Women’s History Month has been observed every March since 1987. The purpose of this annual celebration is to highlight women’s contributions to American history. At Cogent Bank, we wanted to highlight two of our female leaders this March. Cathy Swanson and Jackie McIntosh are Market Presidents for Pinellas County, with Cathy focused on St. Petersburg and the Southern part of the county and Jackie on the Clearwater/Belleair Market in the Northern part of the county. Both bring years of experience to their current roles, and in this wide-ranging conversation, they share insights on women in banking, offer advice to younger women who want to go into the field, and more.

Tell us about your educational background and how you got into banking.

Cathy:

I’m originally from Tulsa, OK, and attended the University of Tulsa, earning a B.S. in Communications. After college, I started my banking career in Tulsa as an administrative assistant. When I moved to Florida in 1980, I started working for my first community bank–the Bank of Florida in St. Petersburg. I worked there for four years and then went to United Bank, another local community bank. I really got my banking bones there, working in HR and Marketing before moving into a Commercial Banking spot. By the mid-1990s, I was a senior commercial lender at United Bank. In the early 2000s, I moved into credit just before the Great Recession. I gained a lot of good experience from working in credit during that challenging time. 

After United was bought by Synovus, I stayed in credit and eventually became the regional credit officer for Florida. In 2012, I wanted to return to a customer-facing role, so I moved to Freedom Bank and became President/CEO. In 2020, we were bought by Seacoast Bank, and I retired after my two-year contract because I’m a small bank person at heart. My retirement lasted for 10 months before I joined Cogent as EVP, Market President – Pinellas County to help establish a market in St. Petersburg.

That brings us to today, as I’m trying to find a location for our new branch in St. Petersburg, hire a team, and move customers into the Cogent world. The real estate market in St. Pete is kind of tricky right now–it’s really booming, and prices are ridiculous. I have a specific geographic area that I want to be in and a “right place” in mind, with parking and signage to give Cogent the most visibility. A lot of people in this market haven’t heard of Cogent, so we need a location with maximum visibility. People may not go into the bank as much as they used to, but psychologically that brick and mortar means something. 

Jackie:

I’m originally from New Jersey and relocated to Florida after graduating from the University of South Florida, Tampa, with a B.S. in Accounting and Finance. After doing an internship with a large power plant, I decided to go into Finance. I got my first job in banking over 25 years ago, starting in commercial lending and credit. I worked for two start-up banks and ran Commercial Lending for banks. I joined Cogent in 2019 as EVP-Market President for Tampa/St. Petersburg.

Are there any specific challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the banking industry? 

Both Cathy and Jackie noted that there aren’t many women in Commercial Lending, both when they started and now.  

Cathy:

I can remember going to Commercial Lending School and being one of two women in the class. However, I never felt like I was held back. There were times someone would say something to me, and I’d think “you’d never say that to a man,” but I never felt like anyone held me back because I was a woman.

I was married and then divorced, with two children. As I was building my career, I was also raising my daughters. I never felt like I had to put my job over my family. I felt like people trusted me. Of course, it wasn’t always easy; I would work long hours, sometimes looking at credit approvals after putting my kids to bed. Today, my daughters live in St. Petersburg and I have three grandchildren I enjoy spending time with.

Jackie:

Unfortunately, there weren’t many women in Commercial Lending when I started and that is still true today. Most women in banking are on the retail side.

What advice would you give to younger women who want to advance in the financial industry?

Cathy:

I did work hard, but it’s also about building relationships with mentors, people who believe in you and want to give you an opportunity. You also must trust people, that they will do the right thing.

Jackie: 

I think education and exposure are very important and often the gap that prevents women from advancing and getting into things like Commercial Lending. Accounting and Finance are good majors to go into to prepare for a career in banking.

What is your advice for professional women seeking a banking partner for their business? 

Jackie: 

I ran a Women in Business Banking segment for a few years. When you gather a group of women business owners in a room and approach them with conversations about growth and how to facilitate and find that growth, there isn’t great education to compile what that trajectory can look like for a woman business owner. Usually, the first product a bank will offer to a woman business owner is an SBA loan. However, the application is very complicated and asks for information that may be foreign. Most women business owners given an SBA loan application will never return it.

There are similar gaps with women in business and in banking. Just as most women in banking are in retail banking, women-owned businesses tend to stay small or close—they rarely grow. It’s that gap in education.

My advice to women-owned businesses is to “Develop a relationship with a banker as well as your CPA and attorney.” If you have that foundational team, the sky’s the limit and you can go anywhere.

What makes Cogent Bank a good employer for women?

Cathy:

I love the autonomy, accountability, and empowerment you have when working for a small community bank. Big banks have their place, but individuals and small business owners want to bank with a person.

Generally, Cogent is terrific at empowering people to make decisions. I’ve felt from the beginning that I’ve owned this project in St. Pete. I’ve been giving latitude to do what I think is right. Having accountability gives you the ability to do what’s right. There is lots of flexibility, which is what makes working for a community bank so great.

Jackie:

I think Cogent is very supportive and resourceful for women in banking. They provide opportunities for education, professional networking, and more.

Meet Our Associates!

Cathy, Jackie, and the rest of our Cogent Associates are dedicated to providing the personalized attention you need and deserve. We are passionate about the success of our clients. Contact us to learn more about our approach to banking and how we can help you reach your personal or business goals.