Synovus Announces 2018 Chairman’s Awards Winners

COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 20, 2018 — Synovus today announced the winners of its annual Chairman’s Awards. The James H. Blanchard Leadership Award, the James D. Yancey Customer Covenant Award, the William B. Turner Community Impact Award, and the Synovus Game Changer Award honor team members who best represent the company’s culture and its focus on leadership, customer satisfaction, serving others, and innovation.  Winners of the awards, which are collectively known as the Chairman’s Awards, are selected from nominations submitted by team members across Synovus’ five-state footprint.

This year’s winners are:

James H. Blanchard Leadership Award — Wendy Northington, Director, Learning and Development, Columbus; Darron Burnette, Division CEO, Statesboro. This award recognizes individuals who demonstrate the best use of leadership and interpersonal skills such as teamwork, communication, and coaching in various corporate, departmental, and community roles. It was named after retired Chairman and CEO James H. Blanchard, who set a high standard for leadership throughout his 36-year tenure at Synovus.

James D. Yancey Customer Covenant Award — Lenise Braziel, Manager, Corporate Credit Administration, Valparaiso; Sandy Knight, Director, HR, Columbus; David Cain, Sr. Manager, Facilities and Construction, Atlanta; Hamilton Hilsman, Relationship Manager, FAM, Columbus; Teresa Fuller, Licensed Relationship Banker, Trussville; Patricia Richards, Commercial Assistant, Rome. Named in honor of the former Synovus Chairman who always put the needs of the customer first, Yancey was instrumental in the creation of the Customer Covenant, the company’s pledge to deliver exceptional internal (Braziel, Knight, and Cain) and external (Hilsman, Fuller, and Richards) customer service.

William B. Turner Community Impact Award — Christine Watson, Executive Assistant, Warner Robins; Damon Olinto, Market President, Jacksonville; Marcelle Robinson, Retail Market Manager II, Tallapoosa. This award was named in honor of the former Chairman of Synovus’ Executive Committee for his deep commitment to serving individuals and the community. Turner has inspired others through his deep moral and spiritual convictions to make a difference in the lives of team members and their families.

Synovus Game Changer Award — Rob Bankston, Senior Director, IT, Columbus. This award recognizes high-performing team members for making a significant and positive impact on the company with forward-thinking and innovative ideas.

Synovus Financial Corp. is a financial services company based in Columbus, Georgia, with approximately $31 billion in assets. Synovus provides commercial and retail banking, investment, and mortgage services through 250 branches in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. Synovus Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synovus, was recognized as the “Most Reputable Bank” by American Banker and the Reputation Institute in 2017. Synovus is on the web at synovus.com, on Twitter @synovus, and on LinkedIn at http://linkedin.com/company/synovus.