For Western Alliance Bank, Culture Is the ‘Secret Sauce’ (WSJ)

May 11, 2023

The Wall Street Journal and Deloitte sat down with Western Alliance Bank Chief Operating Officer Tim Boothe and Chief Information Officer Jeff Semonovich in early 2023 to do a deep dive into how the bank drives its culture of relentless innovation and high-touch service. 

The answer? In a nutshell, Western Alliance relies on digital technology to enable human-focused innovation within IT and across the organization. 

“Transformation is not just within IT or operations—it’s building a digital-forward mindset across the organization. The business lines can’t be successful today without a strong partnership with IT,” said Boothe. 

The conversation also touches on the bank’s significant investments in foundational technology, including analytics, cybersecurity and product platforms, as well as hiring and retention strategies.

“Our industry is highly regulated, so we must balance our focus on risk management with continuing to cultivate our entrepreneurial culture,” said Semonovich. “Change management, goal setting, and performance management are all important steps toward that end; however, most important is for our leaders to model the behaviors we want to see in our people.”

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About Us

Western Alliance Bank

With more than $70 billion in assets, Western Alliance Bancorporation is one of the country’s top-performing banking companies. Its primary subsidiary, Western Alliance Bank, Member FDIC, offers a full spectrum of tailored commercial banking solutions and consumer products, all delivered with outstanding service by banking and mortgage experts who put customers first. Major accolades include being ranked as a top U.S. bank in 2023 by American Banker and Bank Director and receiving #1 rankings on Institutional Investor's All-America Executive Team Midcap 2023-2024 for Best CEO, Best CFO, Best Company Board of Directors and Best Investor Relations Team. Serving clients across the country wherever business happens, Western Alliance Bank operates individual, full-service banking and financial brands with offices in key markets nationwide.