Commercial banking strategy, the internal function that tells a bank which business clients to pursue and where to concentrate its lending capacity, has a new leader at First Horizon Bank (NYSE: FHN). Catherine Wood, a banking leader with more than 15 years based in Raleigh, N.C., was promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial Banking Strategy. The bank made the announcement on July 17, 2026.
What the strategy function does
Commercial banking is the part of a bank that serves businesses rather than individual account holders. The commercial unit arranges loans and manages financial services for companies. The strategy function decides in advance which sectors and geographies the bank will prioritize and how it prices credit against competitors.
Planning that direction is different from executing it. The head of commercial banking strategy sets the playbook the commercial team follows, which means the role's effects tend to show up in the loan portfolio over years, not over a single quarter.
The Senior Vice President title
SVP is a designation that places its holder at a business-line leadership level rather than a specialist or market role. The "Head of" modifier in Wood's full title places her at the top of the strategy function within the commercial division. The source does not specify the structure of the team she now leads or which executive the role reports to.
Wood's Raleigh tenure
Wood has worked as a banking leader in Raleigh, N.C. for more than 15 years. That tenure in the same city where First Horizon Bank announced the promotion gives her direct familiarity with the local business environment. Her 15-plus years on the ground is the one credential the announcement leads with.