Most Powerful Women to Watch: No. 18, BNY’s Paulette Mullings Bradnock

As chief audit officer at BNY Mellon, Paulette Mullings Bradnock was charged with keeping tabs on the whereabouts, utilization and movement of almost $500 billion in assets.
She joined BNY Mellon in 2015 and was responsible for managing a global team of more than 450 auditors.

She began her career at Chemical Bank, where she worked in both audit and control functions. She joined what was then Chase in 1993, and in 2004 she was given audit responsibilities for the corporate functions at JPMorgan Chase, including finance, legal, real estate and human resources.

Bradnock worked in financial services for 29 years, following a 10-year stint at AIG International. She was a longtime Most Powerful Women in Banking honoree and was featured on the cover in 2019.

A tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion, Bradnock had been instrumental in leading BNY Mellon’s efforts on this front. “I personally intend to continue to recruit and develop a diverse group of employees where all people are provided the opportunity to excel and advance,” she told America Banker in 2021.

She was a member of the board of trustees for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and served as the vice chair of the board of trustees for Queens College, City University of New York. She served as chair of the audit committee for both nonprofits.

Bradnock died on Sept. 15. “BNY Mellon is deeply saddened at the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Paulette Mullings Bradnock, who had served as our Chief Auditor since 2015,” the bank said in a statement.