WASHINGTON – The American Bankers Association recently announced a number of heavy hitters to address its Banking Leaders Forum and Annual Convention set for Oct. 15-18 in Phoenix. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, will set the tone for the meeting, then Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke will share his views on the economy and critical regulatory issues facing banks.

The convention will also feature strategic sessions in three core subject areas: leadership and human capital; shareholder value; and risk management. Speakers at these sessions include: Fortune Senior Editor-at-Large Geoffrey Colvin; Comptroller John Dugan and Fed Governor Susan Schmidt Bies; and economist Sung Won Sohn, currently the president and CEO of Hanmi Financial Corp., a community bank in Los Angeles.

Strategic sessions on funding strategies, mergers and acquisitions, Basel 1A and Basel II, and a number of other topics will also be available.