Jennifer Smith, Zions Bancorporation’s CIO – who also holds titles as enterprise chief operations and technology officer – is leaving the Salt Lake City-based lender, she said Saturday in a LinkedIn post.
Smith’s duties will be split: Ken Collins, the bank’s chief transformation officer, will add “operations” to his title, Smith wrote. Meanwhile, Margaret Mayer, previously the bank’s chief technology officer, will serve as CIO, according to Saturday’s post.
Zions has not published a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on its website regarding the transition as of Tuesday.
“With a full heart — and after a very tough decision to leave Zions Bancorporation — I want to celebrate the promotion of two outstanding leaders and friends,” Smith wrote of Mayer and Collins. “I could not be more excited to see their continued growth and impact. They are exceptional leaders who care deeply about the long term success of the organization.”
Smith has logged nearly two decades at Zions, joining the Utah lender as chief auditor in late 2006. She served as technology and operations chief since 2015 and was responsible for overseeing myriad units, including the bank’s enterprise information security, enterprise data and analytics, IT, deposit and treasury operations, and enterprise loan operations, as well as the customer care center, according to a biography on Zions’ website.
Before joining Zions, Smith spent nearly a dozen years at Wells Fargo, working in risk management and IT auditing, according to LinkedIn.
Mayer joined Zions in 2023 from Discover, where she served as chief technology officer of consumer banking technology, according to LinkedIn. She began her banking career at Capital One, where she spent 22 years in engineering, consumer identity and messaging, and artificial intelligence, according to her profile.
Collins, of the three, has logged the longest stint at Zions: 23 years, beginning in electronic payments, according to LinkedIn.
“I leave with deep affection for my teammates and immense pride in what we’ve built together — and with real excitement for what’s next on the horizon for me,” Smith wrote Saturday.
