Movers and Shakers: Julia Fuller, Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety, Thomson Reuters

juliafullerBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“My advice for women is to know yourself,” said Julia Fuller, VP of Environment, Health and Safety at Thomson Reuters. She explained, “Focus on what are the things that you really hold dear as your core values. What are you really good at? Know your real strengths. Having that knowledge about your abilities is really powerful.”

After growing her career at the Reuters Foundation and then becoming global head of corporate responsibility for Reuters, she shepherded the program through the 2008 merger with Thomson. Then Fuller turned her attention to women’s advancement. Fuller leads the UK chapter of the Women @ Thomson Reuters network, and also leads the London network Women on the Wharf, a multi-firm women’s networking group which is focused on helping women stay in their careers at the challenging mid-level.

“Be true to yourself and know what makes you tick,” she advised. “Don’t try to be someone else and don’t try to live up to someone else’s dream. Follow your own dreams.”

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Meg Brown, Director, Sustainable Investment, Citi

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Meg Brown, Director of Climate Change and Sustainable Investment Research at Citi, one of the first things she learned when beginning her career was the importance of speaking up. “When I was quite new, I didn’t know that if you don’t ask you don’t get. But if you do ask, you get quite a lot.”

Based in London, Brown leads Citi’s global climate change research and its European ESG product. She continued, “The best advice I’ve ever been given is to always have a view. If you have a view, if you contribute, people want you on their team, regardless of your gender.”

She said the advice has become even more meaningful as she’s advanced in her career. “No one is going to hand things to you on a plate. If you have a voice, if you contribute to the business, you can negotiate.”

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Jane Newton, Partner and Wealth Manager, RegentAtlantic Capital

janenewtonBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Jane Newton was drawn to Wall Street fresh out of her graduation from Tufts University. “What better place is there for an econ major who wants to learn about business in the Big Apple?” she asked.  “I wanted to learn from the smartest people around.”

Newton joined JP Morgan, working in investment banking for 12 years, then moving to private banking for another six. “Switching to work with high net worth clients was probably the best strategic decision I could have made – having that direct impact on the important people I work with and their families.”

She continued, “And moving to RegentAtlantic Capital seven years ago was the other best decision I’ve made professionally. The firm has fostered my leadership and created an environment where I can hone my focus and skills toward a specific market.”

Now Partner and Wealth Manager at RegentAtlantic, Newton is also an enthusiastic advocate of networking, especially for women. In 2010, she launched the annual Wall Street Women Forum®, an event designed specifically for high-level women on Wall Street to help them continue their professional success. “Conceiving of the Forum takes me totally out of my comfort zone. I created something from scratch to meet a need I identified. The Forum changes women’s lives in a way I didn’t expect from the beginning and it has touched a nerve. There’s a gap we’ve been able to fill for these professionals,” she explained.

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Lynne Laube, President and COO, Cardlytics Inc.

LynneLaubeBy Robin Madell, San Francisco

Tradition may come to mind before innovation when thinking about the financial services industry. But for Lynne Laube, president and COO of Cardlytics, Inc., innovation has consistently come first. “I have always been excited by innovation and knew that was where I wanted to focus my career,” she explained.

After starting her career at Bank One and then spending 13 years at Capital One, most recently as vice president and COO, Laube decided to take a more entrepreneurial route. She co-founded Cardlytics, which offers targeted advertising within banking, in the summer of 2008 with Scott Grimes, Cardlytics CEO. Yet even while serving in her earlier roles in banking, Laube was always on the lookout for opportunities to innovate—and found several.

Over the years, Laube worked on products that have since become ubiquitous in the industry, but at the time were cutting-edge, such as balance transfer, micro-business lending, and private-label lending. “I love creating new products, building new businesses, and trying new models,” she said. “When I joined Capital One, they were at the forefront of innovation within consumer and business lending.”

Toward the end of her tenure, she began focusing on payment innovation, and played a major role in the creation of decoupled debit, a groundbreaking and controversial product. While the product ultimately was unsuccessful, Laube’s work in this area helped her see the potential for other innovations with financial services. “I suspected it would be easier to innovate from a new company rather than within the walls of a very large bank, and that is when I left Capital One and started Cardlytics,” she said.

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Kathleen McQuiggan, President, Catalina Leadership

kathleenmcquigganBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I wish I could say I had a grand plan about forming my own company,” said Kathleen McQuiggan, Principal of Catalina Leadership, with a laugh. “But I started as an entry level sales assistant at an investment banking firm. And I had this notion of making a bet on people and always following my gut.”

McQuiggan spent six and a half years at the investment bank Alex. Brown, where she started her career, before she was recruited to Goldman Sachs. She rose to become a top quartile vice president in institutional sales at the firm, before striking out on her own.

“It was about me driving things versus letting other things drive me,” she explained. “I founded Catalina Leadership two years ago. I had had a successful career and I was ready for my next adventure. I wanted to leverage what I had learned in my 20 years in financial services sales with a passion for helping women advance their careers and helping companies realize the value of diversity.”

Catalina Leadership is focused on helping companies invest in women. She continued, “Starting my own business was never an avenue I thought I would go down. I’ve learned a lot and been challenged in ways I haven’t been challenged before.”

Currently McQuiggan is retained by PAX World Fund Management to work with them on their strategy for gender equality as an investment concept and building out their practice management Women & Wealth Initiative, which helps financial advisors work better with women clients.

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Jamila Piracci, Vice President of OTC Derivatives, National Futures Association

JPiracciBy Sophie Fletcher (Chicago)

Jamila Piracci believes in a combination of serendipity and making the best of opportunities.  Previously a lawyer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, she was looking for a new challenge when she was directed by an interviewer to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), a global financial trade association that represents participants in the privately negotiated derivatives industry, also known as the Over-the-Counter (OTC) markets.

She had been keeping up with ISDA activity and following the progress they were making related to documentation standards and, based on this person’s suggestion, decided to pick up the phone and call ISDA’s General Counsel.

It happened to be a brilliant time to call because it turned out they were looking to hire outside lawyers. The General Counsel was acquainted with Piracci through industry events and asked her to come in for an interview. “I am still in awe of how I got a job there,” remarks Piracci.

Before working at ISDA, Piracci spent a number of years at various law firms, having started her practice as a lawyer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. While ISDA and the New York Fed were her favorite places to work, Piracci credits her diverse professional background in getting her to where she is now – Vice President of OTC Derivatives at the National Futures Association.

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Anika Khan, Vice President, Economist, Wells Fargo

AnikaKhanBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Anika Khan, Vice President and Economist at Wells Fargo, said one key to advancing your career is cultivating a broad knowledge base – but also developing an expertise in a field you are passionate about.

She explained, “If I was to think of one thing I wish I knew when I was starting out it would be to be an expert in something, but know a little bit about everything.”

“When you begin your career, you’re trying to get a sense of everything. But when I became a subject matter expert my career really gained upward momentum.”

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Lisa Davis, Director, Global Product Manager, Global Transaction Services, Citi

LisaDavisBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Networking is critical, according to Lisa Davis, Director and Global Product Manager, Citi Global Transaction Services. She said, “I want to mention the power of networking. You need to develop a network of people who can help you. Be sure that you’re networking on various levels.”

According to Davis, “Networking is a necessary tool that is underutilized. I believe the sooner you realize the power of networking, the greater your chances are of successfully navigating your career. This is especially true for women, minorities, and the LGBT population.”

“Many people are afraid to network,” she continued. “I for one am a typical introvert and I’m not always comfortable taking the initiative to meet people and interact – but when you talk about true networking, that’s what you do! Its not just about meeting people, it’s about developing relationships rather than just collecting business cards.”

She added, “When networking, you should always have your elevator speech ready and you should always make sure you have an intelligent answer and something relevant to add.”

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Anne Izzillo, President, Financial Women’s Association of New York

anneizzilloBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Anne Izzillo, President of the Financial Women’s Association, believes sincerely in the power of networking – in fact, she said, that’s how she got involved in the group in the first place. “I lived and worked in London for 14 and a half years and I came back in 1999, basically without a network.”

“Everybody had gone to the four winds in the almost 15 years I was away,” she explained. “And somebody I know, a friend of a friend actually, suggested, because I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a network anymore… that I join the FWA.”

“You can join and meet some great women and foster some great relationships, or you can actually join a committee and get involved in the organization and that’s what I did from day one.”

On Tuesday, The Financial Women’s Association of New York celebrated its 2011 Holiday Party at the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square with networking and discussion. Hosted by NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifield, the event featured an interview between Greifield and CNBC reporter Scott Wapner.

A new partnership between the FWA and The Daily Beast’s Women in the World project was also announced at the event, whereby the FWA will have a page on the WITW website and partner on events.

Kim Azzarelli, Vice President, New Ventures at Newsweek Daily Beast and President of the Women in the World Foundation, announced the project. Azzarelli, whose background is in corporate law, said the partnership would connect different sectors to benefit women globally. She explained, “If we could connect the dots across all of the sectors, we could really do a lot for women and girls, and connect the dots across the generations as well.”

The partnership is one step in making the FWA a more global organization, which, Izzillo said, is one of her key goals for the next year and beyond. “Eventually, someday I’d love to see the FWA be an international or a global organization,” she said.

Read more

/by

Movers and Shakers: Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement, Wells Fargo

KarenWimbishBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement at Wells Fargo, refers to herself as a “second half champion.” Having been in the industry for over 35 years, and worked in several functions, she saw her career pick up significantly after her kids were high school age – and she said, women in particular can benefit from a new, more flexible vision of the workplace.

She explained, “The old notion is that you have to sky-rocket up through the ranks. You can actually do it a little later.”

At a time when people are living and working longer, Wimbish said, women shouldn’t feel locked into a particular career path. “I never managed anyone besides my part time assistant until I was over 40. I was always an individual contributor. But now in the second half of my career, I manage hundreds of people. I don’t believe in career paths – I believe in opportunities.”

Read more

/by