Movers and Shakers: Christine Breck, Principal, Source Trading

Image Courtesy Oprah.com

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“The importance of building a network is critical. From what I’ve seen in my life, women are good at their jobs and perhaps building networks in our own companies. But we don’t often have our own external network.” said Christine Breck, Principal, Source Trading.

A founding member and current president of Texas Wall Street Women, Breck is enthusiastic about the value of building and nurturing network connections.

She is also enthusiastic about the people she works with. “I’ve been very lucky to build a client base of outstanding human beings. They’re smart, ethical, nice, wonderful people.”

Now a veteran in financial services, it wasn’t always Breck’s plan to work in the industry. She joked, “My family was in the financial industry. I was not going to be in the financial industry.”

But, after graduating from Connecticut College and passing on a job in PR because she would have to move to Chicago, Breck found herself working in banking – corporate finance – anyway. Until 2000, Breck worked for The Bank of New York, first in its endowments and foundations group and then as head of its insurance group in London.

After returning from London, Breck moved to Connecticut to work with her brother at Source Trading, based in Stamford. She then moved to Texas five years ago – to get away from the harsh New England winters.

The Value of Networking

Breck is most passionate about the importance of networking.

“I saw it in the first years when I started working, but didn’t really get into it until I worked at The Bank of New York. My mentor was one of the best networkers I had ever met. When he retired, there was an almost overwhelming amount of people who reached out to him to do new things. He was literally deluged with offers.”

Based on her experience with networking groups in New York and London, she founded Texas Wall Street Women 2 years ago. “We now have over 780 members in Dallas, Austin, and Houston,” she said. “We’re a not for profit, and we host one event per month in all three cities.”

The organization has grown in leaps and bounds she said – and she has big ideas for its continued development. “My only issue is time!” she joked.

For the women in the group, networking extends beyond those once-monthly meetings. For example, Breck mentioned that one of the subgroups that has come out of Texas Wall Street Women is Austin’s CFO network. Being part of the group is like having a “back-up.” She explained, “Instead of first calling an accountant or lawyer, they can call each other.”

Breck believes that networking is crucial for women to achieve success in large numbers. She explained, “We need to help each other be successful. We need to reach down. That’s how you create change – you pull people up.” She continued, “It’s going to take time and more work. But what’s the alternative?”

In Texas, she said, women are faced with the extra challenge of living in a car community. “Networking is just more of an effort – we’re more spaced out geographically.” But, she says, women in the financial industry don’t network enough in general. “Honestly, from what I see, the financial industry is a lot about networking. And we don’t do enough of it.”

She continued, “We have so much in common with one another. We’re interested in the same things – we see the world through finance! It’s an interesting dynamic to put us all in a room.”

She also touts the importance of building connections across generations. “Multigenerational networking has really resonated with our members. We are building relationships with girls’ schools, mentoring, and giving back
monetarily. The generosity, from an organizational perspective, is fantastic.”

Advice: Don’t Separate Work and Life

“One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten was from one of our speakers, Elaine Agather,” Breck said. “She said, first, ‘don’t separate work and life.’ I really enjoy who my clients are as people. And second, ‘make an effort in life to give up guilt.’ Don’t try to do everything. Outsource the things you can outsource. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

Breck also recommends getting as much education as possible, and finding as many mentors you can. And of course, building networks. She says, “Develop strong personal and professional networks. A lot of these women are my personal friends. I don’t look at networking events as work – I see it as spending time with my girlfriends.” She continued, “The people I know who are extremely successful have very large networks.”

She says she finds inspiration and guidance everywhere. “It’s hard to name just a few [mentors]. I’ve worked for so many smart and inspiring people – even a lot of clients have been great mentors to me whether they knew it or
not! I’m surrounded by them all day.”

She is also inspired by Dr. Robert Schuller‘s quote, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” “It sits on my desk every day,” she
explained. And in her spare time, Breck says, “I love to play golf and do yoga. I’m a registered yoga teacher. What do they have in common?” She answered, “no cell phones!”

Texas Wall Street Women is hosting its first charity education event in Dallas on May 12 at the Hotel Crescent Court. Moderated by Jill Foote, Ph.D., CFA, of Rice University, the panel features 7 outstanding women in finance discussing their investment outlook and the impact of changes in the
regulatory environment. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Foundation for the Education of Young Women. TXWSW also hosts mentoring events and is
working on providing financial literacy programming for FEYW.