The woman called “the most powerful banker in Hollywood” by Barron’s magazine in 2017 will retire from City National Bank on Feb. 2. She is Martha Henderson, and if you don’t recognize the name, it may be because she’s always been discreet about her clients and her role in their finances. But for 40 years she has been a big name inside the bank, where she is vice chair of Entertainment Banking.
“Since our founding in 1954, City National has had an unparalleled history of support for the entertainment industry, which is personified by Martha Henderson,” said Kelly Coffey, chief executive of City National Entertainment.
She has had a very rare job indeed since Hollywood types tend to intertwine their business and personal finances. As that Barron’s article noted, “that is why, probably uniquely at a large bank, Henderson not only offers her Hollywood clients private-banking services but also has the authority to underwrite their mortgages and finance their films.”
According to the bank, the team serving the entertainment industry provides financial expertise to more than 90% of entertainment business managers, more than half of all Broadway shows and more than 80% of the country music industry in Nashville, Tennessee.
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A celebration to honor Michael A. Lawson, who left as president and chief executive of the Los Angeles Urban League at the end of the year, was held Tuesday at the Skirball Cultural Center. A former partner at the Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom law firm, Lawson served as an ambassador in the Obama administration and was heading into retirement when he was asked to take over the-then financially troubled civil rights organization that’s now more than 100 years old. Over five years, he turned it around. “What he has done for the league is masterful,” said Elliot Hinds, the league’s chair.
Cynthia Mitchell Heard, the new president and CEO, said, “his intellect drove us to do our best work which resulted in the success that the Los Angeles Urban League is currently experiencing.”
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Pasadena scored something of a coup when it showed up on The New York Times’ new list of “52 Places to Go in 2024.” In fact, Pasadena was the only California destination to appear on the list, which includes mostly unexpected places. For example, the Path of Totality across North America was No. 1 on the list.
As for Pasadena, which was No. 40, the Times said, “the leafy city center is eminently strollable with a vibrant main street” and added that the nearby Norton Simon Museum “features a sculpture garden inspired by Monet’s grounds at Giverny.”
The Insider is compiled by Editor-in-Chief Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].
