Editor in Chief
American Banker
Chana R. Schoenberger is the editor-in-chief of American Banker. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of Financial Planning after joining Arizent in 2020.
In her prior role, she was the managing editor for U.S. wealth management at J.P. Morgan. Before that, she was a columnist and freelance journalist, and previously worked at Bloomberg News, Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. A graduate of Harvard College, she received her master’s degree as part of Columbia Journalism School’s Knight-Bagehot Fellowship
For rising executives, moving into leadership roles with increasing responsibility and influence requires more than executing day-to-day duties. It demands the ability to envision and drive visible, meaningful ideas that lead to business outcomes and/or institutional change. This session outlines the strategic roadmap for turning a strategic business, market or innovation idea into a career-defining promotion. Our panel of prominent executives will deconstruct the mechanics of stress-testing an original idea, how to successfully execute it while also capturing the attention of an executive sponsor who can advocate for your ascension, and steps to leverage your success into a promotion. Our panelists will discuss:
The Genesis of an Idea: How should a rising executive evaluate an idea to ensure it aligns with core corporate KPIs (e.g., efficiency ratios, new revenue streams) rather than just being a “passion project”?
Sponsorship vs. Mentorship: How do you intentionally transition a senior leader from a passive mentor who gives advice into an active sponsor who risks political capital for your advancement?
Securing the Promotion: Once the project succeeds, how do you formally position your leadership of that initiative as the primary business case for your promotion?
In today’s banking environment—defined by rapid regulatory change, AI-enabled operating models, and accelerating digital and on-chain finance—executive presence has become a performance differentiator. It is no longer about visibility, but about the ability to shape decisions, translate complexity into enterprise impact, and create confidence in high-stakes moments.
This panel explores how leaders can accelerate their influence by framing ideas in terms of financial and enterprise outcomes, communicating with precision under pressure, and controlling the narrative in critical executive and regulatory discussions. Panelists will share how they built credibility before reaching senior titles by consistently connecting execution to strategy, leading through ambiguity, and earning trust across risk, technology, and business leadership.
Gain a practical understanding of how executive presence directly drives career acceleration, decision authority, and enterprise impact—and what it takes to operate as a strategic voice in the moments that matter most in modern financial institutions.
As embedded finance reshapes how and where customers access financial services, banks face a defining moment. Should banks aim to power platforms or embed into them? Once the center of the financial relationship, many are now pushed behind the scenes as technology platforms and fintechs own the user experience. This roundtable discussion explores how traditional institutions can evolve with the times—from rethinking partnerships and API readiness to navigating regulation, managing risk, and monetizing embedded opportunities by finding profit in volume and scale and structuring partnership models for sustainable returns.