Kristen Holihan

Senior Vice President, Senior Business Development Officer, Bank of America

40 Under 40 Category: Business Development


Kristen Holihan is a senior vice president and senior business development officer for Bank of America Business Capital (BABC), the asset-based lending (ABL) team at Bank of America. Kristen is responsible for identifying and engaging new ABL opportunities and working with potential borrowers to get ABL revolvers structured and closed. She serves private equity groups, advisors, middle-market companies and large corporate companies, in both Metro and upstate New York, to deliver these solutions. Kristen has also spent significant time as an ABL underwriter, as well as on the Leveraged Finance Origination and Capital Markets teams. Kristen graduated from Babson College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science (concentration in finance). She started the Executive MBA Program at Columbia University in August 2021.

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it? 

The best career-advice I have been given comes from a quote by James Dyson, “Precisely the point when you feel like giving up is when everyone else gives up, so just put in a little extra effort and success is right around the corner.” I love this quote because it illustrates that success requires a tremendous amount of determination to differentiate yourself. There have been many times in my career where it would have been easier to step back or take a break, but these are always the moments that, if you push through, success is yours, and it is imminent. 

Did you change the way you approach work while working remotely during the pandemic?  Have these habits stayed with you as we emerge from the crisis?

Mornings (typically from 7-9 a.m.) are when by brain works the best. So, with the removal of the morning commute, I was able to carve out this time to focus on proposal writing and brainstorming new ideas. Having this window of quiet work time before calls start and e-mails start to fly has made a huge difference in my ability to produce quality work more efficiently, and on a shorter timeline. I am still currently working from home, but I plan to continue to utilize this new tactic post-pandemic. 

How do you define a good leader?

Leadership is best demonstrated by an individual who is willing to give their teammates the space to run with a new project or challenge, and then jump into the trenches with both feet and get their hands dirty with that teammate when they need help and support. By doing this, team members are empowered to take ownership of their work, and yet are not afraid to fail or ask for help because they know their leader will be there to back them up if the time comes. I have found this leadership style embodied by several mentors at Bank of America, and I believe it is a key contributor to the institution’s success, as well as my own. 

How would you encourage young professionals to become more involved in their community or volunteer? How have these activities outside of work helped shape your professional life? 

I am a member of the Diversity Equity and Inclusiveness Committee for the Secured Finance Network, as well as a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Council at Bank of America. Both of these committees have helped to develop and shape my understanding of various diversity and equity issues both in my work life and in my community. My involvement has also given me a platform to effectively participate in challenging conversations when I come into contact with an act of injustice in day-to-day life. Having these opportunities in my community allows me to identify a situation that I believe is wrong and potentially open someone else’s eyes to a new point of view. I would encourage all young professionals to determine their passion and figure out a way to use that to better your community.