Jim Blanchard, Chairman, Synovus Financial Corp.
Jim began his service with Synovus Financial Corp. in June, 1970 when he was selected as the top executive at Columbus Bank and Trust Company, a position previously held by his father, James W. Blanchard. He served as CEO of Synovus from 1971 until being named Chairman of the Board in July 2005. His tenure has spanned the periods of greatest growth in the company‘s history. He rallied support for the passing of the Georgia Legislature's multi-bank holding company bill in 1976, and under his leadership, CB&T Bancshares (now Synovus) became the first bank holding company in Georgia to acquire other banks under the new law. He also played an instrumental role in establishing Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS) in 1983, which now provides payments processing for more than 416 million cardholder accounts worldwide. Jim retired from Synovus in October 2006.
Education:
B.B.A., The University of Georgia, 1963
LL.B., The University of Georgia, 1965
Current Affiliations:
Chairman and CEO, Retired, Synovus Financial Corp.
Director, Synovus Financial Corp.
Chairman of the Executive Committee and Director, Total System Services, Inc.
Advisory Director, Columbus Bank and Trust Company
Director, AT&T Corporation
Director, W.C. Bradley Co.
Trustee and Past Chairman, Georgia Research Alliance Advisory Director, Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and The Public Interest
Chairman, Global Teen Challenge Advisory Board
Director, Florida/Georgia Teen Challenge
Advisory Director, Teen Challenge, Columbus
Director, Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley
Board of Regents, Southeastern University
Trustee, Columbus State University Foundation
Trustee, Emory Committee for the Robert T. Jones, Jr. Scholarship Member, Emory University School of Medicine Campaign Committee
Member, Lead Like Jesus National Advisory Board
Member, Georgia Historical Society Board of Curators
Member, Uptown Columbus Advisory Board
Past Director and Past Chairman, Financial Services Roundtable, 2007
Past Director, American Bankers Association, 2007
Past Director and Past Chairman, BITS (formerly Bankers Information Technology Secretariat), 2007
Past Director, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, 2007
Recent Honors:
- The Eddie Sams Award, University of Georgia Golf Team, 2008
- Uptown Columbus Inc., Rozier Dedwylder Leadership Award, 2008
- Technology Association of Georgia, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007
- Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Woodruff Award, 2007
- Georgia Council on Economic Education, VanLandingham Award, 2006
- Delta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Educational Foundation, Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Award, 2006
- Georgia Trend magazine "Most Influential Georgians Hall of Fame," 2006
- Beta Gamma Sigma International Honoree award, 2005
- US Banker magazine "25 Most Influential People in Financial Services," 2005
- Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta, Community Leadership Award, 2004
- Columbus State University, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2004
- Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation dedicates Blanchard Hall complex, 2003
- Georgia State University Hall of Fame Inductee, 2003
- Georgia Trend magazine "Georgian of the Year," 2003
- Ernst & Young Southeast Area Master Entrepreneur of the Year, 2002
- LaGrange College Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, 1998
- Georgia Trend magazine "Most Respected CEO" in the state, 1997
- University of South Carolina Honorary Doctor of Business Administration Degree, 1996
Summary:
Jim Blanchard served as Chairman and CEO of Synovus Financial Corp., a more than $32 billion, multi-financial services company that provides a diverse set of products and services that touch people around the world. His tenure has spanned the periods of greatest growth and prosperity in the company‘s history, which dates back to 1888. Jim retired as Chairman of Synovus in October 2006.
Jim earned a bachelor‘s degree in business administration from The University of Georgia in 1963, and earned his law degree from The University of Georgia in 1965. He served two years as 1st Lieutenant and Finance Officer in the U.S. Army, and then returned to Columbus to join a law firm. In June 1970, at the age of 28, he was selected as the top executive at Columbus Bank and Trust Company, a position previously held by his father, James W. Blanchard.
Jim rallied support for the passing of the Georgia Legislature's multi-bank holding company bill in 1976, and under his leadership, CB&T Bancshares (now Synovus) became the first bank holding company in Georgia to acquire other banks under the new law. Since that time, Synovus has operated under a decentralized, autonomous management approach for community banking, which has been strongly encouraged by Jim. He also played an instrumental role in establishing Total System Services, Inc. (TSYS) in 1983, which now provides payments processing for more than 416 million cardholder accounts worldwide.
Jim has long been an outspoken advocate of servant leadership, and he has fostered a culture at Synovus that places special emphasis on balancing work with the rest of life.In 1999, Synovus was selected #1 on the list of "The 100 Best Companies to Work for" in America by FORTUNE magazine, and has been recognized in its Hall of Fame for consecutive appearances on the list since its inception in 1998. In 2005, Synovus was also named as one of "America's Most Admired Companies." Synovus and its family of companies have earned reputations for outstanding customer service, leading-edge technological innovation and generous returns to shareholders. The success of Synovus demonstrates companies can achieve superior financial performance and "treat folks right."
Jim places tremendous emphasis on leadership education at Synovus, which focuses on servant leadership principles. Jim has said, "Servant leadership is a worthy goal unto itself. We run our company this way simply because it's right, because every person who labors here has great worth and deserves to be treated so. Our company is built on these values. They define who we are."