New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, December 2025 – Raini Knowles has started a new role as Director, Human Resources Business Partners at Hancock Whitney, taking on expanded responsibility for providing strategic human capital leadership across multiple business units. In this role, she oversees a team of HR Business Partners and serves as a primary strategic advisor to senior leaders on workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, change leadership, talent management, and culture priorities.
In her current position as Director, Human Resources Business Partners at Hancock Whitney, Raini Knowles leads enterprise-level HRBP strategy, supporting senior business leadership across critical functions. Her appointment builds on her strong track record within the organization and reflects confidence in her ability to align people strategy with business outcomes in a complex financial services environment.
Prior to this elevation, she served as Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Hancock Whitney, where she partnered closely with senior leadership on business strategy, associate relations, compliance, litigation management, and mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. During this phase, she played a key role in aligning human capital priorities with evolving business needs.
Earlier, Raini Knowles was associated with Entergy as Manager, HRBP – Finance, where she supported finance leadership with workforce planning, talent management, and organizational effectiveness initiatives in a hybrid operating environment, further strengthening her exposure to large-scale, matrixed organizations.
Her longer tenure at Hancock Whitney included progressive roles such as Regional Human Resources Manager and Senior HR Advisor, spanning several years. In these roles, she managed regional HR operations, advised leaders on employee relations and performance management, and supported workforce transformation initiatives across the bank’s footprint.
She began her HR career with hands-on generalist experience at Audubon Engineering, Rooms To Go, and Kirschman’s Furniture, building a strong foundation across compliance, HR operations, employee relations, benefits administration, and systems implementation. Earlier in her career, she also served as Resident General Manager at Extended Stay America, gaining valuable people leadership and operational experience outside of traditional HR roles.
Raini Knowles holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resources Management from the University of New Orleans, which underpins her strategic and business-oriented approach to human resources leadership.
About Hancock Whitney
Hancock Whitney Corporation (NASDAQ: HWC) is one of America’s strongest and safest banks, built on a legacy of more than a century of resilience, values, and opportunity. With over $35 billion in assets, the bank operates financial centers across Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, offering a comprehensive range of traditional and digital banking services.
The organization provides commercial and small business banking, private banking, trust and investment services, healthcare banking, and mortgage solutions. Hancock Whitney also operates loan production offices in Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia, continuing to strengthen its presence across the southern United States.
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