"Diversity and inclusiveness within your top employee tier is crucial for the success of any business. We appreciate the leadership and insight our female executives bring to the table,” said Tony Thompson, Middle Tennessee market president at First Tennessee. "We appreciate NAFE's recognition of our commitment as we continue to develop and reward the efforts of our senior management."
Several current female executives were promoted from within the company, including local employees Susan Springfield and Rita Mitchell. Springfield is executive vice president and senior credit officer with First Tennessee, and Mitchell is a senior vice president and manager in the Private Client Financial Services area.
In 2008, women comprised 67 percent of all First Horizon managers and supervisors. Among the company's senior managers and top executives, 18 percent are female.
"I have been with First Tennessee for more than 12 years and received every opportunity to take control of my career and develop within the company,” said Springfield. "I'm proud of First Tennessee’s determination to create an internal culture that recognizes the commitment and performance of its employees, regardless of gender.”
In choosing its top companies, NAFE places specific emphasis on the number of women in jobs with profit-and-loss responsibility. The list recognizes corporations whose practices and employment records demonstrate that women matter to the bottom line.
About NAFE The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, serves 20,000 members nationwide in the efforts to grow their careers and their businesses. NAFE magazine publishes the annual Top Companies issue as well as quarterly online magazines. NAFE.com keeps members in touch with each other throughout the year. Last year I-NAFE, international counterpart of NAFE, was launched in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa. NAFE is a division of Working Mother Media and Bonnier Corporation.
About First Tennessee The 6,000 employees of First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE: FHN), the parent company of First Tennessee Bank, provide financial services through more than 200 bank locations in and around Tennessee and 14 capital markets offices in the U.S. and abroad. First Tennessee has the largest combined market share in the 17 Tennessee counties where it does business and has one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country, and FTN Financial is one of the nation’s top underwriters of U.S. government agency securities. FHN has been recognized as one of the nation’s best employers by AARP and Working Mother magazines. More information can be found at www.fhnc.com.
