Brett Rawls
C-Level Business Strategy & Growth Executive
Results-oriented C-Level Business Strategy and Growth Executive with extensive leadership experience in high-growth financial services organizations. Track record of driving key strategic initiatives, overseeing business operations, improving bottom line, and facilitating change. Background includes start-up, restructure, and M&A environments. Leverage knowledge in key business drivers, culture, talent development, sales, and operations to support strategic decision making. Self-driven with excellent people management, conflict resolution, and communication skills.
Value Proposition
A genuine and inspiring leader with a practical problem-solving approach leading diverse high-performing teams, business development, budgets, planning, and strategy for long-term sustainable infrastructure and maximum ROI. Demonstrate excellence in identifying and streamlining processes and procedures, as well as connecting sales and marketing, operations, and client support with a focus on:
Atlanta, GA
813.230.4917
brettrawls@yahoo.com
Business Development and Sales Growth
Proven results in client relationship acquisition and sales performance, spanning multiple unique business lines and industries. Successful in transforming underperforming business units into profit-driven, high-growth teams.
Entrepreneurial Vision
Successful in multiple start-ups, divisions, and business units, from complete lift-outs and onboarding multiple employees to being assigned as the new leader of smaller teams with designs to expand quickly.
Organization and Culture
Aligning the organization’s core values and mission with sales, operations, and administrative support. Skilled in identifying and placing human capital in the right positions with the tools, training, programs, and accountability to exceed goals.
Team Leadership
Strong cross-functional relationship builder, driving employee engagement, retention, and production, leading to exceptional client experience.
Achievements
Work History
New Jersey-based commercial bank with approximately $56 billion in assets and branches in four states.
National Head of Specialty and Institutional Banking | 2021 – 2023
Appointed as senior management and leadership for cannabis-related business unit and two subsidiaries. Managed 44 personnel spanning multiple geographic markets with internal partnerships in Alabama, California, Illinois, and Texas.
- $1.5 billion in new deposits (500% increase from prior year) and 200% boost in client relationships earned by opening and developing relationships with C-suite and finance managers from variety of firms.
- Grew business portfolio to more than 500 accounts and over $2 million in fee income through new depository accounts, treasury management solutions, and lending accommodations in 26 states.
- Earned recognition as cannabis industry’s 2022 “Top Banking Company” at Payments, Banking, and Compliance (PBC) annual conference based on votes by clients, vendor partners, and compliance professionals.
- Streamlined onboarding from six weeks to two by hiring three new internal support members and partnering with internal control departments to ensure application of policies and procedures tied to regulators and state laws.
- Featured as speaker at conferences and events as cannabis industry banking Subject Matter Expert (SME).
- Appointed to American Bankers Association (ABA) Correspondent Bank Working Group comprised of C-suite leadership from nation’s largest and most influential correspondent banks.
Head of Correspondent Banking | 2020 – 2021
Served as founding senior manager of correspondent solutions group with responsibility for loan sales participation group.
- Spearheaded development of correspondent banking solutions, including money market deposit account and interest rate hedging product, for national partner and respondent financial institutions.
- Established over 30 new financial institution client relationships in eight unique states/markets with client institutions ranging from $500 million to $50 billion in assets.
- $6 million in additional fee income realized through successful placement of loans.
- 100% placement of loans originated with partner institutions achieved by accommodating appropriate risk and balance sheet management and ensuring bank’s capacity to grow loans within approved concentration levels/limits.
Regional commercial bank headquartered in Florida. CenterState Bank merged with SouthState Bank in 2020.
Chief Administrative Officer | 2017 – 2019
Managed all activities for corporate human resources, training and organizational development, culture, recruiting, marketing, and corporate real estate. Supervised five direct and 35 indirect reports. Served as leader for several diverse board and executive committees. Oversaw internal/external communications and public relations. Led corporate culture and talent development initiatives.
- Requested to accept and craft new Chief Administrative Officer role during period of record growth in assets, revenues, talent acquisition, geographic footprint, and M&A activity.
- Developed and led strategies to link customer and employee experience for $16.9 billion organization, over 2,700 employees, 135 branches, and nine correspondent offices.
- Served as integration captain for organization’s two largest acquisitions in company history with over $6 billion in assets and more than 1,000 employees.
- Oversaw $20 million budget improvement, construction, and standardization project focused on driving consistent company image across total of 135 branches.
- Managed $750,000 external billboard and television campaign in several expansion markets.
- Built new training and organizational development department, designed eight training facilities to accommodate expansive footprint of locations and employees, and established new employee development initiatives.
- Achieved “Top Place to Work” designation in prominent markets through initiation of first all-employee survey.
- Created groundbreaking Board-level culture committee focused on driving high employee engagement and satisfaction to achieve an exceptional client experience.
- Led compensation/incentive program restructuring that tied service levels to customer satisfaction ratings.
- Spearheaded corporate tourism program to engage with top organizations inclusive of Chick-fil-A and Disney.
- Selected to speak at multiple banking association events and panels as SME on employee/customer experience.
Director of Correspondent and Treasury Services | 2012 – 2017
Oversaw treasury management, sales/support/operations, merchant services, and Small Business Administration (SBA) lending. Supervised 11 direct and 85 indirect reports.
- $50 million in closed loans achieved within one year through creation of new infrastructure for SBA business line.
- Oversaw commercial client growth from 1,000 to over 20,000 during tenure through significant product offering of online banking solutions, remote deposit capture, positive pay, payroll, and merchant services.
- Created five-member association services department to support specialized sales and service offerings.
Head of Correspondent Division Business Development, Marketing, & Operations | 2009 – 2011
Performed as founding senior manager of bank’s correspondent division in Atlanta.
- Grew revenues from $0 to over $30 million, client base from zero to 600, and offices from one to nine locations by leading establishment of new bank division from scratch.
- Coordinated Bank Management Conference for seven consecutive years with 700 to 1,000 attendees annually.
- Created initial website for division and led multiple updates, including development of online resource center.
Premier correspondent bank in the U.S. that grew to $4 billion in assets and served over 2,200 financial institutions.
Business Development & Region Manager (Atlanta, GA)
Led strategy and execution for all business development, sales, and marketing activities nationally.
- Fostered more than 2,200 client relationships nationwide through business development team efforts.
Regional Market Executive (Tampa, FL)
Led all functional teams for the Florida office and business efforts.
- 80% market share growth achieved in highly competitive Florida correspondent banking market.
- Selected as Chairman of Florida Bankers Association Education Council by Senior VP of Education/Learning.
Additional Experience: Senior Business Development Officer for The Bankers Bank/Silverton Bank and Senior Business Development Officer for Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Education
Bachelor of Science in Management
Certificates in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Economics
Georgia Institute of Technology