Tag Archive for: client-centered

Charlotte Weir: Head of Corporate Banking, EMEA at Wells Fargo

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Charlotte Weir“Leadership isn’t about directing from the sidelines,” says Charlotte Weir. “It’s about standing shoulder to shoulder with your team, celebrating success together and, when things don’t go to plan, being the first to own it.”

In a career spanning nearly three decades, Weir has operated by a consistent set of principles: be genuine, be present, and invest in people for the long term. It’s a philosophy that has defined her career, whether she is building client relationships lasting over 25 years, mentoring junior colleagues, or being candid with her team about the demands of balancing life and work.

Do What You Enjoy

“My philosophy is to do things you enjoy,” says Weir in explaining how she made her way to a career in finance. At first that meant a chemistry degree, pursued simply because she loved the subject. But once she graduated, she realized that she needed to find something that matched her energy.

“I’ve always been a high-intensity, competitive person,” she explains. “I wanted to be in an environment that was buzzy, fast-paced, and pushed me.” A recruitment firm landed her on a trading floor at Bear Stearns in London, where “the speed, the pace, being on the trading floor, it really excited me.”

What drew Weir specifically into debt capital markets wasn’t the products, but the relationships. “It’s about building relationships with clients while being very strong in your subject matter,” she notes, “building that trust so clients come back to you time and time again.”

After Bear Stearns, nearly two decades at Barclays followed, building seniority across UK, Northern European, and EMEA corporate teams. But the pandemic prompted a change of course.

“I had this moment where I thought, am I really doing what I want to be doing?” Weir recalls. “I was looking for a challenge. I was looking for the next opportunity to stretch myself.”

The challenge of building Wells Fargo’s corporate banking franchise in EMEA was the catalyst for Weir to make the move and step into a leadership role at Wells Fargo, with a team of about 50 people across London, Dublin and Frankfurt and a mandate to grow the business.

“My DCM background is still part of my DNA, but this role has challenged me to broaden my expertise, think more strategically, and help shape a team capable of taking the franchise to its next phase of growth across EMEA.”

Integrity and Showing Up

A defining feature of Weir’s leadership is integrity: doing what you committed to and not asking of others what you wouldn’t ask of yourself. That principle becomes most visible when things don’t go to plan. When a deal goes in the wrong direction, she doesn’t wait for someone else to manage the fallout.

“I am first on the phone to the client. I’m as much a part of the success as when things don’t go right.”

Rather than viewing those moments as setbacks, Weir sees them as some of the most powerful opportunities for growth.

“You learn so much more when things go wrong. It feels terrible in the moment, but you come out with lessons learned and much stronger.”

That same commitment to honesty and accountability carries through to how she shows up with her team internally. As the mother of 18-year-old triplets, Weir believes in being transparent about the realities of balancing work and family.

“I expect the team to work hard but it’s better if people know that home needs to come first sometimes,” she says. “Modeling that behavior helps other people realize it’s okay too. And that can change how they feel about work, because they know that there is flexibility there.”

Relationships and the Long Game

A defining thread in Weir’s career is her commitment to investing in relationships, especially when it comes to her clients.

“Some of my clients I’ve covered for 25 years. That creates an incredibly strong bond.”

That bond, she says, is what allows her to have conversations that go beyond the transactional and it means clients keep coming back, whether through market cycles or personnel changes.

Weir’s emphasis on relationships also shapes how she has approached mentorship and sponsorship. Rather than waiting to be noticed, she has consistently sought out senior leaders whose values resonated with her own, and asked directly for their guidance. At the same time, she is clear that while mentors and sponsors can open doors, it is equally important to learn how to advocate for yourself.

“While others may advocate for you, you also need to learn how to advocate for yourself, and it has to be done in a natural way, that feels like you.” For Weir, that meant connecting with senior leaders, often one or two levels above her direct manager, so that her contributions were visible beyond her immediate team.

“It’s about finding opportunities to help people recognize and realize what you’ve been involved in, what you’re doing, and how you’re driving the business forward. And doing it in a way that feels authentic to you.”

The mistake Weir made early on was assuming strong work would speak for itself. “There’s a mentality of put your head down, do your job really well, and you’ll get promoted. That’s not always the case.” Relationships, she learned, are not only how you serve clients, but also how you build and sustain a career.

Planting Seeds

Having entered the industry when she was, in her own words, “one of very few women,” Weir now channels that same long-term thinking into ensuring the next generation has an easier path. She is consistently involved in Wells Fargo’s campus recruiting and helped launch Treasurers and Bankers of Tomorrow, a Wells Fargo forum connecting junior bankers with junior finance professionals on the client side. The goal is simple: build authentic relationships long before anyone is in a position to do a deal.

“So much of my career comes back to relationships. If we can help our teams foster those connections early on, they’ll carry them throughout their careers.”

Switching Off

Outside the office, Weir stays active year-round through running, skiing, and paddleboarding. Running often becomes thinking time, while skiing offers something entirely different.

“It’s one of the only times when I can truly switch my brain off and enjoy being active in beautiful scenery.”

It’s fitting for a leader who believes in showing up fully: for her clients, her team, and herself. Knowing when to step back and recharge is what allows Weir to step forward when it matters most.

By Jessica Robaire

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Alexandra Barth: Co-Head of Leveraged Finance, Wells Fargo

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Alexandra Barth“After 25 years at one company, making a change can feel daunting,” says Alexandra Barth. “You know the people, the processes, and the rhythm of the work, it’s familiar and comfortable. But when the opportunity at Wells Fargo came along, it was so compelling that I knew it was the right moment to embrace a new challenge.”

After more than two decades at Deutsche Bank, rising from analyst to group head and becoming a trusted voice in leveraged finance, Barth was ready to trade comfort for possibility. Wells Fargo offered not just a new role but a new environment, one defined by ambition, energy, and a leadership team committed to building something world-class. For Barth, it was the right moment to make a change.

Today, as co-Head of Leveraged Finance, Barth’s work centers on building a market-leading leveraged finance franchise inside a platform that is already well-known, well-capitalized, and hungry to grow. “The firm has assembled some of the best people in the market into an established franchise that’s looking to become a true market leader,” she says. “It’s as entrepreneurial as you can be inside an investment bank, and that combination is exciting.”

Barth is drawn in not only by the business potential at Wells Fargo, but the culture, one where senior leaders regularly roll up their sleeves, model curiosity, and make themselves accessible.

“The senior management here is committed to making this not just a world-class, top-tier investment bank, but also interactive…It’s an inspirational culture. It’s not just senior leaders dictating from above or only connecting with you when something is needed” After 26 years in the industry, Barth describes the culture simply: “It’s been reinvigorating to be here.”

Barth’s path into finance had unconventional beginnings: she majored in government with an art history minor at Dartmouth. Originally considering a legal career, early law internships changed her mind, and after taking her brother up on a suggestion to try a 2-year analyst position at an investment bank, gain great experience, and reassess after that, she ended up finding that banking was where she wanted to be. As an analyst, she discovered how much she loved the pace, the problem-solving, and the client work that became foundational to her career.

Words of Wisdom: Focus on the Client and Use Your Voice

Barth credits an early mentor for helping shape her leadership philosophy, setting two expectations that she still carries: always focus on the client, and always use your voice. “The priority was to really listen to the client—what they’re saying, what they need—and not just present what you think will sound good or what’s best for the bank,” she recalls.

Equally important was the expectation that even the most junior person should contribute. “If you’re in a meeting or on a call, even as a junior person, you should be using your voice and bringing something to the table that is thoughtful and adds value.”

It is a lesson Barth incorporates into building her team’s culture. She wants her team thinking critically, independently, and confidently, not just processing.

“Banking can be very process-oriented for junior people,” she notes. “We want a culture at Wells Fargo where you take time to think about what you’re working on, ask questions, understand why you’re doing it. If you’re on a client call or a senior-level committee call, you should be contributing.”

To strengthen that culture of inquiry, Barth brings in external speakers, including investors, economists, and credit strategists, to give the Leveraged Finance team space to stretch intellectually. “We want people thinking critically,” she explains. “If something about a company or a credit doesn’t make sense, or you have a question, be proactive and ask.”

Even the physical layout of the office reinforces this ethos.

“It’s intentionally non-hierarchical. Analysts and associates sit around me. I have a managing director and a second-year analyst next to each other. People walk up and talk to whoever they need to. It’s very interactive, and I think that makes a difference.”

Honesty, Transparency, and Directness Fosters Client Trust

Barth’s track record with clients, often spanning decades and tens of billions in capital raised, rests on a simple principle: honesty.

“Being honest with clients about what you think is the best answer or solution for them—even when it isn’t necessarily most advantageous for you or your firm—has been core to my career.”

Barth’s approach is both candid and relentless. “You have to ask to lead things and be direct. Most importantly, you have to show why you deserve to win,” she explains. That means being deeply knowledgeable about the market, offering creative structures, and making clear that she and her team will be tireless advocates for clients.

Barth knows the business is complicated, and mistakes happen. What matters, she says, is how you handle them.

“The first thing you do after a mistake is what matters most. How you manage it, how you communicate, and how you teach your team to navigate it.”

Clients respond to her consistency and her clarity. Barth earns trust at the CEO and CFO level not because she tells them what they want to hear, but because she tells them what she believes is achievable and then delivers the results.

“I think the ability to back up what I say with the outcome has been one of the biggest drivers of my success,” she says. “That relationship of trust is what matters most.”

Building a Market-Leading Franchise and a Lasting Legacy

Barth sees extraordinary potential at Wells Fargo. “I think in almost every product in investment banking, Wells can be a market leader,” she says. Her goal is straightforward: to help build a platform that is viewed as a top five investment bank, across products and across markets.

As much of a priority is the experience of the people on her team. Whether they stay in leveraged finance long-term or go on to other roles, Barth wants their time on her team and at Wells Fargo to be meaningful. “At my prior firm, I’m still in touch with many of the former junior people, and they tell me their experience was a pillar of their success,” she says. “That’s what I want to create here.”

A Working Mother Who Still Makes Room for Art

Balancing a demanding role with family is no small undertaking, but Barth credits her career with teaching her how to prioritize.

“In banking, you always have ten things happening at once that you can’t possibly do at the same time. You learn to prioritize what’s most important and give it your full attention.”

Outside work, she reconnects with the passion she discovered years ago as an art history student, visiting museums whenever she can in New York and beyond while bringing her eight- and eleven-year-old children with her. “I try to teach them as much as I can about art and art history,” she says, a reminder that even amid a full career, there’s always room to nurture curiosity and creativity.

Barth aims to create that same sense of value and possibility for her team.

“I grew up in a group where every voice mattered, even junior analysts’. Now, after 26 years, that’s exactly the culture I want to create, where the smartest person on the team, no matter their title, feels empowered to speak up and knows their perspective is valued.”

By Jessica Robaire

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