Ellen Patterson will join Wells Fargo as its senior executive vice president and general counsel, effective March 23, 2020. Reporting to CEO Charlie Scharf, Patterson will be responsible for all legal affairs at the company and will serve on the company’s operating committee.
“Ellen is a seasoned lawyer with extensive experience in the financial services industry, where she has had responsibilities for managing and advising on global legal and regulatory compliance risks,” Scharf said. “She will play a critical leadership role on our Operating Committee as we continue to work on our company’s top priority of meeting regulatory expectations.”
Patterson joins Wells Fargo after more than seven years at TD Bank Group, where she most recently served as group head and general counsel responsible for leading the bank’s global legal, compliance, anti-money laundering, corporate secretary, global security and investigations, and fraud risk Management teams. Earlier, she served as general counsel for TD Bank’s U.S. banking operations. For the past two years, she has chaired TD Bank’s global Women in Leadership program. She has been recognized as one of 25 “Women to Watch” by American Banker in each of the past four years.
Prior to joining TD Bank, Patterson was a partner at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where she focused on advising financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance matters.
“I am excited to join Wells Fargo during a transformational time in the company’s history,” Patterson said. “I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the company to shape the culture, help businesses innovate, and produce the best outcomes for the customers and communities Wells Fargo serves.”
