Farewell and See You Out There

After 4+ unforgettable (and occasionally truly unhinged) years, it’s time to say farewell.

rollercoaster rideWhen I joined, I thought I was signing up for one job… but 4 months in, surprise! A merger turned all of our jobs upside down and gave us a front-row seat to a masterclass in change management (and “how to bond with strangers over shared chaos”).  From there, it only got more interesting—company collapse, another acquisition, new teammates, new systems, new acronyms.

Despite the plot twists, I feel incredibly grateful. I had the chance to work with 300+ amazing humans, drive meaningful digital and cross-functional efforts, and work with “tiger teams” that Got Stuff Done!  Thank you for the great memories.


TEAMs Therapy & Thank You

What truly kept me grounded were the friendships I made and the many hours of TEAMs therapy—those vent sessions, sanity checks, and occasional “is it just me?” convos. You made the rollercoaster ride survivable and interesting.

Over the last month, I’ve had 50+ 1:1 farewells. My calendar looked like a farewell speed-dating app—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Thank you for making time.

To My Business Partners:  Thank you for sharing your knowledge, passion, and business goals with me. Your insights enabled our team to better understand how digital solutions can support your objectives. I appreciate our partnership and your willingness to answer my questions & provide honest perspectives. I’ve learned a lot from each of you, and I’m grateful for our work together as one team.

To My Working Partners: I couldn’t have done any of the DX work without your expertise and support.  Thank you for being open to engage with me in new ways and allowing me to push you beyond your comfort zone.  Together, we blazed new trails and got stuff done for our customers and our bank.  Thank you!

To My SF/Bay Area Colleagues: I will miss seeing you in the office – our spontaneous chats in the hallway, our walks around SalesForce park,  eating free lunches or snacks together.   I am always snacking 🙂   Thank you for those who came to my bay area farewell events.  I appreciate you making time to share memories, hugs, and of course food.   A special thanks to Ellen and Ash for coordinating these gatherings.

To the Digital Team: So many things to say.  We have gone through a lot together.   I will miss our team off sites, group chats, and bonding events—​from axe throwing and escape games to urban putt and those delicious dinners. We’ve navigated many challenges together, and your tenacity, creativity, and support have made my time here truly special.  I will miss working with you.

Lastly to Steve: thank you for being a caring, thoughtful manager.  I still remember our first email exchange after the BP acquisition announcement—I immediately thought, “Thank goodness there is someone knowledgeable and cool leading digital for BP.   We’ve been a good team.   You’ve made the last 4 years an unforgettable experience in many ways.   I know you and team will do great things for FCB’s digital experience and for our customers.


A Final Ask

I know I am greedy but I want more from you.   If you are inclined, can you leave me a note in the comments below?  It can be anything from our time together.

  • A favorite memory
  • A funny moment
  • An unexpected learning
  • Or how unbearable it was to work with me!

Big or small, serious or silly—I’ll treasure each sentiment.


I look forward to staying in touch and hearing about your latest adventures at work and in life.

Until then, Lei signing off.

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Allyson Nealis
12 days ago

Lei, I truly enjoyed our partnership. We did not get to work together nearly long enough, but I think we made a great impact in a short time. Your focus on Digital Strategy and Customer Experience paired well with what we were looking to accomplish in the CEC. We can’t thank you enough for your dedication and your expertise and you are going to be missed! I am glad we were able to spend time together in Raleigh last year. Take care of yourself and keep in touch!

Cindy Kearney
13 days ago

Lei, it has been a pleasure working with you and getting to know you on a personal level:). Thank you so much for all the mentoring sessions and also for always looking out for everyone’s well-being. As you mentioned, it has been a whirlwind the past few years and it meant so much to everyone that you made such a great effort to help people connect and get to know each other across SVB, BP and FCB. My favorite memory was the mini golf event, so fun! I’m so excited for you to embark on your next career journey. I… Read more »

Joel Johnson
13 days ago

Lei, truly wish you the best my friend! We were able to build a healthy partnership immediately that transitioned into a friendship, for that I’m thankful!

Remember the time we first met in San Fran, the walking strategy session in the rooftop garden by the office was such a joy. I also fondly recall our Charlotte touchpoint (with Gayla over dinner) and AZ touchpoint (serving as your Uber driver), we always made time for each other.

You have been a great partner; may the best of your life be ahead of you friend!

Mark Stevenson
15 days ago

Lei, It has been a marvelous pleasure to get to know you and work with you!  You’re an outstanding colleague because of the way you bring an exuberant curiosity to complex and nuanced problems that need to be solved; then set about helping solve them in very collaborative ways. I remain grateful for the extra effort you put in to understand the technology interface needs of one of our most important and sophisticated clients. Thanks to your amazing help, many significant issues were solved that greatly improved our likelihood of keeping them as a client during very challenging times.  I… Read more »

Steve
16 days ago

Remember that time we took the rickshaw around Austin to the outdoor bar? I do. I have photos 🙂

Thanks for the callout. It’s been a trip.

ash
16 days ago

To Lei, With Gratitude By Ash Two and a half years — where did they go? You’ve inspired so much more than you know. You led with passion, strength, and flair, With every step, showed how much you care. You remembered I’m veggie — every time, Found the best spots for food that’s sublime. You knew each quirk, each story, each face, And made every person feel seen in their space. Glassy skin and a youthful glow, Lean and fit, always ready to go. With dancing feet and laughter bright, You turned even workdays into light. We swung at Topgolf,… Read more »

James K.
16 days ago

Lei, I’m definitely going to miss you at SVB/FCB. I’m glad we got to work together over the last couple years and I know we will be seeing each other again soon. Here are a couple of memories/thoughts, in no particular order. As you know, Halloween is a big holiday for my wife and me. We go big every year. You are one of the few coworkers who gets their family to dress up. I always enjoy seeing your family pictures the day after Halloween. You are so creative. A memory that makes me chuckle is when Steve gave you,… Read more »

Sara Watterson
16 days ago

Lei, you were one of the first people I met at SVB Private. It is truly incredible to look back at what we have been through over the last several years, it almost feels like 100 years with the major events that have been crammed in (LOL)! Your passion for Digital Banking always amazes me and your dedication to your partners, your team, and your customers is incredible.

4 years ago, you were my client and now, you are my friend.

Best wishes to your future,
Sara

Amanda C
17 days ago

Lei, I’ve so enjoyed working with you on the various initiatives we’ve partnered together on during your time at First Citizens. I love that we have a shared desire to improve the customer experience and understand what they want to see from us as a company — it really was evident during our work together. While there are several things I could comment on, I really appreciated the ownership you gave me during the development and deployment of the Zelle FAQ enhancements. As I seek to take on more of a leadership role in the future, being given the opportunity… Read more »

Shilpa Daule
17 days ago

Lei, my favorite memory with you have to be the aura reading session at QM Leap event in Phoenix Arizona. We discovered some interesting stuff about each other and found out we have one thing in common which is lot of innovative ideas 💡 We also discovered that we both love to dance. Although I me never got a chance to dance with you at our office parties, I am hoping we can someday go take a dance class together! I wish you all the best and I am sure wherever you go you will spread a lot of positivity.… Read more »

Roxana Cardoza
18 days ago

Lei – So sad to see you go but excited for your next adventure because I know you will crush it just like you do with everything in life… full forth. I will never forget my first meeting with you I have to admit it felt like an interrogation. I had never meet someone so interested in our digital platform and asking so many questions that I had never even thought of. At first, I was like why is she asking but then I soon realized what an out of the box, strategic thinker you were and how you were… Read more »

Kalli
20 days ago

Dear Lei, One of our first one on one meetings to discuss e-statement success metrics was probably the most challenging meetings I’ve ever had here. And I mean that in the best way lol. Rather than coming outright with the answer on how to accomplish a task, you sat patiently as the dust shook off the left side of my brain and gears began to turn. You knew I was capable and saw potential in me even though I felt, at the time, that that sort of work was out of my wheelhouse. Thank you for pushing me to go… Read more »

Kalli
20 days ago
Reply to  Lei Han

I’m glad. Thank you for the kind words. I am lucky! Very happy to have you in my corner 🙂

Samir
20 days ago

Thanks for all your writing here. I’ve recommended this to many graduate students seeking to understand more about the communication skills they need as they shift to the working world.

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