Breakfast4Success - Never Ever, Ever Give Up (Jun. 2026)

Never Ever, Ever Give Up
Lessons in Leadership and Resilience from Jay Sidhu

Join us for an unforgettable Breakfast4Success with one of Berks County's most visionary business leaders - Jay Sidhu, Executive Chair of Customers Bancorp, Inc.

Sidhu's story is one of extraordinary resilience, purpose and leadership. From hitchhiking from India to London as a young man with a dream, to transforming small community banks into billion-dollar institutions, he has built a career defined by vision, grit and heart. As the founder and former CEO of Sovereign Bank and now Chairman and former CEO of Customers Bancorp, Sidhu has led organizations through remarkable growth and change while never losing sight of his personal mission: to inspire others to dream big and never give up.

In this deeply personal and inspiring presentation, based on his international best-selling book "Never Ever, Ever Give Up," Sidhu shares lessons on:

• Building authentic leadership and trust within your team

• Finding purpose and happiness in your work and life

• Turning failures into catalysts for growth

• Raising the next generation of emotionally, spiritually and intellectually strong leaders

You'll leave motivated to pursue your own vision with greater focus, gratitude and resilience - ready to make a lasting impact in your organization and community.

Jay Sidhu came to Berks County in the mid-1980s to become the President and CEO of a small bank - the New Home Federal Savings & Loan Association. It was a tiny institution but over the coming years, Sidhu grew the organization renaming it Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. From Sovereign's Initial Public Offering, or IPO, of just $12 million he grew the firm to a market cap approaching $12 billion, making it the 17th largest banking institution in the country with more than $90 billion in assets by 2006 when the Spanish bank Santander bought 20% of the company. Santander completed the acquisition of Sovereign in January 2009. 
 
A few months later, Sidhu, along private investors, took control of a small, failing bank in Phoenixville. He and the team did an IPO and renamed the institution Customers Bank. Today, Customers Bank is one of the largest 80 banks in America and one of the most profitable with assets over $22 billion. The holding company, of which Sidhu is the Chairman and former CEO, is headquartered in West Reading. His son Sam took over as CEO as of Jan. 1 of this year.
 
Sidhu has received various recognitions in the industry, including Financial World's CEO of the Year, Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year and was named the Large Business Leader of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce. 
 
In 2023, Sidhu launched his Wall Street Journal and Amazon best-selling book, "Never Ever, Ever Give Up." The book is part memoir, management training, a guide to good parenting and part spiritual commentary for finding happiness and fulfillment. Since April 2023, Sidhu has been speaking globally on the themes of his books making presentations in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Paris, Madrid, Sydney, Prague, Dubai, Latvia, Central America, Mexico and all over the United States including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. 
 
He earned a Master of Business Administration from Wilkes University and graduated from the Harvard Business School's Leadership Course for CEOs.

Welcome New Members!
Members who have joined since our last Breakfast4Success in February get one free ticket to this event. Contact Dallan Yoh (dyoh@greaterreading.org) for more information.

About Breakfast4Success
Breakfast4Success is one of GRCA's signature member experiences - a morning designed to connect, celebrate, and inspire. Join fellow members to welcome new faces, honor long-time supporters, and hear updates on the initiatives that strengthen our local business community. Each program features an engaging, topic-driven presentation that equips you with new ideas and perspectives to fuel your personal and professional success.

​Thank you to our Breakfast4Success Series Sponsors