Cathy Bessant has consistently ranked as one of the most powerful women in business. She spent decades as one of the top executives in the banking industry, while simultaneously being a fierce advocate, philanthropist, community leader, and wife and mother.
After nearly four decades at Bank of America, Bessant realized her working days weren’t over yet: She retired from the bank, and promptly accepted the role as the new president and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas.
“The key to a great transition is respecting the past or, if you were a part of the past, then respect the people who carried you,” Bessant said.
Now, nearly three months into her new gig, Bessant sat on a stool in the front of a standing-room only crowd, and let everyone in on a secret:
“I am not fearless; I am brave,” Bessant said.
Bessant spoke with honesty and vulnerability while headlining the ever-popular, Charlotte Regional Business Alliance signature event, Power of Women. The event is part of a series of networking opportunities designed to engage, inform, inspire, and connect professional women in the Charlotte Region.
Over the course of the hour-long conversation, Bessant opened up about a variety of topics: organizational leadership, philanthropy, advancements in innovation and AI, challenges in her career, health scares, the balancing act of working parent life, and the importance of advocacy and women empowerment.
“We have to be super serious about the accountability we have to advance other women,” Bessant said. “Pay attention to the double standards.…They persist and exist.”
Along her professional journey, Bessant has been a shepherd of sorts – guiding curiosity, innovation, people.
“I wasn’t always comfortable doing that,” she said. “I wasn’t comfortable being the advocate or pushing others into a role, because I wanted to protect where I was and where I had gotten.”
But there’s no substitute for performance, Bessant told the audience. An undeniable track record of impeccable performance opened doors for Bessant along the way, and created opportunities for her to do the same for others.
And while her new role at Foundation For The Carolinas “tests every skill” she has, Bessant has taken on the challenge with gusto. Not surprising for the woman who has been battle tested from her climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to her fight against breast cancer. Bessant has spent her life navigating the line between fear and courage.
“I have never shied away from taking things on that are outside of my comfort zone,” she said. “I have to create opportunities to get out of my comfort zone. I see the fear and I know I have it, but with work and preparation, I can take it on.”
