Bank of the West Appoints Hope Mehlman as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Mehlman will also serve as Corporate Secretary of BNP Paribas USA Inc.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of the West, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, today announced the appointment of Hope Mehlman as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, as well as Corporate Secretary of BNP Paribas USA Inc, the holding company that oversees its retail and wholesale banking activities. She will lead Bank of the West's legal activities, regulatory relations and government affairs functions and serve as a member of the Bank's Executive Management Committee. As an integral part of the BNP Paribas Americas legal team, Mehlman will work closely with BNP Paribas Group legal teams. She will also serve as a member of the BNP Paribas USA Executive Management Committee.
Mehlman will succeed Vanessa Washington who will retire from the Bank at the end of the month after 14 impactful years.
"Hope will take on the critical role of designing and executing the Bank's legal and regulatory strategy in line with our business goals, while fostering a culture of risk awareness and accountability," said Nandita Bakhshi, President and CEO at Bank of the West. "I am thrilled to welcome her to Bank of the West."
A veteran in the financial services industry, Mehlman joins Bank of the West from Regions Financial Corporation. During her 14 years at Regions, she held significant and wide-ranging roles most recently as EVP, Corporate Secretary, Chief Governance Officer and Deputy General Counsel. She has led teams who specialized in corporate governance; securities law; Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, reporting, and disclosures; legal and regulatory compliance; employee benefits; and intellectual property portfolio management and related litigation. Prior to Regions, Mehlman was a partner in a private practice focused on a full range of corporate governance, regulatory, compliance, and other issues affecting financial institutions' operations.
"Hope's expertise in both private practice and financial services will serve her well in this position, and she will play an important role in continuing the strong collaboration between Bank of the West and BNP Paribas," said Peter Cooke, Managing Director, Americas General Counsel, BNP Paribas.
Mehlman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, a juris doctor degree from Seton Hall University Law School and a LL. M. from NYU Graduate School of Law.
About Bank of the West
At Bank of the West, we know money deposited in a bank has the power to finance positive change. So we are taking action to ensure our activities help protect the planet, improve people's lives, and strengthen communities. We are redefining banking for a better future by focusing on areas where we believe we can have a real impact: supporting energy transition, helping enable women entrepreneurs, and financing innovative start-ups. As the bank for a changing world, Bank of the West is committed to sustainable finance along with our parent company BNP Paribas. Through Digital Channels and offices across the U.S., Bank of the West provides financial tools and resources to more than 2 million individuals, families and businesses.
© 2020 Bank of the West. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. Doing business in South Dakota as Bank of the West California.
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