Brad Bender

Brad Bender is Chief Risk Officer at Truist Financial Corporation, where he is accountable for enterprise risk strategy, balance-sheet resilience, and regulatory confidence. He is a member of Truist’s Operating Council and leads the firm’s risk governance across all businesses and control functions. Bender assumed the role of Chief Risk Officer in November 2024. He manages and oversees risk domains related to credit, market, capital, liquidity, operational, compliance, and technology across the organization. Additionally, he leads Truist’s regulatory relations, ethics, and financial crimes functions. In this capacity, they integrate risk discipline directly into enterprise decision-making, ensuring that risk management acts as a strategic enabler for disciplined growth, control effectiveness, and long-term franchise durability. Prior to his current role, Bender held a series of senior enterprise leadership positions spanning risk, operations, technology, and revenue-producing businesses. His experience includes leading enterprise operational services across all major products; overseeing vertically integrated national consumer finance platforms; managing consumer credit risk and policy; running home improvement lending; and serving as interim chief information officer with responsibility for core technology, data, and security platforms. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles in commercial underwriting, portfolio and model risk management, senior credit oversight, and acquisition integrations. Across these roles, Bender developed a deep operating perspective on how risk governance, control environments, and execution discipline translate into business performance and resilience. A native of North Carolina, Bender holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with a focus on applied economic analysis and global economic policy. He actively supports Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Blumenthal Arts through his work as a Board Trustee.