By Dan Freed
NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Bank Leumi Le Israel BM has had its U.S. headquarters on Fifth Avenueoverlooking the St. Patrick's Day Parade for more than 40 years,but this was the first year the U.S. unit of Israel'ssecond-largest lender had a party to celebrate.
Hosting festivities for a Catholic Saint is just one part ofthis Israeli lender's efforts at an American makeover to attractfresh U.S. clientele. And on March 17 in Manhattan, that means anod to the Irish.
"The first Chief Rabbi of Israel after independence wasIrish," said Chaim Fromowitz, head of private banking at BankLeumi USA, referring to Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog.
The idea for Wednesday's celebration came from ShawnMcGowen, 37, a former Wells Fargo & Co and Citigroup Inc banker who joined Bank Leumi in September as head ofcommercial banking.
McGowen said he was unsure how the bank's leadership wouldreact to his unorthodox proposal. President and CEO AvnerMendelson responded enthusiastically. "He didn't hesitate," saidMcGowen. "He said it was a great idea."
Since Mendelson took over as CEO of Bank Leumi USA two and ahalf years ago he has worked to make it more American, part ofthe parent company's U.S.-centered growth strategy. Leumi hasmore than $100 billion in assets in Israel and more than $6billion in the U.S.
Mendelson, 41, has hired several young executives, many ofthem not Jewish, who have stronger ties to the United States than to Israel.
"I thought 'What will this be like? Will I go walk into ameeting and half the people will be speaking Hebrew?'" saidPeter Dawson, a recently-hired Irish-American executive who hasworked at U.S. units of Banco Santander SA and HSBCHoldings PLC. "But it hasn't been like that at all."
Minimizing the use of Hebrew in the office has been part ofthe makeover under Mendelson, said commercial bankingrelationship manager Fran Davis, who has spent 28 years atLeumi.
The bank is considering moving to a floor withoutsoundproofed windows for next year's St. Paddy's Day party sorevelers can better hear the marching band music. (Reporting by Dan Freed in New York; Edited by Charles Levinsonand Alistair Bell)