Winner
Winnie Ling
General Counsel & Head of Legal and People, Blend Labs, Inc.
How This Corporate Lawyer Turned Her Tech Company’s Stock Around
Winnie Ling has been instrumental in right-sizing Blend Lab’s business during a period of economic uncertainty, which demanded strategic vision, creativity, and resilience. In 2023, the cloud banking software received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that it was not in compliance with listing standards because the average closing price for its stock dipped below $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period. In her role, Ling steered Blend’s risk teams to execute on business priorities and improve profitability, even during intense organizational change. Under Ling’s leadership, Blend closed eight new consumer banking deals in the fourth quarter of 2023, including a multiyear consumer banking deal with Citizens Bank. It also added two new financial institutions to grow its mortgage customer base, helping to put the company on a path to increased profitability in 2024.
By Courtney Connley
