impressive background as the CFO of BNY Mellon, and success in building and leading global finance teams will help drive our company forward. He is well-respected in the industry, and I look forward to helping with the transition when he joins the company.

While retirement is on the horizon, there’s still a lot of work to do. Change is good. I’ll take the best of what I’ve learned at Wells Fargo and use it going forward on my new journey. Let’s stay connected here.