By Mary Beth Roach
This past May, Annette Burns realized both a professional and personal goal when she was named chief financial officer for NBT Bank — the first female to hold that position at the bank.
“When I think about the aspect of being the first female CFO, it is an honor to be the person to shatter a glass ceiling,” she said in an email statement. “That will always be special to me. But, from my perspective, it is also important to celebrate that I am privileged to work on an executive leadership team alongside four other powerful women at a company where 65% of managers are women.”
What’s also special to her, she pointed out, was that she was able to accomplish this goal at NBT, where she said she has grown and developed her experience over the past 11 years. She credits strong relationships, mentors and NBT’s “commitment to development.”
“I am really excited to be the person that is now representing the company in this public-facing role. This is something I’ve always challenged myself to achieve and I am finally here, and that feels great,” she said.
But this new position also holds personal significance to her — as a wife and mother.
She underscored the support she has had from her husband and her son and daughter, especially during times when she had to make certain sacrifices.
“Now, to see how proud they are of me and to be able to be a role model for my daughter — and my son — showing them that when you work hard you can achieve your goals is rewarding,” she said.
Moreover, she said that women in executive leadership positions can be role models for younger women coming up in the industry. Early in her career, when she was one of just a few women in bank board rooms, she was told that in order to succeed, she had to think and act like a man.
“Today, I feel women are more able to be ourselves and bring our unique perspectives and skill sets to the role we’ve chosen,” she said, adding that she doesn’t believe that her daughter thinks about gender barriers as much as she might have when she was her age.
And yet, there remains a gender gap that women are still fighting to close, she said, but added that “we’ve come a long way and I am excited about what our future generations will achieve. I feel it’s important for women leaders to play a proactive role to create an environment where women who are just beginning their careers feel empowered and safe to be true to her own style and share her perspectives.”
As chief financial officer, her responsibilities include creating and supporting the strategic direction of the company and oversight of the finance function including financial modeling and reporting, profitability, budgeting and forecasting and accounting operations.
For Burns, though, the new position is a lot more than numbers.
“I’ll also spend time fostering relationships with our investors, keeping them informed of NBT’s performance and growth strategies,” she explained. “I get the privilege of working alongside every department within the company and I love that!”
Burns’ interest in finance began with her parents, who instilled in her the importance of financial security, education and independence. Through her studies in business, she said she learned the inner working of companies and how the activities “rolled into the financial statements.”
“Accounting and auditing became intriguing — it allowed me insight into how every activity and strategy contributes to the bigger picture,” she said.
She brings decades of financial experience to the new post. Most recently serving as chief accounting officer, she joined NBT in 2013 when the company acquired Alliance Bancorp, where she had been vice president of financial reporting and accounting policy. A certified public accountant, she has more than 25 years of experience in accounting and finance and has held leadership positions in finance with Pathfinder Bank as controller and PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP as business assurance manager.
She realized her interest in community banking, she said, “when I started to see the impact the bank could have on its community by supporting customers with various banking needs and activities. In my role, I am passionate about translating numbers into the stories that show real impact and position us for long-term success.”
