John Owen, chief operating officer of Regions Financial, will retire in March of 2021.
Owen joined Regions in 2007 as head of operations and technology. In 2009, he was named head of Regions’ consumer services group. He later served two years as head of business lines, including the business services, consumer services, consumer lending and wealth management groups.
In 2014, Owen was chosen to lead the company’s regional banking group and later served as head of enterprise services and consumer banking before being named chief operating officer in 2018. As chief operating officer, Owen guided the bank’s enterprise operations, information technology, data and analytics, corporate real estate and procurement, corporate marketing and digital banking groups as well as company-wide improvement initiatives.
“John is a visionary leader who embraces every opportunity to deliver competitive financial services that meet the needs of today’s customers,” John Turner, CEO and president of Regions, said. “Together with the rest of our executive leadership team, John has helped position Regions for long-term growth and continued innovation. He has been on the front lines for our customers, including working tirelessly this year to support our services for people and communities impacted by COVID-19. We wish John all the best as he retires, and we thank him sincerely for his many years of dedicated service.”
“Over the last several years, our teams at Regions Bank have made significant progress in delivering new tools and services to help our customers reach their financial goals while also positioning our company for continued growth and success,” Owen said. “These accomplishments are not the result of any one individual. Rather, they are the result of a dedicated team of professionals who bring their best on behalf of our clients every day. It has been an honor to serve Regions and its customers over the last 13 years, and I look forward to seeing Regions build on its foundation for success in the years to come.”
Before joining Regions, Owen was CEO of Atlanta-based Assurant Specialty Property. He also served as senior vice president of global systems development for Citicorp Credit Services, chief information officer of North American operations for Arrow Electronics and senior vice president of technology for American Airlines. His career began in the information systems division of McDonnell-Douglas in 1983.
Following his retirement from Regions, Owen’s enterprise operations, information technology and data and analytics responsibilities will be led by Amala Duggirala, chief operations and technology officer at Regions. Duggirala will begin reporting directly to Turner.
Kate Danella, currently head of strategic planning and consumer bank products and origination partnerships, will fill the newly created role of chief strategy and client experience officer. Danella will lead the bank’s strategic planning, digital banking, customer experience, corporate communications, corporate marketing and community affairs divisions. Danella will continue to report to Turner.
Additionally, Dave Keenan, chief human resources officer, will become chief administrative and human resources officer and will lead business groups that include human resources, diversity and inclusion, learning and development, talent acquisition and corporate real estate and procurement. Keenan will continue reporting to Turner.
