Az Business and AZRE magazines announced the publications’ lists of the Most Influential Women in Arizona for 2019 in the July issues of the magazines. Each day, azbigmedia.com is profiling one of the Most Influential Women of 2019.
The Most Influential Women for 2019 will be honored at a dinner and reception that begins at 5:30 p.m. on August 22, 2019 at the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. For tickets or for sponsorship information, email Josh Schimmels or click here for more details.
To buy copies of the Most Influential Women in Arizona issue, click here.
Today’s spotlight: Bridget Cooney
Title: Senior vice president and retail banking group manager, National Bank of Arizona
Cooney oversees 58 branches and more than 400 employees across the state of Arizona. At National Bank of Arizona, Cooney’s branch footprint goes as far east as Round Valley, west as Fort Mohave, north as Page, and as far south as Bisbee. She strives to develop branches into the primary delivery channels for small businesses at NB|AZ by understanding the customer’s needs, working as experts in the bank’s products, and providing a consultative, value-added experience to clients. To implement this strategy, Cooney invests in her employees with training, recognition, and appreciation, proactively measures behaviors to success, and provides excellent customer service to all clients.
Source of pride: “I have been on the board for Dress for Success for over 4 years and currently serve as the secretary. I am so grateful for this opportunity and take tremendous pride in helping the women in our community secure employment. As part of this effort, we also strive to improve their quality of life by providing ongoing job retention support and career development. I have been in banking for over 30 years and I am very passionate about supporting my employees and helping customers find success. It’s the individual success stories that I am most proud of. I also like to make the workplace fun by putting in the effort to make my meetings inspirational and memorable. It is important to work hard, but even more important to have fun while doing what you love!”
The personality trait that helped you succeed: “I would say my commitment and focus has helped me succeed in business. Most importantly, focusing on helping my employees be successful. If they win, I win. I believe as a manager, it is important to be open and honest when giving feedback to help employees. It is also significant to be open to receiving honest feedback and to adapt and evolve as a manager and leader in the business world.”
The personality trait that got you into trouble: “A lot of the time, my biggest challenge in business is in managing my calendar and juggling all the responsibilities and meetings. I have a team that supports me, and we have learned to prioritize meetings and deadlines all while building “me” time into my calendar. This is when I can catch up and utilize my time organizing and planning for the weeks and months ahead. In my younger school days, I was very social. So much so that I would get in trouble for talking in class. Those who know me well are probably not surprised by this.”
Best childhood memory: “My best childhood memory is playing on the girl’s golf team in high school. Our team won the state championship my senior year. I learned how to be a team player, as well as the importance of discipline and commitment. My coach was a woman and she was an amazing role model and mentor to me. I also have fond memories of my Dad coaching me after school and on the weekends, which built up my self-confidence and taught me that hard work can really pay off.”
