Ellen Patterson will join Wells Fargo as its senior executive vice president and general counsel, effective March 23, 2020. Reporting to CEO Charlie Scharf, Patterson will be responsible for all legal affairs at the company and will serve on the company’s Operating Committee.

Patterson joins Wells Fargo after more than seven years at TD Bank Group, where she most recently served as group head and general counsel responsible for leading the bank’s global Legal, Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering, Corporate Secretary, Global Security & Investigations, and Fraud Risk Management teams. Earlier, she served as general counsel for TD Bank’s U.S. banking operations. For the past two years, she has chaired TD Bank’s global Women in Leadership program, supporting programs and practices to advance the careers of a diverse group of female employees.

Prior to joining TD Bank, Patterson was a partner at the New York law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she focused on advising financial institutions on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and corporate governance matters.

Patterson has been recognized as one of 25 “Women to Watch” by American Banker in each of the past four years.

“Ellen is a seasoned lawyer with extensive experience in the financial services industry, where she has had responsibilities for managing and advising on global legal and regulatory compliance risks,” Scharf said. “She will play a critical leadership role on our Operating Committee as we continue to work on our company’s top priority of meeting regulatory expectations.”

“I am excited to join Wells Fargo during a transformational time in the company’s history,” Patterson said. “I look forward to collaborating with leaders across the company to shape the culture, help businesses innovate, and produce the best outcomes for the customers and communities Wells Fargo serves.”