12.03.2025 Today’s Inspiration from BankingDive.com: U.S. Bank’s Gunjan Kedia to become CEO in April
Dear Students,
Gunjan Kedia’s advice to young people (including ambitious international students like you?):
“Have shrewdness about how you decide to build your career.”
This wise counsel comes from the newly-appointed upcoming CEO of US Bancorp, whose “…goal is to educate college graduates [and yes, this means you!] on the consequences of their choices today and what that would mean for when they are 70 or 80 years old…” Despite the pressure for eager young talent (like you and your friends) to make decisions that appear best in the short-term, Kedia, an engineering undergrad born in India, learned early on to consider the longer-term implications of her choices, opting to apply to Carnegie Mellon for an MBA when she realized she would need to live by herself if she didn’t follow her parents (through her father’s job opportunity) and her sister (who was admitted to NYU) on their recent moves to the United States.
As with many leaders who broke through barriers – in this case, being “…only the second woman at the helm of a top-50 bank by assets” (According to American Banker), and US Bancorp’s first female CEO, Kedia’s tenacity helped her secure her first role – at PwC – by sitting in their lobby for 7 hours to try to get an interview! Kedia’s trajectory since then has been impressive, including 2 years as a Senior Associate at PwC, followed by 8 years as a Partner at McKinsey, nearly 5 years as EVP/Head of Global Product Management at Bank of NY/Mellon, then nearly 8 years as EVP/Head of Investment Servicing at State Street, and eventually joining US Bank in late 2016, rising from Vice Chair to President to incoming CEO (as of April 15, 2025).
Beyond her 30 years in financial services, Kedia, a mother of two teenagers, “is a seven-time honoree on the American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking and Finance lists and has been named twice to the Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance list.” According to US Bank, “…what keeps Kedia energized”, though, is “remembering the power of banking to completely change people’s lives.” Despite leading a multinational team of 38,000+ for a nearly 100-year old $41B financial services firm, Kedia’s humble words inspire her staff daily: “Think about that first small loan you give a business to help it get off the ground. The more we talk about that, the more people will be attracted to banking.”
Great words to reflect on for aspiring talent (including you!), especially for those among you who are pursuing to global (financial) careers, and who, like Kedia, have needed to learn a completely new language and culture, from the ground up, along the way.
Best,
Amy-Louise
Want to learn more about Gunjan Kedia? Please see: