UBS Wealth Management recently issued the following announcement.

Three UBS executives will be recognized at American Banker's 2018 Most Powerful Women in Finance gala in New York City this evening. UBS retiree Rosemary Berkery will be honored with the special 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. Suni Harford, Head of Investments at UBS Asset Management and Paula Polito, Global Client Strategy Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management (GWM) were named to their 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance list.

Considered one of the industry's most prestigious honors, the annual ranking recognizes the professional achievements and influence of top-performing female executives in banking and financial services. The American Banker rankings are below:

Lifetime Achievement Award: UBS retiree, Rosemary Berkery

Most Powerful Women in Finance, No.14: Suni Harford, Head of Investments, UBS Asset Management

Most Powerful Women in Finance, No.20: Paula Polito, Client Strategy Officer, UBS Global Wealth Management

Throughout her 40 year career, Rosemary Berkery has been an instrumental figure in the banking and finance industry. Rosemary joined UBS in 2010 as Vice Chairman of UBS Wealth Management Americas (WMA) and Chairman & CEO of UBS Bank USA (BUSA). Until her retirement in early 2018, Rosemary oversaw the offering of BUSA's banking and lending capabilities to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients of WMA. She grew the deposit base from approximately $23B to $55B over a five-year period; more than doubled the securities-based loan book; and built both a HNW mortgage business and a credit card business from scratch.

Rosemary is dedicated to philanthropic causes, which focus on the education of underprivileged children and organ transplantation/donation. To that end, she serves on the Board of several not-for-profit organizations that focus on her passionate interests. Most recently, Rosemary was elected to the Board of OPTN/UNOS, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. As an organ recipient of a new heart that gave her a second chance at life, this is a cause especially close to Rosemary's "heart".

Suni Harford is ranked #14 on the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance list. This is the sixth year that Suni has been named to the list. Suni joined UBS Asset Management as Head of Investments in July 2017. She is responsible for over CHF 677 billion of the CHF 819 billion in invested assets under management (as of July 31, 2018), and has been instrumental in driving the division's overall business strategy. Reporting into Suni are UBS AM’s active equities funds and portfolios, active and passive fixed income funds, index and systematic beta (passive equity) funds, multi-asset, tactical asset allocation and one of the oldest hedge funds in the market, UBS O’Connor.

Additionally, Suni is responsible for UBS AM’s Sustainable & Impact Investing programs. Suniis a prominent diversity champion, both in the financial services sector and the wider business community. She is actively involved in UBS's Diversity & Inclusion Committee and a senior sponsor of UBS's women's networking and mentorship organization, All Bar None.

"We are delighted that Suni has been recognized as one of the most influential women in driving positive change in the financial services industry. We are also proud that Suni’s passion for fostering a culture of diversity and excellence has been making a strong impact since she joined UBS Asset Management last year," Ulrich Koerner, President of UBS Asset Management and President UBS Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Underscoring the strength of UBS women leaders, Paula Polito is ranked #20 on the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance list. This is the 4th consecutive year that Paula has been named to the list. On February 1, 2018 Paula was named the Client Strategy Officer of the newly created UBS Global Wealth Management. She was charged with building on a global scale, the model she successfully designed and executed in the US. GWM was formed by the merger of the firm's international and US wealth management businesses. GWM's Global Executive Committee, to which Paula was appointed, now oversees the world's largest wealth manager with around $2.4 trillion in assets.

Paula dedicates much of her time to mentoring the next generation of leaders, particularly women, solidifying her and UBS's commitment to diversity. In addition, she gives back to the community by volunteering during UBS's Season of Service campaign and sitting on a series of boards that support education and women's health, including Harvard Medical School's Division of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which challenges the idea that diseases should be treated the same way across genders.

"Through her long record of achievement and her unique combination of talent, compassion and versatility, Rosemary set a high standard for generations of colleagues. Her incredible dedication and ability to inspire the best in those around her are reflected in leaders like Suni and Paula, who are rightly being recognized for their significant accomplishments at the highest levels of our industry. All three have been tirelessly committed to UBS, our clients and our values - both in and out of the workplace. I'm very proud to congratulate them on behalf of all of our colleagues," said Tom Naratil, Co-President UBS Global Wealth Management and President UBS Americas.

"These UBS honorees are strategic leaders in an era of disruption," said Bonnie McGeer, Executive Editor of American Banker. "Like all of the honorees, they stand out not only for their performance, but in their commitment to helping other women ascend to senior ranks."

The full ranking is available at www.americanbanker.com/women-in-banking.

Methodology:

The American Banker staff review the following information to determine who appears on their annual "Most Powerful Women in Finance" list: an individual's role scope and size; influence at her institution as well as within financial services and the community; innovation; and contributions to the mission of advancing gender balance in senior roles and initiatives related to advancing women in general.

Notes to Editors:

About American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking

American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking program recognizes the professional achievements and influence of top-performing female executives in banking and financial services. The annual program, now in its 16th year, encompasses four lists: the 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking™, the 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, the 25 Women to Watch, and the Top Teams in Banking.

Original source: https://www.ubs.com/global/en/ubs-news/r-news-display-ndp/en-20181004-ubs-executives-honored-american-bankers-most-powerful-women-in-finance.html