Virginia Business’ annual list of the commonwealth’s 50 most powerful and influential leaders provides our editors’ take on the heaviest-hitting of heavyweights in business, government, nonprofits and higher education. Think of it as an executive committee for the leaders populating our annual Virginia 500 issue — the top 10% of the state’s power elite.

Victor Branch, Richmond market president, Bank of America Corp., Richmond

Power and influence: The first Black president of Bank of America’s Richmond region, Branch has worked for Bank of America for nearly four decades. Serving as president since 2015, Branch oversees about 2,000 employees at 25 locations. He’s credited with being influential in the bank’s commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity. A native of Dinwiddie County and a first-generation college graduate, Branch has for years supported Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME), a nonprofit that works to ensure equal access to housing. In 2022, Branch told Virginia Business that he’s passionate about his work because it provides the opportunity “to deploy the bank’s resources into underserved communities to help lift people up and out of poverty.” He sits on several boards, including the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.

Recent developments: Last year, Branch rotated off the board of visitors at William & Mary, his alma mater. In 2022, Bank of America gave $1 million to Virginia Union University to help prepare students for careers in the financial industry. Branch was named to Virginia State University’s board last year by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.