Overview
Deanna Oppenheimer is an experienced global corporate board leader. In roles such as CEO of Barclays UK and Vice Chair of Global Retail, Oppenheimer gained recognition as a turnaround executive known for her ability to transform entrenched institutions into forward-thinking, customer-centric champions. She brought that experience into North America, the UK, and continental Europe boardrooms, including Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and AXA Global. Her expertise in financial services, retail, innovation, brand, and enterprise-wide transformation makes her a sought-after strategist and thought partner for CEOs and Chairs.
Career History
Oppenheimer currently serves as Chair for FTSE 100 IHG Hotels & Resorts and Chair of the IHG Nominations and Governance committee (UK). She is an independent director at Thomson Reuters (TSX/NYSE: TRI) and Slalom Inc., an outcomes-focused transformation firm based in Seattle. Previously, Oppenheimer served on the boards of Tesco plc and Tesco Bank, Whitbread plc, Worldpay plc, AXA Global, Hargreaves Lansdown, Brooks Running, Vettd, NCR, Catellus, UNICO, Plum Creek Timber, and Joshua Green Corporation.
Oppenheimer served as Vice Chair of Global Retail Banking ($45B) at Barclays. Her clear customer-focused strategies led to Barclays’ #1 ranking among high-street banks in customer satisfaction and 92% employee engagement. Her relentless focus helped achieve double-digit growth in annual financial results in the UK and stabilize Barclays’ Western Europe business during the Euro crisis. She also served as CEO of UK and Western Europe Retail Banking after serving as COO of the UK business.
Before Barclays, Oppenheimer was President of Consumer Banking at Washington Mutual, Inc., the largest savings and loan institution in the U.S. During her tenure, she helped transform the lender from a regional to a national player, resulting in Washington Mutual being named Best Retail Bank in the Americas by Lafferty International and Top 40 Store Concepts in the World by Retail Industry Leaders Association.
Personal
Her passion and belief in the power of diversity around a boardroom table spurred her to start BoardReady.io in 2017, a non-profit that accelerates the diversification of governing boards in the US via a proprietary digital platform delivered through seasoned board directors. Oppenheimer previously founded the firm CameoWorks, which focused on startup acceleration and advising entrepreneurs in tech.
Among her achievements, Oppenheimer was presented the Lifetime Achievement award by the U.K. Inspiring Leadership Trust. She was also named Diversity Director of the Year by the Puget Sound Business Journal and shortlisted for FTSE 100 Director of the Year. Oppenheimer was also inducted into the Junior Achievement/Puget Sound Business Hall of Fame and was voted Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence.
Oppenheimer graduated with honors from the University of Puget Sound in Washington State, where she later served as Chair of Trustees and received the Ernest T. Stewart National Award for university volunteers. She has also attended the Executive Education program of the Kellogg School of Management. Oppenheimer divides her time between London and Seattle, where she lives with her husband, John. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.