Liz Wolverton has been with Columbus, Georgia-based Synovus since 2003, starting at the bank as director of accounting and financial analysis. In December 2021, after filling various roles including chief strategy officer and executive vice president, Wolverton was tapped to lead the consumer bank. In this position, she added oversight of the branch network, consumer banking products and services, and mass affluent strategy and execution to the digital, marketing and analytics responsibilities she already had.
"I truly believe I get the chance to shape some of the most dynamic areas of our banking model," she said.
Among her accomplishments over the past year has been leading her team to develop a new brand strategy, including the "Get There" tagline that she said represents "a progressive bank – a bank in motion – and a team with the tenacity to help customers uncover and reach their full potential."
Outside of the bank, Wolverton maintains leadership roles on the Make a Wish Georgia board of directors and the advisory board of the REACH Georgia Foundation, a mentorship and college scholarship program.
Before joining Synovus, Wolverton was finance director for Greenville, South Carolina-based Centerplate Management. She began her career in the assurance and advisory business of Ernst & Young.
Looking back on her career and the progress of women in the industry that she has observed, Wolverton said that, while things have come a long way, women are still significantly underrepresented in banking and financial services. "This includes work still to be done in traditional banks, regulatory leadership, and bank investment groups," she noted.
Yet, she said, over the past 20 years, there has been a meaningful pivot. "We stopped trying to teach women how to fit in," she said. "Instead, we started working on helping cultures adapt and embrace female leadership. That is what feels enormously different – and encouraging – to me."
