In September, the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT) honored Rob Blackwell, chief content officer and head of external affairs at Arlington, Virginia-based IntraFi, with its prestigious IBAT President’s Award. The honor is bestowed each year at the sole discretion of President and CEO Christopher Williston to an associate member who goes above and beyond in serving the community banking industry and IBAT. The recipient demonstrates an ongoing commitment that extends well beyond delivery of services to IBAT members. Recipients also demonstrate consistent and passionate support for the community banking industry overall.
Blackwell has been with IntraFi since 2020. In addition to serving as chief content officer, he is the host of the company’s Banking with Interest podcast, which features lawmakers, regulators, bank executives, journalists and others discussing the most important issues in banking policy. He is also a frequent moderator and speaker at banking conferences and currently serves as vice chancellor of the Exchequer Club.
Blackwell previously served as the editor-in-chief of American Banker magazine and covered financial services as a journalist for nearly two decades. During his tenure at American Banker, the publication won more than a dozen major journalism awards, including its first Grand Neal Award. In 2017, Blackwell was awarded the Timothy White Award, which recognizes journalists who display “extraordinary courage, integrity and passion.” He has also written two novels with Kindle Press: The Forest of Forever and The Pretender.
Blackwell has appeared on NPR, the BBC, CNBC, Fox Business and C-SPAN as an expert on financial regulatory policy. He received his BA degree from The College of William & Mary and also studied at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
