Iris Colón, Manager, Transformation & Growth, BDO

Iris ColonIris Colón names her biggest learning moment as being able to recognize the power in your own voice, especially as a woman of color.

That confidence often comes from accumulated knowledge, but since she has been fortunate to work in a wide variety of industries, she knew that she couldn’t have amassed as much industry knowledge as others; however, that didn’t make her opinions less valid.

“Even if someone had more longevity, I can speak from different perspectives, which is especially important in today’s climate,” she says, adding that she also likes to be the voice for others who feel there is too much risk to speak up or take action. She learned to advocate for herself as a teenage cancer survivor.

Pivoting Among Industries

”Winding, with some roundabouts” is how Colón describes her career path. Her first role out of college was as an assistant at a nonprofit working to improve afterschool programs by enhancing the skills of afterschool staff. She believes being discovered for the role was serendipity as she had applied online, and by coincidence, the CFO had been the program director of an afterschool program she had attended many years ago and recognized her name. Then, she was interviewed by someone who had attended her college and lived in Washington Heights where she grew up.

After her stint there, Colón went to work in NYC government on workforce development, first holding positions as an analyst and then a manager. Her next pivot was to technology since she had planned to move to Connecticut, and many New York City agencies require you to be a resident. She was able to land the job because of her transferrable skills in data management, which she had performed for all the workforce development programs. While there, she pursued her MBA while working fulltime.

After graduation, Colón decided to seek consulting roles with a human component and took a position with a healthcare company, where she helped implement multiple organizational changes, such as the Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) program. Then as the firm confronted transformation, she decided it was a good time for her to seek other opportunities.

She held a client-facing role at McLagan an Aon company for three years, where she worked with fintech firms helping them establish their vision and HR initiatives, as well as with major financial companies in the Caribbean. Now she is at BDO, working on a team focused on Strategy, Operational Efficiency, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Learning & Development for the Advisory division.

As she has moved between roles, she has always prioritized finding a company that lives its values. To help assess that, she treats interviews as a two-way fact-finding mission, asking how they treat employees of all races and genders.

Her proudest professional achievement encompasses two facets: She is proud of her workforce history where she’s been able to adapt to so many types of industries, with a personality that lends itself to be a good fit with a wide variety of people and projects. However, she’s also proud of her education. As a Latina, graduating from college as a first-generation student was an amazing achievement, and then earning her MBA, as one of the few women in her classes, and also taking a leadership role in student government while she was at NYU Stern.

Giving Back is Part of her Nature

Colón believes strongly in the value of mentors. When she graduated from high school, she was awarded a scholarship and partway through her college experience she was assigned a mentor who could help her through her schooling and choosing her major. But Colón adds that she wishes she’d had more mentors who looked like her and shared similar experiences and backgrounds. Nevertheless, she says she was fortunate to have had multiple female bosses, and therefore was able to note qualities that were both good and bad to emulate or avoid.

Sometimes she believes women can see each other as competition, which can hamper a working relationship. She found it vital to identify a boss who was supportive of what she wanted to do and saw her potential and then was willing to help her grow. “Your boss needs to be an advocate for you and show they want you on the team,” she says.

Currently, Colón is active in her firm’s Multicultural Alliance that helps to plan events and also makes sure that company leaders back up their words with actions related to diversity and inclusion. Outside of her firm she gives back to organizations that have been important to her, such as the Women’s Bond Club, where she initially received her scholarship. The group has since expanded its programming to include internships and mentoring and now awards multiple scholarships.

She also participates in several alumni groups connected to NYU, including the Black and Latino Alumni Group of NYU Stern and NYU Alumni Club in Connecticut, and Haverford College, Multicultural Alumni Action Group. As a young adult cancer survivor, she is part of the First Descents and Stupid Cancer communities.

As a native New Yorker, she never anticipated moving to Connecticut, but enjoys a full life there with her husband, Anthony, and three-year-old son, Justin. And now she shares her newfound love with others, as a member of the Newcomers Club of New Canaan’s social committee dedicated to helping new residents connect with each other and get involved in the town.

“Diversity can infuse every part of your life,” she says.

by Cathie Ericson

/by

Heidi Pellerano, Chief Commercial Officer, The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf)

Heidi PelleranoWorking in the sports industry makes Heidi Pellerano very visible as a woman.

But she is able to lean on a philosophy that helps athletes themselves as they strive for success. “I might not be the best athlete, but no one will outwork me,” she says. “You might have to work harder if fewer doors are open, but it’s something I’m proud of.”

Connecting Her Passion to a Career

Many professionals take unusual paths, but that is an understatement to describe Pellerano’s career. She studied as an electrical engineer and worked in the field for three years as a military consultant. But then, she had “that moment” where she was considering that she had a long career ahead of her and wanted to make the most of it. “It was a difficult process and took some soul searching, but making a shift allowed me to be true to myself.”

Although she didn’t come from a typical “sports family,” she’d always been passionate about them and decided to see what paths might open up. As a girls basketball coach at the time, she leaned on some of the parents to help set up informational interviews as she realized it was a tough industry to break into, especially given her background. “I offered to work for free and do whatever it took, but nobody picked me up on my offer,” she says. Through the advice of the parents, she identified an opportunity to earn a master’s degree in sports management at the University of Massachusetts, which would demonstrate she was serious.

During her program, Pellerano became uneasy as she started hearing about the decisive plans her classmates had, and it became clear that even if it wasn’t a long-term goal, she needed something that would differentiate her. It was the 1998 timeframe when women’s sports were growing, and she realized that could be a niche. She specialized all her projects to establish herself, and was approached by a classmate whose dad wanted to bring a WNBA team to Orlando, which opened the door to an internship.

Recognizing it’s an industry that’s all about networking and connections, she focused on meeting other professionals, which paid off when one of the women she had met went to work at the NBA in New York and hired Pellerano. Soon she decided that a marketing degree would complement her skills so she went back to school at Duke University, where she once again was vocal about her goals. A classmate referred her to a small consulting agency in Raleigh, North Carolina, OnSport, which became her entry point to strategic consulting in sports and entertainment.

When the firm was sold to industry giant Wasserman, Pellerano stayed on and just left last year to become Chief Commercial Officer at The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), one of FIFA’s six continental confederations. She is excited to tell the story of the group’s 60th anniversary next year as the most recent hire of a recently transformed leadership team. “There is a tremendous upside and potential with all the changes that have happened in recent years.”

Making Your Voice Heard

Today when she meets with prospective hires or conducts informational interviews, Pellerano sees potential that others might not. That’s because she had been pigeon holed by her major, without someone to help connect the dots. By doing it herself, she has been able to create the career she wanted, and today can help others with a non-traditional background see where they might fit.

She has realized sports is an industry where it’s easy to be overlooked—one not designed for introverts, meaning she has to make adaptations as one herself. “The extroverts are very comfortable being seen and heard, and I’ve talked to a lot of people about how it’s fine to be introverted, but you have to understand how to shine at the right moments or it can have a limiting effect on your future.”

She acknowledges that as a former military consultant, she has gone from one male-dominated industry to another, and it’s important to focus on developing relationships.

At Wasserman she worked with an HR specialist, who posed an analogy that helped the issue of diversity and inclusion click. “When you look at the network of those in leadership, it will look like people like them, which is how underrepresentation continues,” she says. “Therefore, the best way to increase inclusion is to commit to open doors and advocate for advancement.”

“In many organizations, the biggest hurdle for women and minorities is they feel like they are meeting a quota,” says Pellerano. “If that’s the case, then forget what opened the door and prove them wrong.”

In fact, she exudes what she calls the “boxer mentality.” That means you may wonder how someone can withstand the pain, yet still have that attitude of never giving up. “Someone else has to call them out; it won’t be them,” she says, noting that there are days you wonder whether the struggle is worth it. “You have to realize everything will pay off for the next generations.”

Sports remain a passion in her personal life, and she also enjoys traveling with her family and friends, with favorite destinations being anything outdoors. “Since my job requires me to spend so much time inside, I love to get fresh air, whether it’s mountains, oceans or rivers. A beautiful landscape makes me happy.”

by Cathie Ericson

/by

Virginia Johnson; Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Legal; Global Atlantic Financial Group

Virginia JohnsonNever check your bag. Those words of wisdom have stuck with Virginia Johnson throughout her legal career since one of her first business trips as a first year associate. Traveling with a senior partner to embark on a lengthy trip, she arrived at the gate and when he asked where her suitcase was, he was shocked that she had checked it. “’Didn’t anyone ever teach you Associate Travel 101?’ he asked me.” Fortunately for Johnson, the bag quickly emerged from baggage claim as expected, but the advice has stuck with her…fast forward over 15 years and it still rings true, she says.

Wearing Many Hats Creates Exciting Opportunities

Of course, that’s just one small, but colorful, piece of advice that has helped propel her successful career. Johnson started as a corporate lawyer in 2002 at a large international law firm, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where she served as a securities and complex commercial litigator for nearly 9 years. She transferred from New York to Boston during her time at Weil, and eventually moved to a smaller Boston-based firm as a partner, where she could build her own book of business in an entrepreneurial environment. In 2012, she came across an opportunity to join the legal department of a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, and as she had always been intrigued by the idea of going “in house,” she made the leap.

Since its spin-out from Goldman in 2013, the company, which rebranded as Global Atlantic Financial Group, has dramatically transformed itself, in ways that Johnson says makes it “feel like it’s been 20 different jobs.” There, she currently heads up the corporate legal group and oversees just about everything a corporate legal department would need to handle, including contracts, licensing, cybersecurity, data privacy, litigation, employment, intellectual property, governance, risk, strategic transactions, cross-functional projects, business integration, and more.

She loves her current role where she can serve as a legal advisor but also assist with developing and shaping business strategy. “I am proud that I have been able to cultivate such a rewarding career, but also that I have built a reputation as a dependable problem solver in many contexts—a seasoned generalist who can jump into different types of situations,” she says. “As my expertise has adapted, I’ve been tapped by numerous leaders and have been able to expand my skill base. Business partners often tell me that if they don’t know who to call, they call me, as I have become known as somewhat of a ‘fixer,’ someone who can take on anything and just figure it out.”

Currently that covers leading her company’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, including introducing new initiatives, advising the business on legal risks and regulatory compliance, and conducting analysis of workplace safety logistics, company policies and procedures, employee benefits, and other aspects. While she acknowledges it is challenging, she also sees it as a chance to feel positive about something that is otherwise tragic. “Working on our response efforts is a way I can pour myself into the crisis and make a positive impact,” she says. “Most importantly, we are making sure we’re being flexible, fair and caring to our team and our customers.”

Johnson also is involved in a number of technology initiatives at Global Atlantic, an area for which she has a personal passion. This is a time like no other, she says, to spotlight the importance of innovation. “I have seen attitudes change almost overnight toward remote work and the urgency of digitizing our business capabilities, and it’s vital to embrace it, not be afraid of it. This forward-thinking attitude is critical to the future of our workplaces.”

Building Relationships and Learning on the Job

While Johnson says that sponsors can play an integral role in a career she also sees the benefits of networking at all levels.

“During my undergraduate studies and law school, I believed that if you simply buckle down and work hard, that would be enough, and by becoming a subject matter expert, people will seek you out. But now I know, it’s more than that: You have to network and build relationships,” she says, adding that she makes sure to tell her mentees not to underestimate the value of your network and to begin to grow those relationships immediately in your career. Too many times she has seen people focus exclusively on their work, and then find years later that they are building those relationships from scratch.

She credits her career transitions with seeking out and nurturing connections that would pay off in years to come. Success in the world of law entails a blend of talent and effort, along with some luck, she says.

As she considers the many mentors she’s had, the traits she admires most are having a mastery of skills and a devotion to excellence, while still maintaining a life outside work and a sense of humor. “These things aren’t mutually exclusive,” she explains. And, she appreciates those who put a premium on diversity in hiring and foster an environment where people can offer divergent opinions and dissenting views.

Johnson is proud of helping found a women’s network, which has become a firmwide presence at Global Atlantic, offering a large network across all the offices. Acting as a senior sponsor, she finds the most rewarding part has been the ability to empower younger professionals as “office champions” to plan events and initiatives. She sees it as a way to both retain talent and attract new professionals.

A Full Life Inside and Outside Work

In addition to her mentoring work within the company, Johnson is active in external mentoring with Big Sisters and Mentorloop, a virtual networking site that matches pairs according to interests. While she has spent much of her career in the financial services industry, she is an innovation enthusiast who loves learning about emerging technologies, and she often attends tech-focused events and peer chats to satisfy her curiosities.

Johnson also loves music, film, theater, and travel, and looks forward to resuming those activities after the pandemic clears. Since working from home full-time during the coronavirus outbreak, she has enjoyed being able to exercise more, favoring virtual boxing classes and yoga. And she treasures time she can spend with family, friends and her pets. “It’s important to have a well-rounded life outside of work. It gives you valuable perspective in making business decisions and also when you’re done with the workday.”

by Cathie Ericson

/by

Cristina Varner; Senior Vice President, National Life Science Practice Leader; ABD Insurance & Financial Services

Cristina Varner

In her 25-year career, Cristina Varner has heard a number of buzzwords come and go, but one concept that she was delighted to first hear about and see endure is “sponsorship.”

“When that term came up it really resonated with me…who’s in the room talking about you when you’re not there?” she says, citing studies showing women tend to be over-mentored and under-sponsored. She recalls a former boss who was a strong producer, and they gravitated toward one another. “We didn’t put a name on it, but it was sponsorship as she helped me be my best,” Varner says. “She would tell me that I was passionate, not impatient, as others might call me. In that way she would replace what sounded like a negative that I might be thinking I needed to fix and reframing it in a way that was positive.”

That’s why everyone who wants to grow in their career needs a sponsor, says Varner.

A Career Pivot Proves Successful

Turns out Varner had a lifetime “sponsor,” even though she just called him “dad.” That’s because she had initially planned on being a fashion buyer, but when she joined Nordstrom during a tough economic period, it didn’t take long to realize that buyers weren’t soon going to be giving up their jobs.

Her father was in insurance, and while he’d always said that insurance was a great business, she hadn’t intended to follow in his footsteps…and yet since he was nearing the end of his career, she joined to see what it was all about. “He was very old school and treated me like any employee,” she says. But that taste of the industry worked, and from there she decided it was what she wanted to do, embarking on what would become a fruitful and fascinating career.

Since Varner didn’t want to take over his business, he recommended she consider becoming a retail broker on the commercial side. She was willing to learn and also realized it was the right time as it was the Silicon Valley heyday, with companies unable to hire people fast enough. Varner started on the ground level and worked her way up, primarily working with tech companies at the time, before a pivot moved her into the life science industry. Since then she’s built two life science practices from the ground up, and that has led her to the professional achievement she is most proud of so far—building robust teams and being part of watching younger people grow and make names for themselves.

Her current company, which she spun out with a core group in 2012, is now in its eighth year.

A Fearless Leader

While she doesn’t recall having specific assumptions starting her career, she realizes the importance of not only having a strong work ethic—being willing to raise your hand for new opportunities, but also the power of being a non-conformist. Varner describes herself as not “cookie cutter,” but rather fearless, a trait she didn’t recognize as unique and valuable until she was farther along in her career.

That instinct was on full display when she and a small group decided to leave a large employer to spin off their new company, an unusual and courageous decision, given that insurance people in general are risk averse in their careers. “It took a leap of faith to believe in a new CEO and leave much of my team behind.” And of course, that sowed doubts: How would I be able to do this? Will clients come with us?

One of her biggest fears was that people wouldn’t come along with her, but her biggest client followed her with words that stuck with her, “I don’t do business with companies; I do it with people.”

Even with initial misgivings, looking back, she knows it was the best career decision she has made. “It allowed me to start fresh in that I could come up with creative ideas, and that was the biggest turning point in my career,” Varner says.

Building Support Mechanisms

Varner has been proud to be part of creating culture at ABD, including a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council formed last year. She also founded the ABDHer Employee Resource Group (ERG), a passion that comes from the fact that she was strongly challenged, inspired and mentored by female leaders in her career and wanted to pay it forward.

The group has spearheaded a number of initiatives, including currently hosting webinars with other female leaders. Recent offerings have included topics like how people can successfully lead in times of tumult.

“When I started my career, we were expected to just figure it out, but I think it’s important that we now have much more focus to help people navigate their careers and growth and build skills.” She also finds that men gravitate toward the group, many of whom had been supported by a strong female figure in their own lives, to show their support.

While Varner has had her share of mentors, she also looks to other avenues for inspiration, including Maya Angelou and Oprah Winfrey, citing the quote, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” Varner heard this early on and became a devotee of her teachings, which she has found to be very impactful on her career.

Aside from her work, Varner is married and enjoys spending time outside, boating or just enjoying the summer weather, along with her “two spoiled dogs.” Her passion for dogs inspired her to connect with a local man who helps feed the dogs of homeless people and eventually started the nonprofit “Project Open Paw.” Varner also is close to completing training to be a crisis counselor for Crisis Text Line, which she heard about when she caught a podcast with the CEO. “It resonated with me as something outside of my career or normal hobbies,” she says. While it’s daunting, she is excited to make a difference. “You should always be doing things that scare you.”

by Cathie Ericson

/by

Luvleen Sidhu, Co-Founder and CEO, BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank

Luvleen SidhuAs a successful entrepreneur, Luvleen Sidhu, co-founder and CEO of BankMobile, has learned firsthand the many challenges and satisfactions CEOs experience.

“While I am incredibly proud of my work leading this company, I’ve developed a new appreciation for the challenges leaders face. It takes a lot of patience and dedication, mixed with the understanding that you are probably going to have to change course along the way as you learn more.”

Finding the Creativity in Finance

Changing course comes naturally to Sidhu; although her dad was in finance, she initially pursued a premed path at Harvard. When she realized she preferred to follow in his footsteps, her parents gave her their blessing, and she began working at Lehman Brothers while still in school and joined full-time after graduation. She soon learned how fast things can change as her first day coincided with the bankruptcy. Fortunately, her role was on the hedge fund side so she was protected and stayed there for two years after it became Neuberger Berman. “It was a pivotal moment for me as I realized the fragility of the financial industry and also saw people who lost everything, a realization that has impacted me and helped influence what we do today.”

She then went to work at Customers Bank for a year, exploring digital bank models, then earned her MBA at Wharton. That’s where she got the entrepreneurial bug, which was reinforced by a project during a summer position in the financial services practice at Booz & Company, where she was helping a client strategize how to launch its own digital bank.

She got a full time offer to join Booz, which became part of PwC, and that’s when the concept of BankMobile came up, as a culmination of everything she had explored throughout her career to date. “As my classes showed, you have to find a need and see where you can do it better.”

Indeed, she saw an opportunity in banking where customers were lacking the experience they wanted, and she felt there could be a more affordable, transparent banking model that would be digital first—and also profitable.

Innovation Leads to Success

With that idea in mind, Sidhu partnered with Customers Bank to complement its strength as a small business bank and incubate BankMobile as a consumer digital bank. Since then she has overseen its monumental growth and was named “Fintech Woman of the Year” by LendIt in 2019, when the bank was also honored as “Most Innovative Bank.”

Currently she is excited about a strategy they are pursuing of white label banking for companies that want a unique way to attract, retain and delight customers. Since BankMobile has already identified the pain points, they can provide the end-to-end experiences that allows companies to offer their own branded banking services while avoiding the regulatory challenges inherent in becoming a bank. Already they are working with nearly 800 colleges, as well as T-Mobile.

That decision came from the realization that sometimes you have to pivot, and while you might not end up how you started, it can be just as meaningful. This business shift came after a year-and-a-half when they realized that while they wanted to create a brand that would resonate with their customers, the direct to consumer model was not going to be as profitable. “The choice was to stick with this consumer brand or pivot, which would allow us to still be true to the mission to create more affordable, transparent banking. We recognized that we can embrace a different way to accomplish our goals and mission, which brought about the change from B2C to B2B.”

Seeking Advice from Like-Minded People

Throughout her life, Sidhu has recognized the importance of mentors, starting with the superintendent of her high school and middle school who was a mentor to her then and has since started his own executive coaching company. In that role, he has provided her leadership team with coaching to help develop their thinking around core values and mission.

“He’s an eternal learner and having someone I’ve known throughout my life whom I trust and respect has been an important relationship,” Sidhu says.

She also counts her father as both mentor and role model. Currently he is CEO of Customers Bancorp, the parent bank, but previously he had helped grow Sovereign Bank, now Santander Bank, into a top national bank. “I love his patience and excitement. Even when things get tough, he is lighthearted and gets excited and energized by challenges. He rolls with the punches,” she says, adding that of course she also appreciates that he had given her a head start in learning about banking at a young age.

Today she also finds inspiration among her fellow CEOs as an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, which meets weekly to discuss current topics and share best practices. Throughout the COVID-19 situation, she has found it invaluable to hear how others are navigating similar situations in varied areas, such as communicating with customers and employees, cutting costs, negotiating leases, working with a remote team and most of all, protecting their health and that of their business.

Spirituality is very important to Sidhu, who starts every morning with 45 minutes of chanting. “It energizes me and helps me reflect and find clarity toward my intentions for that day and my life as a whole.”

by Cathie Ericson

/by

Mover & Shaker: Devlyn Lorenzen, Business Support Associate, Wells Fargo

,

Devlyn Lorenzen“Take charge of your own narrative and find people who will speak up for you,” recommends Devlyn Lorenzen, business support associate at Wells Fargo Advisors.

She suggests asking people what is said about you when you’re not in the room, and if the response is not how you would like to be seen, work towards changing the perception.

It was a realization she came to when she was attending a diverse leaders training program and was expressing some frustration to a senior member. The other professional asked, “How do you show up?”

“The question made me pause because I realized she was asking me to figure out the type of demeanor I had that people were reacting to,” she said “I realized I had created my own box because of my title and that was a wake-up moment for me.The title behind your name doesn’t limit what you are capable of. You control your own narrative; don’t let other people determine what you can do.”

Lorenzen calls that moment a turning point in her career, where she developed a renewed confidence and determination.

Seizing Opportunities By Raising Her Hand

The strategy of taking advantage of the opportunities that come her way has defined Lorenzen’s career. She began working as a receptionist at a bank and soon accepted another position as an administrative assistant. When that bank merged with another, she earned a position as an assistant for the national sales manager in Charlotte, NC, and was also able to assume a managerial role, supervising other administrative assistants.

When the bank eventually merged with Wells Fargo, she continued to move up and around in the company, helping to form cross-functional and cross-departmental partnerships and helping assistants find opportunities to work on projects with high visibility. She is currently involved in a marketing workstream to build a resource internet site allowing financial advisors to quickly link to other partners.

Finding Ways to Share The Importance of Diversity

Along the way, she has been highly involved with diversity and inclusion efforts. In fact, one of the professional achievements she is most proud of so far is receiving the Diversity Champion Award for her work with Wells Fargo Advisors in 2018. While the honor itself was important, she was even more excited at the chance to bring her 17-year-old daughter as her guest to the celebration. “I wanted her to see the results of my hard work and provide her the chance to see all of the women on stage being recognized. It’s so important for young women to see those opportunities in action,” Lorenzen says.

As part of her commitment to diversity and inclusion, she led a workstream for a website overhaul, to develop a site where team members can learn what’s going on and what training opportunities are available, as well as highlighting stories and messages from leaders. “We want to raise awareness and provide the resources people need, which is exciting as it is constantly evolving,” she says, adding that she’s enjoying the collaboration part of it most of all.

While Lorenzen appreciates the progress that has been made, she feels there are more opportunities for diverse leaders. “Where is my career headed if I’m not seeing people like me in leadership roles?” she wondered.

The key for her was to look at areas of the bank where she could see other women who were achieving, and put effort into seeking those women out for career advice.

That’s why she believes it’s important for new professionals to find a mentor, and if it’s a woman, even better. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on and challenge you at the same time.

She currently has several role models—the main one is her sister who has a career in higher education and is working on earning a Ph.D. “She’s constantly forging ahead; I’ve watched her navigate her challenges by bringing her own seat to the proverbial table as well as bringing an extra one for another person. No one will automatically make space for you so that’s another reason it’s vital to have someone who can advocate and sponsor you.”

Another mentor is one of the private wealth regional presidents, who invited her to a Wealth and Investment Management Mid-Atlantic Women’s Summit and offered Lorenzen time on the stage to give a short update on her work with the Diversity Council.

Despite her nervousness, Lorenzen realized the value in accepting a stretch assignment. “You will gain confidence by overcoming your fears so I recommend finding a mentor that will push you and help you grow.”

Finding Balance Outside of Work

As an Army “brat,” Lorenzen lived all over the world, which inspired in her a love of travel. She particularly enjoys traveling with her sister and niece, as well as her daughter, who has participated in a German language immersion program since kindergarten as a way to achieve a broader worldview. Her daughter traveled to Germany for an exchange program and also spent time in the Dominican Republic for a service project. “I want her to understand that people’s lives aren’t all the same and to look outside her immediate circumstances.”

Family time is what’s most important to her: hanging out with her husband and daughter, sister and niece. In addition to watching foreign films and crime shows with her husband, she also loves to indulge her creative side by crocheting, learning to knit and solving puzzles.

“I view the current work-from-home orders as a gift to be still and slow down a bit.”

By Cathie Ericson

/by

Emily O’Daniel, CFA; Vice President, Intermediary and Retail Specialist; PineBridge Investments

Emily O'DanielWhen you start from the bottom and move up, it can be hard to figure out how to make your way, says Emily O’Daniel.

The best strategy is to always be willing to take on responsibilities and be vocal about what you want. “People can’t read your mind, so ask for opportunities and get more comfortable saying no to requests that no longer fit in your job description if you are spread too thin..” 

And she adds, it’s hard to know what roles are out there and “what you want to be when you grow up” so you always have to ask questions, attend conferences and do your research to  find out what other jobs are like in order to determine what suits you best. 

A Growing Company, A Rising Career

That can-do spirit has served her well.

Spending her whole career with one employer has been fulfilling for O’Daniel, if a bit unusual in her generation, she points out. However, it’s given her the chance to wear many hats and take on diverse roles, all at one firm. While she had been offered a position at PwC following an internship in forensic accounting, she liked the possibilities she was offered at PineBridge as she believed working at a smaller firm would be more fruitful and lead to more opportunities faster. 

Her first position was as the only analyst covering the Americas institutional sales team.  After gaining some experience supporting the larger team as the sole analyst, she asked take on a specialized role within the intermediary & retail team  —an area she deliberately chose since it was a channel she knew the least about so the learning curve was steep.  That channel has grown since then, as has the company, with four analysts now on the sales team.  

Eventually O’Daniel was promoted into her own sales role and for two years has been an independent sales woman focusing on identifying new business.  In addition, she supports the firm’s sub advisory business, which she says is much like being a teacher. “You’re working with clients and helping them understand the investment strategy we’ve developed. Often it can be easy to get stuck in your day-to-day job and not see the end result so it’s rewarding to have insight direct impact as you watch people save for retirement and know you’re helping them.” 

However, in terms of the professional achievement she is most proud of so far, it doesn’t even have to do with that rapid ascension, but rather in earning her CFA designation, given the challenge inherent in the three-level test, where each level only has about a 30% pass rate. She was able to juggle that massive responsibility with working full time, but she believes that accomplishing that has made a big difference in her career. 

Strong Mentors Support and Teach

When O’Daniel began her career, she had expected that the corporate world would be far more competitive in terms of interpersonal relationships, which would make it hard to be yourself, especially as a novice. She has been pleasantly surprised to find that while there are all kinds of people, , by and large people have been friendly and helpful. “Even when I am in meetings with competitors, you get the sense that people want to collaborate and be friendly.”

She has been fortunate along the way to have had several role models—starting with her father, who was in sales and reminded her to always find the fun in what you’re doing. “If you like what you’re doing, you’ll be better at it,” she says, adding that he also taught her that cutting corners is never the way to succeed.

In addition, she was inspired by a women with whom she interned, who ran a successful business while maintaining a caring and kind demeanor. And she’s learned from many other colleagues, both male and female, informally and formally, through the robust mentor program PineBridge offers where you are matched annually with someone new. She says her PineBridge mentors have not only given her great advice, but advocated for her. “It’s been a great way to gain exposure to people outside of my group,” she says. 

O’Daniel is also active in a recently developed PineBridge Women’s Network, which is an internal resource group to network and talk about challenges in professional and personal development. And, she’s a member of an external group, the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA), that is currently focusing on diversity and inclusion.

Since her role is largely numbers driven, outside of work O’Daniel enjoys exercising her creative side, from knitting to painting, making jewelry and handling any number of DIY projects. In addition she enjoys spending time with her family, frequently traveling to visit them in the Washington D.C. area.

/by

Beth Waldman, Strategic Initiatives Leader, Genpact Risk & Analytics

Beth Waldman

Beth Waldman of Genpact Risk & Analytics says, “Sponsorship is a key thread in my career, specifically in how I was thought of and connected with people that ultimately became my managers. Sponsorship to me went on to mean trust in me and my character and knowing that an introduction is one thing and the rest is up to you. Sponsorship can really set you up for success in your role, so when you have it, take full advantage.”

Beth started her career in 2000 with a job in advertising, at a Madison Avenue agency called DDB, known for its work with major brands like Hershey’s, Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi. The Bank of New York was her primary client and she worked her way up from group assistant to account executive. Beth was recruited by them, finalizing the switching of her path to  the client side early in her career.

Beth relays how the early part of her career journey showed her how sponsorship can work, since the person who hired her in her first financial services job, saw her potential and continued to advocate for her once she was inside the bank. She comments,

“At The Bank of New York, I cut my teeth in financial services with RFP writing and some course work, then made my way into the corporate marketing organization, supporting and working on campaigns across several different lines of business including custody, alternative investments and institutional banking.”

After a short lived stint in advertising Prime Brokerage at the ill-fated Lehman Brothers, she moved into marketing in the financial services technology industry,  mostly under the umbrella of FIS (then known as SunGard). The string of experiences there of corporate marketing and communications, demand generation, re-branding, and thought leadership creation led her to Genpact in 2014.

At the start of 2019, she made a major move, inside Genpact, going from marketing to strategy in the risk practice, focusing on financial crime compliance. The remit expanded to include all risk services, whether advisory and consulting, analytics or financial crime.

Today, she is the Strategic Initiatives Leader for Genpact Risk and focuses on engagement with key industry analysts and building out a risk & analytics advisory council. She comments,

“I’ve gone from leading small to mid-size, junior to mid-level, co-located, diverse, international teams to being an individual contributor that works closely with leadership. I appreciate the independence and the massive change in dynamic as I realized I enjoy a seat at the strategy table. It is good to understand what is important to you.”

Right now, Beth is thrilled to be scaling up Genpact’s risk & analytics advisory council and she is taking a program she built from a 1.0 to a 2.0 version with the full support of practice and company leadership. She is now focused on risk in financial services, in particular, regulations for banks and other companies handling payments; controls concerning financial crime compliance are the focus, albeit indirectly, of the work of the practice team. She adds,

“With a deep dive into this industry, the work I am involved with ultimately combats terrorist financing, human trafficking, and other crimes spawned from abuse of financial institutions. There is a virtuous nature to the work at the end of the day that I’m proud to be part of.”

Relationships Matter

Beth states that she is proud of the fact she has been recruited for each professional role she has held, including a few jobs that were created expressly for her. She comments that she believes that doing a good job and then keeping in touch with her clients, colleagues and managers is useful,

“I always keep up relationships, even if it’s using LinkedIn to stay connected to sponsors of mine. I have learned and have benefited from the value of networking. At the end of the day I believe it’s based on having strong rapport with my managers, colleagues and other stakeholders. More than once, a past connection/work relationship helped secure a new role for me when the new hiring manager sought out an endorsement for me and my character and work ethic.”

Thinking about advice to her younger self, Beth reflects that she singles out one thing: to be mindful that those around us have all had their own path to get where they are. She opines that respect is a valuable currency and establishing rapport with those you work with, especially outside your immediate team is valuable and always worthy of your time.

“You never know when you may find yourself in need of a sponsor, ally or someone to coach you – whether situationally or otherwise. Managers that spent months recruiting you can leave unexpectedly and you need to stand confidently on your own inside a new organization, as soon as possible.”

What have you learned that you want to share?

“My biggest learning moment was realizing frustration was stemming from boredom, when I was no longer learning in my role; that realization gave me the courage to seek out a new role and a new way of working entirely. I now realize I need to create and to start things and make them real; I prefer to be part of the change.

“Waldman also talks about pushing back, saying no and being authoritative without being interpreted as overly aggressive, as common challenges she has had and seen in others. Further to that, often being the only woman or one of very few women in the room is the reality but it doesn’t have to be a barrier. She offers,

“Don’t shy away from some level of self-promotion and showcasing your successes. You have to have them together (like a show reel) to access when needed.” She adds,

“Lead with your gut and your knowledge; don’t be intimidated if you can’t check every box of experience. Be realistic that no one is a rock star at their job on day one.  A good attitude and willingness to get things done will serve you well. Have  confidence in your own ability.”

Walking the Talk- role models to reality

Waldman admits that earlier in her career, any time she saw woman in a leadership position in the many financial institutions or other large companies she has worked for, she couldn’t help but gravitate towards them as she found female role models helpful.  She wants to pay it forward herself and is currently part of the Women’s Leadership Program for AVP level women across her company of nearly 100,000.

“There are over 300 of us to start, with 30 ultimately making the final phase into a VP promotional pool of candidates. It’s my second leadership course for this band level at Genpact. In prior organizations, I was nominated for and took full advantage of various leadership and other programs. More than once I was sent to presentation-focused classes, where you had to present on camera and live in front of a room of people you were meeting for the first time.”

Outside of work, after a 30 year hiatus, Beth is playing piano again, taking lessons with her daughters who are eight and six. She enjoys travel and recently, she and her husband made it to Red Rocks in Colorado to see live music and states that her ultimate adventures are those with their children; skiing with her family being is her latest and greatest proud parent moment.

/by

Mover and Shaker Q&A: Alpa Lally, Vice President of Data Business, Experian

Alpa LallyAlpa joined Experian in 2012 as an MBA program participant after initially working in the civil and structural engineering field in Canada and the US. After completing her program rotation she joined Experian’s North America Consumer Information Services (CIS) business as a Director of Prospecting. In 2015, Alpa joined the Global team as a Vice President of Strategy and in 2016, she joined the EITS organization to lead the Application Programming Interface (API) Centre of Excellence team. Most recently she joined the Experian Consumer Information Services to run the Data Business in North America, where she is responsible for product management related to Experian’s core and alternative data assets, including credit scoring models and tools. Additionally, Alpa is the Women in Experian (WiE) EITS ambassador, the sponsor of the Namaste Employee Resource Group (ERG) and is considered a thought leader in the industry by participating in speaking engagements globally. We caught up with her to learn how she is helping consumers gain access to the financial services that they need in her role at Experian.

TGH (theglasshammer): What are you working on right now?

AL (Alpa Lally): I oversee the products and scores at Experian. I feel lucky to be helping people access the credit they need while helping lenders make smarter decisions. We recently launched Experian Lift, a new scoring model that helps lenders score credit invisibles and people with a limited credit history. For the 40 million people who are currently viewed as unscoreable to a lender, this is a big deal. People who are new to this country, just getting their financial feet wet, or are recovering from a significant life-changing event may not have the traditional credit history typically used to assess creditworthiness and Experian Lift is our latest example of our commitment to help them get access to the financial services they need.

TGH: Where does your passion for this topic come from?

AL: My passion for improving financial access really comes from my own personal experiences and challenges that I have faced with credit access. I’m originally from Canada and immigrated to the U.S. When I moved, none of my positive credit history came along with me, so I had to start building my credit history from scratch. Proving you are a good credit risk to a lender when you have no traditional credit history is a real challenge and it’s a reality many people face.

Later in life, I also went through a major life-changing event: I got a divorce. This meant I was removed from joint credit accounts and was facing a lot of new debt. Because of these major life events, there were times that I had to rely on alternative forms of lending with high interest rates since I did not qualify for traditional, more affordable credit. My experiences fuel my passion to help people get the financial services they need when they need them.

TGH: What is the biggest challenge you face in your mission?

AL: One of the biggest challenges we face in the mission to improve financial health is that there is still a certain level of hesitation people have in sharing their own data. From where I sit, I’ve seen the benefits sharing data can have on a person’s ability to access many of the things we take for granted in life, such as qualifying for a loan for a new car.
As our technologies continue to evolve, I am able to see firsthand how sharing additional data has impacted many of the one million customers who have signed up for Experian Boost since we first launched six months ago. With this new product, for the first-time people have the opportunity to contribute information directly to their credit report. I’ve seen how many have boosted their score instantly by adding their positive cell phone, cable, utility and mobile phone payments to their report. As this trend continues and we see new tools like this creating a meaningful impact, I think more and more people will understand the value sharing data can create in their own lives because it not only has the potential to increase your credit score, it can allow consumers to get better access to credit for things they might need, like a car or personal loan.

TGH: What is your most recent success?

AL: I’d have to say my role in helping launch Experian Lift and its go to market strategy and the continued support of Experian Boost are my most recent successes. I feel good about these initiatives because an individual has never been able to directly impact the information included on their credit report until Experian Boost. Being a part of this groundbreaking tool was a proud moment for me both personally and professionally. Because it was such a new concept, there was a lot at stake, and we were unsure how people would respond. The results we’ve seen to date confirm that when we put financial health the heart of what we do, we have an opportunity to make really amazing things happen for people and businesses.

TGH: What is the one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you were first starting this endeavor?

AL: It is okay to stumble, and you will. No launch, pitch, or new innovation goes off without a hiccup or two so your ability to push forward is vital. To achieve this, you need to have constant feedback and a team that is in it together.

TGH: What is your advice for other women who have a challenge they wish to pursue?

AL: Go for it! I think as women we tend to overanalyze and overthink our actions. There’s never going to be a perfect time to pursue a challenge or a new endeavor. Women should also feel empowered to look for mentors and successful professionals in the industry and ask their advice. I’ve gained a lot from being mentored and mentoring others. In either situation, I always have key takeaways that I find help me both personally and professionally.

I also recommend getting actively involved at your organization. At Experian, we celebrate the diversity of ideas and backgrounds across our company. I have actively embraced our Employee Resource Groups and participated in events and initiatives such as International Women’s Day, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Hispanic Heritage Month, Pride and Veterans Day, among others. These employee groups are a great place to feel a sense of belonging and connect with people across the company with different backgrounds. It can be really beneficial to have these networks and relationships in place throughout your career as some of these people will be the ones you go to when you hit roadblocks and need help or advice.

/by

Mover and Shaker: Sylvia Guinan, Financial Advisor, Wells Fargo Advisors

Sylvia Guinan“Our time is now,” says Sylvia Guinan, financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors, in encouraging women to consider a career in the financial services industry.

It is incredibly rewarding to help individuals feel a sense of clarity, confidence and control over their investments and more importantly their future. “Years ago, the industry might have been all about stocks and performance, and while that’s still important, now everything is much more holistic. Client’s dreams, goals and fears are what drive the investment process. Women are skilled at connecting and getting people to talk about what is most meaningful to them, as well as what their fears and concerns are, which makes them excellent financial advisors,” she says.

While the number one cause of chronic stress among adults is finances, she finds that the truth is that when you dig deeper, most people are not concerned just about what they’re investing in, but how their finances can work for them by supporting them and their future plans.

A Focus on Providing Solace During Divorce

Guinan began her career at Smith Barney in New York, focusing on this type of holistic investment planning, which has always been the core of her business. She moved to Wells Fargo Advisors in 2009, where she was able to continue that commitment to ensuring each of her clients has a solid plan driving their investment decisions. “I feel fortunate that I’ve always loved what I do, and what creates that satisfaction is my long-term, meaningful connection with the clients; you almost become family because you’re one of the first phone calls when something exciting happens or when they have a need.”

Over the past several years, Guinan has created a niche practice, with nearly 70 percent of her clients being women in transition – divorce, widowhood or financial changes. She has earned her designation as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) and has built a strong rapport with divorce attorneys, mediators, accountants, psychologists and therapists. Most recently, she has teamed up with a prominent attorney in New London, CT, for what they call “Second Saturday” events, where they deliver a presentation aimed at giving advice to these clients as they begin to explore the beginning process of their transition, and have received an excellent response.

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference, and here I am able to work with women going through the most difficult times of their lives and give them hope and a new perspective as they move forward. We aim to offer them clarity around their proposed settlements, confidence by showing them where they stand by illustrating it in their investment plan and a sense of control as they start to rewrite their new chapter.”

Her confidence in exploring this area comes from lessons she has learned over the years including that if you are authentic, you will attract clients with whom you connect. Previously, she had assumed you had to emulate what a man might be like – more subdued. However, as Guinan has transitioned to being her ‘real self,’ she discovered that she is attracting clients with whom she find a good fit.

She advises younger professionals to connect with clients who are aligned with their process and to be selective when onboarding new clients. “I still have a great majority of clients with whom I started my practice, and my assistant and I have noticed that our success has come from working with like-minded clients, where it becomes reciprocal and they want to welcome you inter their inner circle by referring their family and friends. But it’s important to spend time upfront having the ‘fit’ meeting since you can’t be all things to all people,” Guinan says. Not only is the new prospective client interviewing you, you are also interviewing them to see if they are a good fit.

Finding Balance in Circles of Support

One important support system she has found through Wells Fargo Advisors is the annual Women’s Summit that gathers advisors from around the country for collaboration and vision sharing. She went the first year she joined the firm and hasn’t missed one since.

Sylvia obtained the firm’s DELTA designation, which is a high-end practice management coaching program that Wells Fargo offers their advisors. Upon completing the 19 modules with firm trained coaches, Sylvia became fully implemented and attends their annual meeting. She is also in a DELTA peer group she and seven other advisors started to support each other and share best practices. Sylvia said DELTA is by far the best training she has ever received.

Additionally she feels revived being with her three children. Living across the street from the beach, they enjoy being near the water and reveling in the beauty of the sunsets.

The family also enjoys traveling and have been to Puerto Rico, St. Martin, St. Thomas and Cuba, among other locations. She has a tradition when each of her kids turns 15 in which they do a one-on-one trip; so far, she has been to the Bahamas with her son and Bali with one daughter.

She also faithfully practices yoga, which she calls “meditation in motion,” allowing her to clear her head and ‘fill her cup’ so she can be more present when she is with clients, family and friends. “It trains you to release distractions and go with the flow, which helps me be more observant,” Guinan says, adding that she particularly appreciates the practice of ending every session with “Namaste,” which means “the light in me honors the light in you.”

“It’s a beautiful message that I hope I am able to convey in all my relationships, especially in this day and age,” she says.

Investment and Insurance Products: NOT FDIC Insured / NO Bank Guarantee / MAY Lose Value

/by