An Inside Look at Our Event with Wells Fargo
Hosted by PowerToFly's Cristina Duke, the night kicked off with a chance for our attendees to network with their peers over some delicious refreshments and to meet members of the Wells Fargo team, who were eager to answer their questions.
The night's programming began with a keynote address and tech talk from Gabby Szasz, SVP, Global Head - Enterprise Quality Engineering. Gabby then joined a panel of Wells Fargo leaders to discuss their latest projects and career journeys. Along with Gabby, our panel included:
- Sandeep Mehta, EVP, Enterprise Platform Services, Technology
- Ligia Vilela, Head of Innovation Technology
- Yelena Makogon, Director, Head of Enterprise Counterparty Credit Risk Technology
The evening concluded with more networking and opportunities for our attendees to ask our panel follow up questions.
If you are interested in new opportunities, Wells Fargo is hiring. Their amazing benefits include a 401(k) plan, tuition reimbursement, up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave, and more. To view their open roles and learn more about Wells Fargo's commitment to diversity, visit their page on PowerToFly.
A pioneer for female leaders
Wells Fargo rapidly expanded its branch network in the 1960s, growing from just one California branch in 1919 to more than 230 branches in the state by 1967. When the bank had plans to open a new branch in Pacifica, California, Nelson's manager thought of Nelson's energy and ambition and recommended her for the post.
Shirley Nelson being interviewed after becoming the first female bank manager in Wells Fargo's history in 1967.Wells Fargo Corporate Archives
'Now I don't see any stops'
Nelson's appointment was the first of a large shift at Wells Fargo. Women continued to gain new positions that had previously been off-limits to them.
In 1975, the Wells Fargo Banker publication featured Nelson and other women working at Wells Fargo, highlighting how the bank had rapidly changed over a few years, and how qualified women were filling more and more jobs previously dominated by men. At the time, women held 36 percent of the management positions in the company.
Janet Wright, vice president for personnel and data processing, was one of the women featured in the article. "I joined the Bank in 1937 as a bookkeeper in the Trust Division," Wright said. "At that time, women only held bookkeeping and secretarial positions. During the war (World War II) I became a dividend clerk, a senior clerical post which previously had been held only by men. … It was very exciting when that first woman was named trust officer. We just accepted the notion that women were not officers and had only certain jobs. We never really felt discriminated against. Looking back, it seems it took a long time to reach that level. Now, qualified women can go into any line of work. … It's a different world."
The article also featured Nancy King, a training officer who talked about an interview she had in the past for a different position. "I was turned down because the manager ― a man ― didn't think I could lift coin," King said in the article. "Now it's hard to find managers who don't want women as their co-workers. Women have shown they can handle the work and perform well. They have proved themselves valuable in the branches."
Shirley Nelson, with Chloe Flowers of Wells Fargo Escrow Services, inside the vault at the downtown San Francisco branch. The two found a solution for a customer looking to keep Cabbage Patch dolls safe for a radio giveaway in 1984. Wells Fargo Corporate Archives
By this time, Nelson had left Pacifica to lead the Stonestown branch — a branch that did over five times the business — as its new manager. "Opportunities for women definitely changed in recent years," Nelson said in the publication. "More women are officers, and there are more openings for women. Now I don't see any stops."
In later years, Nelson managed one of the bank's busiest branches in downtown San Francisco. When she retired, it was with the knowledge that women at Wells Fargo would continue to grow and gain more opportunity than ever before.
