Wells Fargo announced that 21-year company veteran Kristin Lesher will lead Middle Market Banking, effective immediately. She reports to Kyle Hranicky, CEO of Wells Fargo Commercial Banking.
An industry leader in serving middle market companies, Wells Fargo provides financial solutions and specialized expertise across industries including agribusiness, food and hospitality, healthcare, investor real estate, government banking and technology. Serving clients with annual sales typically ranging from $5 million to $2 billion, the business operates in three regions across the U.S., including East, Central, and West. Lesher most recently served as head of the East region.
“Middle Market Banking is a key business and critical growth engine for Commercial Banking,” said Hranicky. “As we continue to invest in and strengthen Middle Market Banking, I’m confident Kristin is the right leader to move our business forward. She has extensive industry and leadership experience and a proven track record of building strong client relationships, leading highly successful teams, and driving growth.”
As head of the East region since 2018, Lesher led Middle Market Banking operations across 19 states — including Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — as well as the District of Columbia and Eastern Canada.
Since joining Wells Fargo in 2000, Lesher has served in key leadership roles across the company. She was the co-head of Investment Banking Coverage at Wells Fargo Securities, where she was responsible for managing corporate client relationships across a broad range of industry specialty groups. Before that role, Lesher led Regional Investment Banking for Wells Fargo Securities and held several senior positions in Wells Fargo’s Treasury and Corporate Development Groups, as well as in Mergers and Acquisitions.
Lesher has a B.A. from Duke University, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar. An active member in her community, she is a former Board Chair and current Board member of Girls on the Run International.