Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) Why CIOs Make Great CEOs: Saul Van Beurden’s Leadership Playbook
Nov 3, 2025
Saul Van Beurden, the CEO of Consumer, Small, and Business Banking at Wells Fargo, previously held CIO roles at JPMorgan Chase. He explores how his tech leadership experience prepared him for his current role, emphasizing the importance of translating technology into enterprise-wide strategy. Topics include leveraging AI for operational efficiency, enhancing customer experiences post-pandemic, and implementing neurodiversity hiring, which boosts productivity while fostering an inclusive workplace. Saul also shares insights on continuous learning and future tech innovations.
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Wells Fargo’s Scale And Scope
- Wells Fargo is a large, primarily US-focused bank with broad consumer and corporate lines serving tens of millions of customers.
- The bank generates roughly $80–85B revenue and employs ~210,000 people across branches, digital, and contact centers.
Remediation Enabled A New Growth Phase
- After 2016 regulatory failures the bank prioritized fixing risk, controls, and sales practices across consumer operations.
- With those remediation efforts largely complete, Wells Fargo now has room to pursue broad organic growth again.
Integrated Control Of Channels And Data
- Saul leads consumer, small, and business banking including 4,000 branches, mobile, contact centers, products, payments, marketing, and AI/data.
- His remit centrally owns data and AI for consumer-facing services, enabling integrated digital and branch experiences.
