Mary Ryder is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Marketing & Communications and Cadence Consulting, a division that manages enterprise-wide initiatives, at Cadence Bank. Cadence is a $17.8 billion leading regional banking franchise serving the Southeast and Texas.
Ryder joined Cadence in 2011 when the bank was in its formative stage and has been instrumental in leading the conversion and integration of the first three banks acquired by Cadence, as well as its 2019 acquisition of State Bank, a $5 billion bank in Georgia.
Ryder is a multi-faceted leader, who for more than 25 years has held key positions within the banking and financial services industry in strategic planning, project management, operations, customer service, financial analysis and marketing. She has excelled in making companies more efficient by launching and managing new departments, reducing costs and improving productivity, developing strategic plans, and overseeing new market expansions.
Ryder is committed to developing a new generation of female leaders. She has served on the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council’s board of directors for 10 years, and as president and board chair from 2014-2016. Additionally, she has chaired the Development and Board Development committees and been a member of Executive Committee. In these roles, she has helped the GSSJC continue to build girls of courage, confidence and character.
Ryder is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum and currently serves on the Finance Committee. Additionally, she is a Leadership Forum graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future and a member of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Women’s Partnership Committee and Texas Executive Women. Ryder was named to the “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2014” by Houston Woman Magazine.
Ryder received her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of New Mexico and earned an MBA at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.