Francie Henry understands the power of dreams.
As the daughter of Greek immigrants who settled in Mount Vernon and found success in the restaurant business, the career banker has firsthand insight into clients’ drive to meet financial goals, and she has spent her career working to help them succeed.
Henry, Fifth Third Bank’s regional president since 2018, got to know multiple sides of the business on her rise through the ranks—during which corporate assets grew from $3 billion to $294 billion. She joined Cincinnati-based Fifth Third in 1986 and held roles in marketing and as retail regional manager before moving to Columbus in 2003. Here, she served as head of retail banking, wealth and asset management director, and market president before taking over the top job.
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A leader who is as personable as she is astute, Henry is widely respected not only in local banking circles, but in the broader business and nonprofit communities. She is a member of the Columbus Partnership and serves on multiple boards, including SciTech, the Ohio State University STAR Advisory Committee, Clean Energy Ventures, YWCA Columbus and the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio’s Strategic Advisory Council.
Her leadership was recognized with the 2022 CEO of the Year award in the Large For-Profit category by her peers and Columbus CEO.
Who or what have been career or personal influences? I have had great leaders and mentors in my life. My parents who immigrated here from Greece taught me a strong work ethic and a compassion for treating others fairly. They often reached out and helped others. While trying to learn a new culture, my family built a successful Greek family restaurant and grew our family focusing on family values, faith and the community. Another is former Fifth Third Regional President, Jordan Miller, who had a vision and plan for his retirement and worked tirelessly to ensure I was prepared when the time was right. Jordan was always there to help. He did a great job positioning me to be a leader by always encouraging me to stay true to who I am and to always be my authentic self.
What is your greatest wish for 2026? I’m honored to be a part of the Columbus Partnership and love how this city stacks hands to get things done. This region has so many exciting projects driving economic growth and I want to see this momentum continue for future generations. I want to keep advancing and championing inclusive leadership. I encourage others to mentor and sponsor emerging leaders—both formally and informally. This will keep resulting in stronger representation and a more diverse leadership pipeline with rising talent across Central Ohio and beyond.
This story appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Columbus CEO as part of the Inspiring Women feature package. Read more stories of Inspiring Women from Columbus CEO and Columbus Monthly here. Subscribe now.
This article originally appeared on Columbus CEO: Francie Henry Drives Success for Fifth Third Bank and Its Customers
Reporting by Julanne Hohbach, Columbus CEO / Columbus CEO
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julanne Hohbach, Columbus CEO | USA TODAY Network
