CHICAGO, MARCH 28, 2023 — CIBC proudly announced today that the following commercial banking professionals have been recognized with distinct industry honors:
Jennifer St. Aubin, managing director and team lead, U.S. Specialty Finance
Women in Secured Finance, The Secured Lender Magazine
Kimberly Bruce, managing director and head of West and North Florida
Business Woman of the Year, The Tampa Bay Business Journal
Jennifer Kempton, managing director and business development officer covering Illinois, Indiana, and the Upper Midwest, Top Women in Asset-based Lending, ABF Journal
“We are pleased to congratulate each of these women for being recognized as top industry leaders,” said Robert Frentzel, Executive Managing Director and President, Commercial Banking. “Their relentless focus on understanding our clients’ ambitions and delivering products and services to help them reach their goals truly makes them stand out in our commercial banking industry. We are proud and honored to have them on our CIBC team.”
Jennifer St. Aubin has been selected as one of The Secured Lender Magazine’s “Women in Secured Finance.” Ranked among 65 other female professionals of various sectors, St. Aubin helped found CIBC Bank USA’s lender finance platform, which services both consumer and commercial finance companies. She started her career at LaSalle Bank 18 years ago as a relationship manager, and now manages a team of relationship managers who support 50 clients and over $1.5 billion in loan commitments. In 2021, the CIBC US Next Gen and Asian People Network recognized her with the Jeanette O’Loughlin NextGen Leadership award for committing to CIBC’s purpose and bringing a high level of commitment to work. St. Aubin received a bachelor’s degree from the Miami University of Ohio. She has been a longtime supporter of organizations that support research and treatment for polycystic kidney disease.
Out of nearly 300 nominees, Kimberly Bruce was one of 29 women chosen by The Tampa Bay Business Journal as a “Business Woman of the Year.” Bruce, who has more than 30 years of industry experience, joined CIBC in 2018 with the direct responsibility of building CIBC’s US Commercial Banking Team in West and North Florida. In 5 years, her office has grown to include 10 professionals, a strong base of business, and double-digit growth year-over-year. Prior to joining CIBC, Bruce served as senior vice president and national executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She received a master’s degree from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. Bruce sits on the Board of Directors for Florida Health Science Corporation. She is also an executive committee member, audit committee chair and immediate past chair of The Florida Aquarium.
Jennifer Kempton was one of 48 professionals included in the ABF Journal’s “Top Women in Asset-Based Lending”. Kempton, who has spent her entire banking tenure in various roles within asset-based lending, applies her strong credit background to create unique lending solutions for clients. She joined the newly formed Asset-based Lending Group at The PrivateBank, now CIBC Bank USA, in 2010, after beginning her career at LaSalle Bank and subsequently Bank of America. She later served in project management and underwriting capacities before becoming a business development officer. Kempton received a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University. Kempton has been actively involved in SFNet’s Midwest Chapter for many years, joining the leadership team in 2019 as Treasurer and was then named Vice President before assuming the role of President in 2021. In 2017, she was recognized as of one of SFNet’s 40 Under 40.
