Wells Fargo promotes Charlotte exec to head acquisition activities

Wells Fargo has promoted an executive in Charlotte to lead its acquisition and divestiture activities, a position previously held by an executive based in San Francisco, where Wells Fargo is headquartered.

Julie Caperton will remain based in Charlotte in her new position as head of corporate development, the lender announced Friday. She replaces Bruce Helsel, who will retire at the end of March.

Wells Fargo said Helsel has been with the company for 29 years. He became head of corporate development in 2006 and two years later oversaw the company’s purchase of Charlotte-based Wachovia, a deal that established Charlotte as Wells Fargo’s East Coast hub.

Before her promotion, Caperton was head of the asset-backed finance and securitization team in Wells Fargo Securities. She also worked for Wachovia, joining that company in 2002.

In her new role, she will report to corporate treasurer Paul Ackerman, who is based in San Francisco.

Caperton’s promotion means another top executive for Wells Fargo will be based in Charlotte. The highest-ranking Wells Fargo executive in Charlotte remains David Carroll, head of the company’s wealth, brokerage and retirement segment.

Wells Fargo employs roughly 23,000 people in the Charlotte metropolitan area across various business lines. The Charlotte region is the company’s largest employment hub.

This story was originally published March 27, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Wells Fargo promotes Charlotte exec to head acquisition activities."