Vanessa Hampton says her primary goal, along with her team at Truist, has always been to put client and community first. During the pandemic, that was amplified and expanded. “Our team came together to support our clients and each other,” she says. “I feel like our clients saw it before, but maybe now, with everything everyone has gone through, it’s more visible.”
Hampton, who will celebrate 20 years in banking in August, works with large nonprofits, primarily those focusing on health care and education. Many of her clients successfully sought assistance from the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program.
“Seeing my nonprofit clients’ resiliency through the pandemic was incredible,” she says, adding that time and effort was required from everyone. “There were a lot of consultative conversations around applying: what the program looks like, how the program is beneficial to them.”
Hampton also added a new role: leading Truist’s Women’s History Month steering committee, which created 20 virtual company events. “Most of my day-to-day is with clients and business leaders; this gave me the opportunity to work with outstanding women leaders throughout the company.”
At home, Hampton and her husband and daughter each claimed their own space to remain focused, taking daily family walks, an essential break to maintain her own energy and resilience.
“I’m a leader, mother and wife,” she says. “We tend to put ourselves on the back burner; even taking 30 minutes to go outside and enjoy the outdoors is an important reset.”
