Voice of Experience: Min Chen, Managing Director, Head of Asia Corporate Finance, Head of China Real Estate and Lodging, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

By Michelle Hendelman

Min Chen, Managing Director, Head of Asia Corporate Finance, Head of China Real Estate and Lodging, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, admits that she stepped outside of her comfort zone when she accepted the assignment to work in Hong Kong in 2006. But this is something she encourages all women in business to do. Chen said, “Women should seize every opportunity that is presented to them. It is important to be open to new experiences and to have confidence in your abilities.”

She continued, “This is also why it is important to master your skill set and know your fundamentals. You never know when you will be asked to take on something new.”

Career in Investment Banking

“Looking at my career as a whole, what makes me proud is the fact that I was able to successfully make the transition from working in the United States to moving to Asia and developing to build strong relationships with my clients here.” She continued, “My clients are very different in the US and Asia, and being able to make that transition – and make it work – has been extremely satisfying.”

Chen has always worked in investment banking, and right now she is most interested in being involved in the growth of the investment banking industry in Asia. “In the United States, the investment banking industry is well established,” she said. “But in Asia, the industry as a whole is in a much earlier stage than the US. Because of this, I think a lot about how to make sure our clients understand what we do and how to help them do business in international capital markets.”

“A new challenge, and an exciting assignment for me, is to make sure the corporate finance group is well organized and efficient. I want to ensure the team members are motivated by the new and exciting work they are doing, developing their careers, and making meaningful connections. Leading the team is something that is very near and dear to my heart.”

Women in Financial Services

One of the challenges women must overcome working in the financial services industry is the disproportional ratio of men to women. Chen explained, “The ratio becomes much more apparent when you start to look at the number of women in leadership roles. This sends a message to young women in that it is hard to make it to the upper levels of the industry.”

Chen also stated that women working in financial services will notice pretty quickly that most of the key decision makers on the client side are men. “As a female banker calling on these clients, sometimes it is harder to get through. But I see women making these connections and they do it well. You just have to find that special angle that will help you break through and gain access to these clients,” said Chen.

According to Chen, mentoring and sponsorship are key factors to developing young female executives in the financial services industry. She said, “It is important to have women in senior roles who want to mentor the younger generation of women and foster meaningful relationships.”

One of the women’s advancement opportunities that Chen has benefited from is a special program with Columbia University in which mid- to senior- level women attend a two day workshop to learn and talk about some of the challenges women face across all business lines, not just investment banking. “The one thing I took away from this program,” said Chen, “Is that I had the chance to network with women from all across the world who were at a similar point in their career as me, but in different business lines and different markets.”

Bank of America also has various formal mentoring programs in place for young associates where they are paired up with senior level executives who they can go for advice and guidance.

Outside of the Office

Chen loves to travel as much as she can for fun even though she spends half of her time on the road for work. Chen also enjoys spending time outdoors, which she said is very refreshing and a good way to clear her mind. “When I am not traveling, I do quite a bit of running and hiking,” said Chen. “There are a lot of very nice hiking trails in Hong Kong, which is something a lot of people don’t realize.”