Heather English

I attribute my success to a strong growth mindset leadership style that allows me to continuously learn, adapt, and evolve in a rapidly changing industry. My resilience and tenacity have enabled me to navigate complex challenges while staying focused on long-term goals and meaningful outcomes. I credit my ability to foster executive collaboration as a key strength, helping me build alignment and trust across diverse teams and stakeholders. Through proactive horizon scanning, I stay ahead of emerging risks and opportunities, ensuring strategic decisions are both timely and informed. My commitment to regulatory partnership and data-driven security has helped me build a risk-aware culture grounded in accountability and integrity. With a demonstrated history in the financial services industry, I have developed deep expertise in financial risk, anti-money laundering, risk management, customer service, and banking operations. I am also recognized as a strong business development professional who understands how to balance compliance with growth and innovation. My success is further rooted in my ability to combine analytical thinking with strategic leadership to drive sustainable results. Above all, I believe my achievements come from staying disciplined, adaptable, and committed to excellence in every aspect of my work.

One of the best pieces of career advice I ever received was to never be afraid to speak up and share my opinion, even in rooms where I may feel uncertain or unheard. I believe that every voice carries value and that meaningful opportunities can be missed when ideas are left unspoken. I think a lot of times, probably good ideas are not provided because people are afraid that they might think it's stupid, or they won't be able to put it into practice, or it won't be believable. But I've learned that a lot of missed opportunities happen because people are afraid to speak up, especially if they're a woman or just timid. I feel like everybody should be listened to - nobody's more important than the other, whether they're a board member or a teller or an executive. This mindset has encouraged me to participate with confidence, trust my perspective, and contribute fully in every professional setting. Above all, I have learned that speaking up not only creates opportunity for myself, but also helps open doors and inspire others to do the same.

My advice to young women entering the industry is to continuously learn as much as you can about your profession and stay curious about every aspect of your field. Be willing to work alongside everyone, and not just come in at the end to make decisions or give your stamp of approval. I've found that a lot of times, if you go through the whole process with your team, that helps, and you can give your perspective on how things are developed. I encourage you to be able to listen, so that when it's time for you to give your opinion, you'll be listened to. Also, don't be afraid to give your opinion, but do it in a way that you're respectful when you do it - you're not stepping on any toes or being disrespectful. I also remind you to be brave, even when facing uncertainty, and to trust yourself enough to take on new challenges. Above all, I believe that adopting a growth mindset will help you adapt, evolve, and thrive throughout your career.

One of the biggest challenges is underrepresentation in senior executive and decision-making positions for women. In the executive positions, it still is more of a male-dominated area. In the operational areas, there's more women, but the higher that you get, there are more men in positions of power. For instance, on our executive team, there's two women on the executive team, and on our board, there are no women. However, this challenge also presents a powerful opportunity to reshape the industry through diverse perspectives, inclusive leadership, and innovative thinking. I would like to see a lot more women executives at the table, some women as board members, and a lot more women lenders, actually - there's not a lot of women that do lending, and that's kind of a male-dominated area that I've seen all throughout banking. As more organizations prioritize equity and talent development, women have greater access than ever to advance and influence meaningful change within financial institutions. Ultimately, this moment represents a turning point where women leaders can help redefine the culture of banking and drive more balanced, forward-thinking growth across the industry.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are integrity, honesty, trust, and accountability, which guide every decision I make and every relationship I build. Being a good leader is very important to me - I've led teams from various sizes, and right now I have three employees. I believe in leading by example, being an example of what you expect your team to be. You know, we're not going to be perfect, we're all going to make mistakes, but just learning how to get past those hiccups is pretty important. Building trust and being a stable, stable person so that people know what to expect from you is essential. Outside of my professional responsibilities, I refuel through time in nature and meaningful moments with family, which help me stay grounded and balanced. I spend a lot of time outside - I have a very nice backyard, and so I do a lot of gardening and cleaning up my yard. I have a lake in the back, and I have animals, and so I love to be around my animals and nature. I am also deeply committed to giving back to my community through service efforts such as food distribution programs and participating in initiatives like the March of Dimes Walk, reflecting my dedication to making a positive impact beyond the workplace.