Deanna W. Oppenheimer '80, P'11

Chief Executive Officer of UK Retail Banking, Barclays, London, England

Deanna Oppenheimer ’80, P’11 joined Barclays in October of 2005 as U.S. banking chief operating officer. She became chief executive of the U.K. Retail Bank in December of that year, taking the helm at one of the largest retail banks in the United Kingdom, with more than 30,000 employees, serving some 15 million customers through contact centers, online banking, and more than 1,700 branch offices.

Before joining Barclays Deanna held a number of senior management positions at Washington Mutual. Most recently she was president of WaMu's consumer group, and before that held senior management positions in home loans, insurance, small business banking, and marketing. She was instrumental in growing WaMu into the seventh largest financial institution in the United States. During her tenure there, the company grew from less than $20 million in after-tax income to more than $3 billion, became one of Fortune magazine's Top 100 companies, and grew into one of the top 10 financial services brands in the country.

In 2003 U.S. Banker named Deanna one of the top five most powerful women in banking, and in 2006, ranked her first in a list of "25 Women to Watch" for progressive leadership and outstanding achievements in the banking industry. That same year London-based financial publication, The Business, rated her as the seventh most powerful woman in the city of London. More recently Deanna was named Britain's Business Communicator of the Year by the British Association of Communicators in Business (CiB), and in October of 2997, was chosen again by U.S. Banker as one of the most powerful women in banking.

Deanna joined the University of Puget Sound board of trustees in 1987, and has chaired the board since 2003. "Alumni have enormous influence in shaping the future of the university," she says.

Major: Double major in Political Science and Urban Affairs
Graduate School: Advanced Executive Program, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
Lengthy Commute: When she returns to campus for board meetings, Deanna travels more than 9,500 miles round trip.
All in the Family: Deanna's husband, John, also graduated from University of Puget Sound in 1980, double majoring in Urban Studies and Politics and Government. Their daughter, Jeni, started at the university in 2007.