ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amanda M. Wallis has been elected to the Board of Directors of First Banks, Inc., the holding company of First Bank.
“We are excited about welcoming Amanda to our leadership team,” said Michael J. Dierberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of First Banks, Inc. “She is an accomplished, dynamic financial executive with an impressive track record in the United States and across the globe. Amanda’s expertise will be invaluable as we further advance our strategic initiatives in all the markets we serve.”
Wallis pointed to three factors that attracted her to First Bank: The bank’s great tradition of client service, unique legacy, and the Dierberg family’s 100-plus years of ownership.
“Few banks and organizations can match those attributes, and full credit goes to the Dierberg family and their leadership team,” said Wallis. “They draw upon the strength of the past but are always looking to the future. I look forward to joining First Bank and leveraging my expertise in the challenges ahead.”
Wallis previously served as Managing Director and the most senior executive at U.S. Trust based in San Francisco. A subsidiary of Bank of America, U.S. Trust is the largest wealth manager in the United States.
For three consecutive years (2010, 2011, 2012), she was voted one of The Most Influential Women in Bay Area business by the San Francisco Business Times. The Times recently awarded Wallis the “Forever Influential” title.
Prior to joining U.S. Trust, Wallis spent nine years in London as the Europe, Middle East and African Region Head for the American Express Private Bank. In this capacity, she was responsible for the strategic leadership and management of a wealth management business with seven international locations.
Before American Express, Wallis spent 13 years at Bank of America in a variety of senior positions. During that time, she supervised the merger of the Security Pacific Private Bank into Bank of America.
Wallis served for nine years as the Director of the American Express Bank, Switzerland, SA, and the American Express Bank Trust Company in Guernsey, Channel Islands.
She has also been named one of the 20 Most Influential Women in European Wealth Management and one of the UK’s 50 most significant asset managers for the Super-affluent and High Net Worth Individuals by Spear’s Wealth Management Survey.
First Bank (firstbanks.com) is one of the largest privately owned banks in the country with over $6.1 billion in assets and over 100 locations in Missouri, Illinois and California.
