Truist's Dontá Wilson: 'Innovation without empathy is empty’

There's a tension at the heart of modern banking that technology doesn't seem to totally resolve: how do you be both, digitally excellent and deeply human at the same time? Most banks have picked a lane: either betting on digital efficiency or doubling down on relationship banking. But consumers aren't asking for one or the other. They want both. They want their banking app to work flawlessly when they need it, and they want someone who actually knows them when it matters. My guest today is Dontá Wilson, Truist's Chief Consumer and Small Business Banking Officer. He leads 20,000 teammates serving clients through both digital channels and more than 1,900 community banking branches. His portfolio spans core deposits and loans to mortgage, auto, credit cards, and the full stack of consumer products. He also oversees Truist's multi-year growth plan that's reimagining both their digital experience and their physical branches using insights and AI. We talked about how AI is redefining consumer expectations and trust, what it takes to innovate inside a highly regulated industry while keeping client purpose at the center, and why Dontá believes innovation without empathy is empty.

You can listen to Truist's Dontá Wilson: 'Innovation without empathy is empty’ online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Truist's Dontá Wilson: 'Innovation without empathy is empty’ is an episode from Tearsheet Podcast: The Business of Finance by Tearsheet Studios.

This episode is 00:24:30 long.

This episode was published on Mar 4, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Tearsheet Podcast: The Business of Finance when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.