Three decades as a change agent focused on transforming the financial services industry has led Ather Williams III to his role today as Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy, Digital, Innovation & Enterprise Payments and a member of Wells Fargo's Operating Committee.
Ather leads a team of talented professionals who work across Wells Fargo's businesses, capabilities and functions to build strategic plans, drive digital transformation, and deliver a roadmap to serve customers in an innovative way.
He oversees Global Treasury Management (GTM), which provides a comprehensive suite of payment and liquidity services, primarily to Wells Fargo's Commercial and Corporate & Investment Banking clients.
From Harvard Business School to jobs as a consultant, a financial analyst for Walt Disney Co., a Silicon Valley executive, and a series of executive roles with large U.S. banks, intellectual curiosity and the opportunity to build something from the ground up drives Ather's career.
Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Ather spent nearly a decade at Bank of America, first as Head of Global Transaction Services, an $8B+ business that delivers traditional, mobile and digital working capital management solutions to multinational corporations and financial institutions globally. Most recently, he was President of Business Banking, which provides strategic advice and solutions to 30,000+ small and mid-sized U.S. companies across more than 150 cities. Before that, Ather spent eight years in leadership roles at JPMorgan Chase where he was responsible for business strategies, products, and technology solutions in Treasury & Securities Services.
Recognition:
- 2023 Forbes CIO Next List, a list of the 50 top tech leaders who are leveraging innovation to transform their companies.
- Recognized in the 2023–2024 Business Transformation 150 list which includes leaders who are paving new paths for digital transformation.
- 2022 Forbes CEO Next List, a list of 50 contenders who are poised to be the next leaders of America's largest companies.
- Featured in the first-ever 2022 Crain's New York Business' Diverse Leaders in Banking and Finance list.
- Recognized in the Financial Times 2021 Agenda Diversity 100 list.
- Named to EMpower's 2019 Top Ethnic Minority Executive Role Models and Diversity MBA Magazine's "Top 100 Executive Leaders under 50."
Ather is a Member of the Board of Directors of Blue Shield of California and of the Board of Directors for the Wells Fargo Foundation. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent membership organization for the development of global Black leaders.
Ather is the Executive Sponsor of the Wells Fargo Patent Executive Group and Co-Executive Sponsor of the Wells Fargo Black & African American Connection (B&AAC) Employee Resource Network.