Bank of the West Taps TD's Nandita Bakhshi as Next CEO

Bank of the West in San Francisco announced Wednesday that it has named TD Bank executive Nandita Bakhshi as its next president and chief executive.

The $75.7 billion-asset unit of the French banking giant BNP Paribas also announced that outgoing CEO Michael Shepherd will take on a new role as chairman of BNP Paribas USA, a newly created holding company for all of BNP Paribas' U.S. subsidiaries. Shepherd, 60, will retain his role as chairman of Bank of the West.

Bakhshi will join Bank of West as president- and CEO-designate on April 1 and take over the roles officially on June 1, when Shepherd transitions to his new post.

"We are pleased to welcome Nandita Bakhshi to Bank of the West. Her extensive experience in product and distribution, coupled with her visionary thinking, relentless customer focus and values-driven philosophy will serve us well in taking Bank of the West to greater heights," Stefaan Decraene, head of international retail banking for BNP Paribas, said in a press release.

Bakhshi has held several top positions at TD Bank, most recently serving as executive vice president and head of North American direct channels. Before that she had been head of consumer banking in the U.S., overseeing a network of more than 1,300 branches stretching from Maine to Florida. In her 28-year banking career, Bakhshi has also held top posts at Washington Mutual Bank, FleetBoston and First Data.

In 2015, Bakhshi was named as one of American Banker's 25 Women to Watch.

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