Private Company Director’s Directors to Watch 2026 highlights 29 significant and diverse directors who have contributed to and will continue to expand ongoing dialogue on board best practices and corporate governance excellence.
Freda Lam Zietlow
Bank of the Orient
Freda Lam Zietlow is an accomplished director with more than 25 years of global financial services experience. She brings governance depth in audit, risk management, and digital transformation to regulated and growing enterprises. Zietlow is audit committee chair at Bank of the Orient. She has also served on its strategy, technology, and asset and liability committees. She is vice chair of the board of Myriad USA and advises Daylight Advisors. Zietlow’s executive career includes leadership roles at Fiduciary Trust International, JPMorgan and Fremont Group.
Zietlow is an NACD certified director and was recently named The Financial Times’ Agenda Future 50 Director. She is a member of the Private Directors Association, Extraordinary Women on Boards and Ascend Pinnacle.
Translating ambition to value. “Effective corporate governance serves as a catalyst for long-term growth, not just a framework for compliance. The critical challenge is managing the risk/reward calculus inherent in transformation, amplified by rapid technological, regulatory and geopolitical changes. Boards must intentionally structure and equip their committees with future-forward expertise and perspective. Independent directors should proactively engage to support management as strategic partners, while also challenging assumptions. Financial and technical acumen, along with defined processes, enable translation of ambition into executable strategy, ensuring capital allocation, digital and other investments align with long-term, sustainable value creation for the shareholders.”