Last week the Business Council of Alabama announced Helena Duncan as president and CEO. As the state’s largest business advocacy organization, BCA’s stated purpose is to aggressively represent Alabama’s business community.

For more about Alabama’s newest CEO, her leadership philosophy and expectations for the future, here are “Four Questions with Helena Duncan.”

During your 30-plus-year career in the banking industry, you served in a variety of roles before becoming a top executive at a $22 billion asset bank. How has this experience influenced your approach to business advocacy?

From my early years as a bank teller all the way to my position as Regional President at Liberty Bank & Trust, I was able to see the struggles of main street businesses firsthand. Individuals would have a business opportunity and come to me for lending. Many of those main street businesses I worked with closely are impacted by the pro-jobs and pro-growth legislation that we advocate for here at BCA. Now, I am in a position to remove some of those obstacles I’ve seen throughout my career and help create more opportunity for businesses.