Valarie A. Udeh

Authenticity is a dealmaker for companies in any industry."There are historical barriers we have to overcome to be able to be seen as a viable brand or financialservices provider for these different audiences," says Valarie Udeh, director of crossenterprise brand management for Wachovia, No. 11 in the 2007 Top 50.
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As Udeh says, "The relevancy piece is the differentiator."
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"It's not about the sell; it's about giving people access to information and a safe place to ask questions," says Udeh.
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A Morehouse professor in the audience was so moved by the presentation thatshe opened a 401(k) plan Monday after the seminar, says Udeh.Wachovia later helped her buy a house.

Another initiative in Baltimore that cut across women's race/ethnicity and orientationdealt with physical and spiritualhealth concerns.Supplemented by advertising andsignature financialliteracy and loan programs, Wachovia experienced a significant increase in investment products for black women in that market, says Udeh.

In addition, Wachovia spent two years producing a documentary that aired on BET in June that explores how blacks were able to create wealth from the time they landed inthe United States as enslaved Africans to today, and the opportunities that remain,called "Where Wealth Lives: An Exploration of the African American EconomicExperience."

"We plan to use it as platform to create dialogue in the AfricanAmerican communityabout money by showing their strong history of creating wealth and how they should beusing that history to create wealth in the future," says Udeh.

Ms. Valarie Udeh Brand Manager, African-American Segment Leader Wachovia Corporation

Valarie A. Udeh - Wachovia

Valarie Udeh Brand Manager, African-American Segment LeaderWachovia Corporation

Valarie UdehBrand Manager, African-American Segment LeaderWachovia Corporation

Valarie A. Udeh - Wachovia

Advisory Board members include: Dr. Nini Bautista de Garcia, Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Ella L.J. Edmonson Bell, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; Heather Brown, Food Lion, LLC; Astrid Chirinos, Diverso Global Strategies; Lisa DuBois, University of Wyoming College of Law; Dr. Katherine Giscombe, Catalyst; Hilda Gurdian, La Noticia; Bridget Anne Hampden, community leader; Linda Ketner, KSI Research; Dr. Joan Lorden, UNC Charlotte; Sally Robinson, community leader; Fabi Preslar, SPARK Enterprises; Valarie Udeh, Wachovia; and Emily Zimmern, Levine Museum of the New South.

Valarie Udeh

Wachovia