As you grow your career, build relationships with those around you, advised Belk College of Business alumna Kimberly Moore-Wright ‘95, executive vice president for Charlotte-based Truist Financial Corp.
“You never know where those relationships might take you down the road,” said Moore-Wright, the guest for the Fall 2021 C-Suite Speaker Series on Sept. 29. “I think it’s true today that rarely do you see somebody climbing the ladder in the traditional way. The relationships that you build along the way are crucial to get you to the next step.”
Career in Banking
During the event, Moore-Wright spoke about her rise from Belk College accounting student to become one of the few African American female senior executives at a top U.S. bank.
Moore-Wright’s banking career started as a summer intern just before her senior year at UNC Charlotte. After graduating, a relationship she developed during her internship helped her secure a spot in the leadership development program for BB&T, Truist’s predecessor. She held several positions at BB&T, including retail services officer, market leader, retail credit training manager, community bank and lending group training manager, and director of marketing and digital sales.
The biggest thing she has worked on, she said, was as head of marketing, leading the team that chose the branding, name and logo for Truist.
In 2019, she became Truist’s chief human resources officer and was named to the executive leadership team in 2020.
Last month, she became chief teammate officer and head of enterprise diversity for Truist. In this role, she is responsible for all aspects of human resource management for more than 50,000 employees for the nation's sixth largest bank.
“Where you start isn’t ultimately where you’re going to finish,” she said. “I never would have dreamed of being in this position when I was a student at UNC Charlotte,” she added.
Breaking Barriers
Over her more than 25-year banking career, she has often been the only woman, the only African American or sometimes both in the room, she said.
“I've always looked at it from the perspective of, 'I've got to perform, and I've got to do well because it cannot stop with me,' " she said. "I do not want to be the reason why nobody else that looks like me is able to be in this position and isn't able to move forward. And, you know, in full transparency, there's some weight that comes with that. There is an enormous amount of responsibility that comes with that.”
The event, a conversation with Belk College Dean Jennifer Troyer, also focused on the challenges of navigating through a global pandemic and how organizations can increase the racial and ethnic diversity of their workforce.
Moore-Wright, a member of the Belk College Board of Advisors, is one of three Belk College alumni in Truist’s c-suite. Truist's Dontá Wilson ‘97, chief digital and client experience officer, and Scott Case ‘00 MBA, chief information officer were previous Belk College speakers.
C-Suite Speaker Series, in its sixth year, features alumni and friends of the college in leadership positions who interact with undergraduate and graduate students.
The series is presented by the Niblock Student Center and the Belk College External Relations team.
Green and Gold Drive Business
Established in 1970, UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business is one of the Carolinas’ largest business schools, with nearly 5,000 students, more than 100 full-time faculty, and an alumni network of more than 34,000. Accredited by AACSB International, the college is committed to building strong partnerships in the greater Charlotte region and beyond as North Carolina's urban research business school. Learn more about how the Belk College is driving business at belkcollege.charlotte.edu, and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
