Auta Lopes

Unity National Bank

Atlanta Market President

As the Atlanta Market President for Unity National Bank, Auta’s role included growing the loan and depository portfolio and interest income fees, brand management and marketing, customer relationship management and retention, product development, compliance, and financial analysis to ensure the bank’s success and steadiness.  

Auta is the Owner, Managing Partner, and Head of Business Development for 1 Ignite Capital LLC, an Atlanta-based MBE and WBE financial services consulting firm, partnering with institutional, high-net-worth individuals and other financial partners to address their financing and risk management needs.  

Lopes is a successful institutional financial consultant and marketing strategist with more than 30 years of investment experience in the financial services industry with a focus in Public Private Partnerships, capital strategies for entrepreneurs, small to medium size businesses, institutional and international clients.  

As the Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing for a boutique financial advisory and investment managing firm, Lopes assisted Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) with origination and closure of millions of dollars in transactions and developed key relationships with university presidents, public fund trustees, investment consultants, chief financial officers, county commissioners and investment bankers. 

Lopes is active in multiple communities and philanthropic endeavors. She currently holds three board positions including with the Georgia Institute of Technology, the College of Arts at Kennesaw State University, and for a multibillion-dollar Global Infrastructure Investment Company.  

Lopes graduated from Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, with a concentration in Finance. She is fluent in English and proficient in Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, and Spanish. Auta currently lives in Alpharetta Ga, with her husband and son.