Financial Services >> CEO Interviews >> September 20, 2001
JAY S. SIDHU was named Chairman in April 2002, and has been President
and Chief Executive Officer of Sovereign Bancorp, Inc., and Sovereign
Bank, since 1989. Prior to joining Sovereign in 1986 as Vice Chairman
and Chief Operating Officer, he held management positions at
Independence Bancorp, Inc., Bucks County Bank and Chemical Bank, New
Jersey. Under Mr. Sidhu's stewardship, Sovereign has grown from a local
savings bank with a few hundred million in assets into a $41 billion
super-regional banking institution. Currently, Sovereign is among the 25
largest banking institutions in the country. In January 2002, Sovereign
was named to the Forbes Platinum 400, a prestigious list of 400
companies that the financial magazine considers to 'have the best
balance of long- and short-term financial performance.' Mr. Sidhu has
been recognized as Financial World's CEO of the Year and was a 1996
Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year, Berks Chamber of Commerce Large
Business Leader of the Year, and Caron Foundation's Citizen of the Year.
He has an MBA from Wilkes University and has completed numerous
education development programs, including the Presidents' Course at
Harvard Business School. Mr. Sidhu also serves on several corporate,
educational, and community Boards and has also been a speaker on
Emotional Intelligence and Leadership at several conferences in the
United States and abroad. Active in supporting education, he has helped
his alma mater, Wilkes University, establish the Jay S. Sidhu School of
Business and Leadership with a goal of becoming one of the prominent
business and leadership development schools in the northeastern United
States. Profile
history and fundamentals?
Mr. Sidhu: We are about a $35 billion company, making us among the top
30 banks in the United
