MUFG Union Bank's Wendy Breuder Named One of American Banker Magazine's "25 Women to Watch"

MUFG Union Bank, N.A., today announced that Managing Director Wendy Breuder has been named among American Banker Magazine’s “25 Women to Watch” for her role as co-general manager and head of Midwest general industries for its U.S. Corporate Banking Division. She is based in Chicago.

“We’re extremely proud and honored that American Banker Magazine has recognized Wendy’s outstanding achievements,” said Kevin Cronin, head of U.S. corporate banking for MUFG Union Bank. “As the first woman to hold this position within the Americas, Wendy has set a new standard of excellence within her group and bank-wide. She is not only a role model for women, but for everyone in corporate banking.”

As one of the highest-ranking women within the bank, Breuder leads the general industries Midwest team in client relationship management, expense management, prospect conversion and Midwest market strategy. Her role includes managing relationships for more than 140 large corporate clients, each with revenues in excess of $2 billion. Breuder also facilitates new business opportunities for large multi-national clients who are interested in developing relationships with the bank’s international network to grow their business in the Asia region.

An advocate of gender balance, nearly half of Breuder’s staff is comprised of women. The success of her group has prompted the bank to explore the effect of gender diversity on overall team performance as a means of shaping future strategies, added Cronin.

“We congratulate Wendy for her designation as one of American Banker’s 25 Women to Watch,” said the American Banker Magazine Executive Editor Bonnie McGeer. “She possesses the skills and enthusiasm that the industry is eager to watch.”

Breuder joined the bank in 2011 to run the corporate banking business in the Midwest. She was promoted to co-general manager in 2012 after exceeding revenue growth goals in less than a third of the mandated time.

Previously, Breuder was co-head of U.S. client coverage at BNP Paribas. There, she focused on financing U.S. multinationals in over 85 countries to support the various growth targets of the corporations. BNP Paribas became a top five bank and one of the most important and influential international banks to most Fortune 500 clients during her tenure.

Breuder was also the head of investment grade securities origination at Banc One Capital Markets, Inc. Under her leadership, the investment grade securities origination team obtained a debt capital markets U.S. top-ten league table bookrunner ranking in only 24 months.

Breuder received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Breuder holds Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) series 24, 63 and 79 licenses and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. Active in the community, she serves on the board of directors for the Japan America Society of Chicago and on the business council for the Art Institute of Chicago. She resides in Barrington, Ill.

Breuder is joined on American Banker’s “25 Women to Watch” list by MUFG Union Bank Executive Vice President Bita Ardalan. Based in Woodland Hills, Calif., Ardalan is head of the Commercial Banking Group for the Western Markets.

The “25 Women to Watch” list includes both emerging female talent in banking and industry veterans who have taken on new roles within the past year. All of this year’s honorees will be celebrated at an October 9 dinner and awards ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, hosted by American Banker Magazine and parent company SourceMedia.

The 12th annual ranking is published at http://www.americanbanker.com/women-in-banking and is featured in the October issue of American Banker.

About MUFG Union Bank, N.A.
MUFG Union Bank, N.A., is a full-service bank with offices across the United States. We provide a wide spectrum of corporate, commercial, retail banking and wealth management solutions to meet the needs of customers. The bank also offers an extensive portfolio of value-added solutions for customers, including investment banking, personal trust, capital markets, global treasury management, transaction banking and other services. With assets of $108.8 billion (USD), as of June 30, 2014, the bank has strong capital reserves, credit ratings and capital ratios relative to peer banks. MUFG Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE: MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations with total assets of approximately ¥259 trillion (JPY) or $2.5 trillion (USD)1, as of June 30, 2014. MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation, the financial holding company and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. have corporate headquarters in New York City.

1 Exchange rate of USD=¥101.36 (J-GAAP) as of June 30, 2014