On July 15th,
The center lets the Salt Lake City-based bank's 2,290 tech employees, from cybersecurity experts to application engineers, work from one space instead of 12 buildings scattered across Utah. It also marks another milestone for
Smith became head of
Smith also incorporated robotic process automation to speed up and make more accurate transactions. Automating processes saved 300,000 hours of work for employees charged with processing Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020 and 2021.
Last year, Smith also re-established the role of chief technology officer at Zions, bringing on Brian Timmeny, who had held the same position at Citi.
As the rare woman in both banking and technology, Smith would like to see more diversity in both industries. But she said she has seen some progress during her 27-year career.
"What has changed is that voices are coming out in a meaningful way," she said. "There is a growing recognition about the need for these voices."
Smith launched a diversity pipeline task force in the last year to explore what changes might be needed to recruit new talent to Zions. The task force is taking a fresh look at things like how a job is described to prospective applicants and how the bank is branding itself.
Smith is also incoming chair of the University of Utah's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Advancement Board. Her duties include providing guidance for female students beginning to navigate traditionally male career paths.
