What’s top of mind for you as we head into 2026?

As an industry, educating companies about the ways they need to protect themselves from fraud is one of the best uses of our time in the payments side of the business. Certainly, there are other goals and drivers, but fraud is so prevalent worldwide, and we all need to stack hands together to combat what’s going on. Unfortunately, the victims of fraud are often smaller businesses, middle market companies and non-profits that may not have dual controls or may not think it’s a priority to employ the products banks can provide to help ring-fence their assets.

Which piece of career advice would you like to share?

If you want to move forward in your career, it’s important to be intellectually curious, and think about what different opportunities could potentially lead to. People love to do business with people they like doing business with – and making yourself really well-rounded, and building connections that may not be immediately obvious, can make the magic happen.

What advice would you offer to women starting out in finance?

Women often have an empathetic leadership style that can be different and helpful in specific situations. If you’re going through rough times, or if something new is happening and a lot of change management is needed, that empathy can be a valuable way of making sure everyone comes along for the journey together, and that all voices are heard.

In North Carolina, just over a year ago, a massive hurricane devastated a section of our state and affected a significant portion of our legacy organization. Helping our colleagues and clients through one of the worst weather disasters they would ever experience was one of those moments when people shine.

What is your motto in life or your greatest inspiration?

I don’t know that it’s a motto, but something that’s become a rallying cry within my team is, ‘Be like a giraffe’ – to the point that my office is full of stuffed giraffes that people have given me! What it means to us is to walk with your head tall. We are leaders in the industry. We haven’t always used our voices in the way we should, because by nature our corporate culture is to be kind and a little demure. But now is the time – whether because of the need to mitigate fraud risk, or something else – to stick your neck out a bit and use your voice. If you see something, say something.

Forging a career in banking

Kristen Saranteas describes herself as an “accidental banker.” At university, where she studied international studies and Spanish, a career in banking wasn’t on her radar. “But coming out of college, I was lucky enough to get into a management training program at a bank – it was one of those programs where you rotate between different areas of banking every six months,” she recalls.

“The first rotation they put me in was cash management, and the woman I was supporting went on maternity leave – she didn’t come back, and I never left. So I’ve been in this part of banking for my entire career.

“I started in sales because I loved learning about the companies we were supporting, and the widgets they produced that made our economy tick. Over time, I became a salesperson with bigger territories, then a manager of salespeople, and then the leader of the treasury management teams that I support now.”

Reflecting on her career so far, Kristen warns against being overly cautious when applying for a new challenge. “When women look at a job description, they often read a list of ten requirements, see that they have eight out of ten and think, ‘If only I could just improve on those two other items, I’d be great for that position’ – whereas men often go for the job, even if they’ve only got three or four of those items,” she observes.

“A situation like this happened in my career. I was leading a sales and service organization in a particular area, and the bank I was working for at the time made an acquisition that resulted in a much more impactful opportunity in a larger territory. It took my leader at the time to push me to apply for that job – and that changed the trajectory of my career.

“I moved from Boston to Chicago, leading the Midwest for an entire organization we had just acquired, which not only gave me a lot of confidence but put my name at a level I hadn’t expected within the industry.”

Navigating the Silicon Valley Bank acquisition

While discussing her career so far, one challenge stands out to Kristen as particularly significant. In March 2023, the regional banking crisis, led to concerns in the industry. Silicon Valley Bank was subsequently acquired by First Citizens Bank.

With the regional bank crisis generating and subsequent Silicon Valley Bank acquisition creating significant uncertainty, the situation called for exceptional leadership skills – and for Kristen, this meant focusing first and foremost on the challenges people were facing on a personal level.

“After the acquisition, I worked with leaders around this side of the business and brought them to our headquarters – not just to get to know one another, but to offer them a stabilizing force,” she says.

“You can look at the spreadsheets and the financial results and figure out who’s doing what. But unless you are ready to help people through the situation, and show that you understand what they’ve gone through, you’re not going to get where you need to be.”

Beyond the beaten path

When it comes to building a career in finance, Kristen is a strong proponent of looking beyond the expected path of a particular career trajectory. For example, she points out that volunteering for projects and taskforces can provide opportunities to develop leadership skills and make connections with people.

She also cites the work of Simone Ahuja, co-author of ‘Jugaad Innovation.’ “Jugaad essentially means using what you have to build something incredible – if that’s duct tape, barbed wire and a daisy, how could those things come together to create what you need at that moment in time?”

In the corporate context, Kristen says this means embracing the idea of intrapreneurship, and seeing how pieces within the organization can come together in a way that had not previously been envisioned. “It doesn’t mean having unlimited resources, or the perfect tool, but working with what’s already there. I think that if people can embrace this idea of intrapreneurship, amazing things can happen.”

Finally, when speaking about how women can develop their careers, Kristen emphasizes the importance of authenticity. “I think it’s important that people are able to bring their authentic selves to work,” she says. “Many of the women that had broken through the glass ceiling before me did it by projecting themselves as stern leaders in order to fit in. And luckily, I think that’s no longer necessary. If you’re not authentic, people won’t respond to your leadership in the same way.

“If you’re aspiring to be in a leadership position, it’s so important to be authentic – to your heritage, to who you are – because that’s what will inspire people to hear you and follow you.”

This information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be relied on or interpreted as accounting, financial planning, investment, legal or tax advice. First Citizens Bank (or its affiliates) neither endorses nor guarantees this information and encourages you to consult a professional for advice applicable to your specific situation.