2024 Monitor Top Women in Equipment Finance: Jessica Bragdon, Director, Principal Human Resources, First Citizens Bank

by Monitor Staff Nov/Dec 2024
“Be dedicated to your goals, aspire to inspire others, listen to everyone and everything and then inform your own perspective. Know that, with time, you will grow, and that, in equipment finance, change is constant."
Jess Bragdon
Director, Principal Human Resources
Business Partner
First Citizens Bank

This year, Jess Bragdon is celebrating 14 years in the equipment finance industry. Before beginning her career in the pharmaceutical industry, she received her bachelor’s degree in communications from University of New Hampshire in 2009. In 2011, Bragdon transitioned into the equipment finance field, staring out as a customer service representative before pivoting into human resources for a rapidly-growing fintech company in New Hampshire.

Following her transition to HR, Bragdon has worn many hats in various roles, from benefit administration to compensation, and employee relations to talent acquisition. Bragdon has played a particularly crucial role in the transformation of First Citizen’s equipment finance division. She has worked closely with the equipment finance leadership team through every major change, headwind, business challenge and triumph.

Bragdon is known among her colleagues as not only being capable of navigating complex organizational dynamics, but doing so with a fantastic attitude and an attentive listening ear. Her ability to be objective, provide clear and insightful feedback and push back at the right time from an informed perspective truly benefits her team.

Bragdon views First Citizen’s workforce as people who deserve respect, consideration, support and opportunities to grow their skills and careers, so she is well-positioned to understand — and occasionally challenge — the team’s thinking on how to manage an ever-evolving business.

“Jess Bragdon is uniquely skilled in being objective, providing clear and insightful feedback and challenging leadership teams from an informed perspective,” Ken Martin, managing director of sales at First Citizens Bank Equipment Finance, says. “For example, we once transitioned a large partner relationship with the potential to impact a segment of the sales organization. With Jess’ strong advice and support, we quickly repositioned the sales team to support a high-potential area of the business to accelerate growth while creating new career progression opportunities for our team.”

Bragdon thinks of her role as the link between human resources and equipment finance. She often advises and supports business leaders on strategic issues and helps implement high-performing integrated HR practices.

Notably, Bragdon has spent the bulk of her career supporting mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities. She is a product of four acquisitions and believes her time in the business, coupled with her M&A experience, has been essential to building the foundation of her current role as the principal, human resource business partner for the equipment finance division at First Citizens Bank.

In addition to equipment finance, Bragdon supports many other verticals within First Citizens, including commercial services, global fund banking, business planning and support and the first line risk management function.

As a mother of two young boys, Bragdon has balanced her work and home life while continuing to advance her professional career. She earned the Managing Director’s award, a First Citizens internal award for exceptional performance, in 2021, and is a proud member of First Citizens Bank’s diversity, equity and inclusion program through the bank’s business resource group for women. She earned her Professional in Human Resource (PHR) certification in 2017 and has set her sights on obtaining the Senior PHR designation by the end of 2025.

Bragdon feels extremely fortunate to have had some exceptional mentors in equipment finance and HR. Outside of work, she aims to scale new mountain tops — literally. She is currently hiking each of the NH48, the 48 mountains in New Hampshire with peaks more than 4,000 feet in elevation. Thus far, she has already conquered 31. •

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