Voice of Experience: Satyavati Berera, Chief Operating Office, PwC, India

Satyavati Berera“As you join the profession, don’t lose sight of your ambition—continue to plan for growth and upskilling to stay relevant—but remember to keep a view to long-term goals and balance professional and personal needs to avoid burn out,” says Satyavati Berera, COO of PwC in India.

“There will be times when something will have to take precedence and something else might take a backseat, but that’s natural and expected.”

Making Her Mark

Berera joined PwC more than three decades ago as an intern after graduating from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. During her tenure, she’s had the opportunity to work in a wide variety of positions as she built her career trajectory, from her first role as an auditor, then moving to Risk Advisory, becoming Managing Partner for North in 2011, Consulting Leader for PwC India in 2013 and eventually taking up the COO position in 2016.

She takes pride in several milestones as she made the most of the multiple opportunities offered by the firm, assuming various roles that enriched her professional journey. But of course, nothing surpasses the fulfillment she feels in the honor of being the first woman partner in 100 years in the Audit practice of the India firm (then Price Waterhouse) and subsequently becoming the first woman COO in Big 4 in India in 2016.

Currently she is leading the transformation agenda for the firm, working to increase collaboration among its people and with the network, and spearheading programs to meet the expectations of a younger than ever workforce. “As COO, to be in the center of all these changes is frankly very exciting,” Berera says. “It’s a thrilling opportunity to lead these initiatives to drive meaningful change and help break barriers to make PwC and our people more future-ready.”

And she notes, she personally has benefited from a great deal of learning, both in this role and throughout her career. Berera also embraces her role as a change agent as the firm continues to enmesh technology and digital strategies, making it central to everything they do.

Berera says that “Today clients are increasingly looking to firms to provide specialized integrated offerings, where they take more than one competency to the client, thus providing holistic solutions to larger business problems. Technology is no longer the solution only to a CEO’s technology problem, it is at the centre of their business strategy. Therefore, we have to create an ecosystem for our people to really think like that.” Encouraging innovation and improving digital acumen of its people is firmly rooted in the firm’s strategy and Berera is committed to making it a success.

Continuing to Create Equal Opportunities

Success paths for women continue to be an issue throughout most organizations in India, which largely lacks an enabling culture for women in the middle to senior management areas. While all firms are working to establish programs and initiatives that address the void, she believes the country is a few years behind. “The sponsorship opportunities for women and custom development programs are still not enough, given the demands of their personal lives,” Berera says. “We still lose women in the mid- to senior-management levels because of personal needs, and it is unfortunate that we’ve not been able to plug this leak.”

But as she notes, PwC is a leader in this arena, having pioneered a number of initiatives to help support the advancement and retention of women. Some of the most noteworthy ones include a generous sabbatical policy and the “full-circle” program, which allows women employees to take a break for family reasons or to pursue other dreams, and then later re-join the firm. Additionally, high-performing employees can retain their last year’s rating if they have worked for significantly less time during a performance year due to a leave of absence or extended leave for maternity or other personal needs.

The firm is also proud to support mentoring programs for women at the manager level and above, where they can spend time with senior leadership, which can provide a boost to their career development journey. Other small, yet very powerful, actions include providing flexibility to women employees to address challenges that arise from working at home or reduced hours, as well as additional support for expectant mothers in the last trimester.

Finding Balance in Her Own Life

Berera prioritizes spending time with her husband and son. They all love to travel, which helps them de-stress, and wellness is important to her, so she starts each day with yoga.

She also likes to spend time organic farming on a small piece of land about 45 minutes from her home, where she grows seasonal flowers and produce.

“It’s a very soothing experience, as it teaches you to be calm, patient and to stay invested for the long term,” Berera says, adding that farming has also taught her to appreciate that success is not always predicted solely by the effort you put in. “Sometimes outcomes are beyond your control, due to factors like environmental conditions. You learn to take it in stride and move ahead.”

And of course, that philosophy bears fruit for all aspects of life.

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Intrepid Woman: Noha Waibsnaider, Founder & CEO, GatheringUs

Noha WaibsnaiderWhen one of Noha Waibsnaider’s loved ones passed away, she was overwhelmed by grief—which made the logistical hurdles of coordination and communication that much more challenging during an already difficult time.

She yearned for a simpler way to find support, conduct all the necessary tasks and purposefully commemorate a life. That was the catalyst for the website GatheringUs, a lasting online space that brings communities together after a death to support each other and celebrate the life of their loved ones.

As part of a large family, she has organized many memorials and funerals, and so knew firsthand the challenges of coordinating family and friends—trying to keep everyone in the loop while planning multiple events and logistics, and doing it all through the emotional roller coaster of mourning.“I was grateful for the outpouring of support from my community, and I realized many wanted to help, yet struggled to find ways to be supportive. I created GatheringUs to provide resources and a simpler way to mobilize everyone and commemorate loved ones,” Waibsnaider explains.

The need is so clear, she says, noting that after launching the site just three months ago, they have already had 30,000 visitors and memorials from all over the world, representing diverse groups of different ethnicities, religions and generations.

“Death scares people, and they don’t want to talk about it, and then you add in the preconceived notions about how funerals are supposed to be. Our goal is to empower people to celebrate and honor their loved ones in a meaningful and personal way that helps them process the loss.”

An Impressive Pedigree

This latest venture sprang from a personal, relatable need, but Waibsnaider already possessed the business acumen that has allowed her to build it so successfully. A serial social entrepreneur and brand builder, she holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and started her career in brand management at Unilever for consumer staples such as Ragu and Lipton. She parlayed that success into a new venture and founded Peeled Snacks, an organic food company, in 2004. She grew and ran the brand for 13 years—vaulting it into the upper echelon by raising $20 million in equity financing and bringing healthy fruit and vegetable snacks to millions of consumers nationwide.

“When I started my last company, I was in a rush to grow and sell within a very short time. I wish in retrospect that I had set my sights on a longer-term horizon,” she says, which would have made it easier to ride the highs and lows and put less pressure on immediate results. Nevertheless, even with that perspective, there’s no denying the impact she made on the business world with her ambition and ingenuity.

Along the way Waibsnaider has been honored with numerous awards, having been recognized as a White House Champion of Change; one of the “Women to Watch,” from Jewish Women International; named to the list of “50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies” by the Women Presidents’ Organization; recognized as a Columbia Business School Distinguished Alumna; and received the Ecademy Award for Entrepreneurship, also from Columbia Business School.

She advises other would-be entrepreneurs to identify a cause or void that they are passionate about, which will allow you to sustain meaning and purpose over time. However, you also have to make sure it has a viable financial model because you can only keep doing it if you can support the business. In addition, she urges entrepreneurs to ask for help from their community. “They want to be there to support you and be part of your success story,” Waibsnaider says.

While she builds her new company, she is in a mode of continuous education and outreach. Notably, she is a 360° Council Member of Reimagine, a nonprofit that hosts a public conversation around death and life celebrations, including a week-long festival in various cities on the topic. The festival in New York in October included 350 events that ranged from presentations by end-of-life doulas and palliative care physicians to art, music, comedians and more, in an inspiring collaboration designed to help others in their stages of grief.

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Voice of Experience: Lily Chinn, Managing Partner, San Francisco Bay Area, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Chinn Lily“I recommend any young professional have a plan, but be open to unforeseen opportunities and pivot as needed,” says Katten Partner Lily Chinn.
A Sharp Learning Curve Promotes Experience

That belief has shaped her own career, which started in an atypical fashion compared to most law firm attorneys, as she worked for the Department of Justice in Washington, DC after graduating from law school at UCLA. Chinn found her federal government experience to be exceedingly useful and informative in her approach to law because of the responsibility of immediately handling her own cases. In fact, it’s a path she would recommend to any ambitious attorney, as an ideal way to earn hands-on experience, particularly for future litigators.

One key to success is feeling confident enough to ask for help—which she says is excellent advice for any young associate, but was particularly crucial at the DOJ. She was able to build relationships by asking questions of various senior attorneys while learning about career opportunities she would have otherwise missed if she did not have these conversations.

Chinn also advises all young attorneys to take control of their professional development, whether at a law firm that has an established program or more importantly at a government agency that does not. Proactively initiating contact in areas that interested her—such volunteering for cases going to trial and seeking work in the DOJ computer crime division—helped propel her career, and allowed her to gain essential experience that led to her next position at an environmental boutique law firm in Washington, DC, where she was named a partner.

Chinn later moved back to California with that firm and began concentrating on criminal enforcement, which ultimately attracted her to Katten’s Environmental Workplace Safety Group as it is one of the premier white collar environmental crime practices in the country.

Play to Your Diversity Strengths

Mentors can play an important role in a career trajectory, and Chinn recommends that all young professionals find someone who can provide inspiration and guidance, but she also stresses that you should continue to seek out different mentors throughout your career.

“As you become more senior and experienced, you still need to continue to find mentors and support so you can keep growing,” she says.

Chinn also recommends finding peer groups that will support your goals. She stays active in organizations like the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), which she finds can be extremely important to the career of diverse professionals. “You need to create your own network, so find groups that support what makes you unique and different and build your profile there.”

At Katten, she has worked with the Chief Diversity Partner to strengthen firm ties with similar groups focused on improving diversity in the legal profession, including providing networking and speaking opportunities for diverse attorneys. For example, the firm is active in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), which was started by a group of corporate chief legal officers and law firm partners to help diverse high potential attorneys succeed. Chinn was part of the second class of LCLD Fellows, which is now in its eighth year.

Make Work/Life Balance A Key Goal

Creating time for yourself and your family are all critical for career longevity, Chinn says, since being a lawyer can be a demanding and all-consuming profession.

That’s one of the reasons she urges fellow attorneys to choose colleagues whose company will help enhance their quality of life, a factor that she recommends keeping in mind when interviewing for positions. “It’s important to work with people whom you respect and with whom you will enjoy working during the grueling hours that legal cases often require.”

Some behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering with those who know the culture at a new law firm or agency can confirm you’re making the right choice in a workplace. “It’s easy to overlook when you consider other aspects of the job, but I’ve found that your team is actually one of the most important elements in the long run,” Chinn says.

Chinn has been pleased with the culture at Katten, and her satisfaction has been magnified by a close working relationship with a good friend who joined Katten with her. “Having someone you can rely on—who has your back—can be an important component of a successful career,” she says, adding that this type of collaboration can also promote work/life balance on a daily basis, especially when they can provide cover when you need to be out of the office.

While Chinn has helped her corporate clients achieve ongoing success, one of her proudest professional achievements involved a pro bono case where she was able to help a woman who was a victim of domestic abuse. The resolution of that case allowed Chinn to see the life-changing difference she helped make. That experience led Chinn to get involved with groups such as Elevated Legacy, a nonprofit that teaches urban youth leadership skills through sports, where she sits on the board.

“Through my day-to-day work, as well as my pro bono work, I always seek opportunities that support diversity, which is a value I hold dear.”

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Voice of Experience: Jennifer Signori, Senior Vice President, Neuberger Berman

Jennifer Signori
You can’t plan every detail of your career, says Jennifer Signori.

“When I first started, I thought I had my future all mapped out, but you realize over time that there will be twists and turns, and you sometimes have to take a step back to make a leap forward,” she says. And many times, that might entail finding yourself working in an industry that didn’t even exist five years prior, so the ability to be open-minded and flexible is crucial. Case in point….impact investing.

Finding Opportunities at the Forefront of a New Industry

Signori began her career in investment banking at J.P. Morgan right out of university. For her, it was the ideal place to start a career, as she was able to learn an important set of fundamental training and tools, from credit analysis to financial modeling, which subsequently opened up opportunities down the road.

She decided she wanted to apply those skills to impact investing—which wasn’t even yet a well-known concept at the time, so she had the chance to get involved early in the days of the industry. She held a director role at Bridges Fund Management, where she played a key role in establishing its U.S. presence, including new fund development and executing due diligence of growth equity, real estate and social impact bond investments. In 2017, she came to Neuberger Berman to pursue a unique opportunity to deepen and broaden the firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing capabilities and to drive innovation in impact investing on an institutional platform across asset classes.

This challenge is the professional achievement she is most proud of so far, as she takes specialized knowledge of this industry, which had been largely niche to date, and to help it grow as it becomes more mainstream. She is working on developing and investing a private equity impact investing strategy, which she sees as an exciting next step of her career.

“To bring ESG and impact investing to mainstream markets and striving to generate positive social and environmental impacts is an exciting convergence of trends, where we are taking a market opportunity and combining it with clients’ growing interest in these areas,” Signori says. “It is exciting to try to solve for challenges facing society, while delivering unique solutions for our clients.”

Her team works with different parts of the firm including the Big Data team to harness all types of data and to make sense of it for investment decision-making. “We are seeing disciplines and subject matters that haven’t historically come together, and it allows us to bring a different perspective to deliver great results for our clients,” Signori says.

Helping Develop the Industry for Women

While Signori finds increased awareness of the need for opportunities for women, she believes that first, they need a seat at the table, which can be spurred through a greater understanding of the gaps that can discourage or hinder women. “Senior leadership of companies are increasingly becoming aware of this and focused on improving—not just for the sake of having a woman fill a position, but by making sure that women are armed with the experience and skills that will allow them to succeed once they arrive there.”

She encourages other women to help each other out by advocating for one another, adding that she’s been fortunate to work with women who were equally committed to collaborative relationships.

That advocacy can come from within or outside of the firm. Signori cites one memorable incident that took place when she had organized a series of women’s networking events at a former employer as an analyst early in her career. A fellow co-chair of the group emailed her manager, praising the events and her contribution. “It was an unexpected gesture that went a long way, and I still kept in touch with her as a friend and colleague; interestingly enough, we both ended up in impact investing.”

Having someone vouch for your credibility like that is crucial for career success. In fact, when Signori talks to younger women interested in the investment management or impact investing field, she always encourages them to first display excellent work skills, and back those with a strong work ethic, curiosity, and a focus on building strong relationships. “Your reputation will precede you if you’re working hard and delivering results,” she says.

Currently expecting her first child, Signori describes it as a bit of a nerve-wracking adventure she’s embarking on, but incredibly exciting. She still intends for her career to play a major role in her life, but she realizes there will be inevitable challenges involved in managing new responsibilities. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many of my colleagues at the firm have stopped by my office to offer support and share their experiences, both men and women,” she says. An avid traveler who has visited more than 50 countries, she hopes to continue exploring in that aspect of her life as well.

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Voice of Experience: Busisiwe Mathe, Partner/Director, Risk Assurance Cyber Security and Privacy; PwC

Looking back over her career, PwC’s Busisiwe Mathe says she wishes she had been as comfortable in her own skin when she first started as she is now; however, she understands that acquiring that confidence is all part of growing.

“I believe that there was a lesson I needed to learn in everything I have experienced in my career,” she says.

A Varied Career Brings Success

Mathe began her career with PwC in 2004 and throughout her tenure has garnered experience in external and internal audits, technology transformation projects, business continuity management, cybersecurity and privacy, including stints abroad in the New York and Atlanta offices.

As the chairman of the South Africa PricewaterhouseCoopers Governing Board, Mathe serves as a member on the PwC Africa Governance Board and currently oversees the firm’s Africa Cyber and Privacy business.

It’s a crucial line of business, considering the prevalence of cyberattacks, including ransomware, that have increasingly plagued companies both globally and locally in the last 18 months.

While the attacks used to be concentrated to one specific sector or industry, they have become more widespread across all industries, and are moving from information technology into the operational technology environment. That concern was noted in PwC’s 22nd Annual Global CEO Survey, which showed cyber threats staying among the top 5 risks identified by CEOs.

Helping Women Achieve Success

Mathe believes that one of the top barriers for women in the industry is actually based on a false notion—the fact that most women view it as a technical industry where you have to have earned a technical or IT-related degree. However she finds that to be restrictive, as cybersecurity has both technical and non-technical aspects and thus offers a wide range of career lines one can follow. But that assumption leads to a second challenge, which is that the lack of women in the industry means that it is harder for young woman looking to enter the profession to find mentors or others to look up to.

She encourages women considering the industry to realize that the sky is the limit, and the variety of positions offered make cybersecurity a fantastic place to thrive. And she encourages her peers to focus on mentoring the younger generation—making it a priority to support STEM initiatives or even start their own to encourage women pursuing these important fields.

PwC is a supportive place in that sense, as Mathe underscores that the PwC Africa leadership team is firmly committed to diversity and inclusion, having adopted the Global Inclusion Index locally as a tool to continuously assess progress. In addition, all partners and staff take mandatory unconscious bias training, focusing on four dimensions of diversity: gender, race, sexual orientation and generational diversity. That has paid off in more women achieving leadership roles; in fact 45 percent of the partners named in the most recent cycle of promotions were women.

A Full Life Outside Of Work

“My family is my foundation; I would not be where I am had it not been for my strict, yet loving, father who told me at a very young age that I could achieve anything I put my mind to, and my mom who played a significant part in the woman, wife and mother I am today,” Mathe says. She carries out those lessons with her own family, which includes a supportive husband, whom she calls “one of her biggest cheerleaders,” and eight-year-old twin boys.

She also coaches and mentors students and young professionals through partnerships with organizations like Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development (YLED) and the DreamGirls Academy. “I enjoy mentoring and coaching both at work and outside work by partnering with NGOs that empower young girls in believing and shaping their dreams,” she says.

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Voice of Experience: Beth Renner, National Director of Philanthropic Services, Wells Fargo Private Bank

Beth Renner featured
As a mentor, Beth Renner knows that women often need to find their voice—and when they do, it can be a powerful booster charge to their career.

As she recounts, she was recently working with a long-term mentee who had finally applied for a position. When Renner had asked why she had hesitated, the mentee said she believed she didn’t have the entire skill set, but as they walked through the skill set and experience, it became clear that the position was a perfect fit. “Sometimes the biggest challenge is the messages we tell ourselves.”

Finding the Ideal Niche to Blend Personal and Professional Interests

Renner’s clear confident voice has brought her a 28-year career in the financial services industry, during which she has essentially touched every part of a financial services company. She started on the retail bank side as a personal banker; then was a credit officer with a small business lender; went into the fiduciary side as a private banker and trust manager, where she subsequently oversaw the fiduciary investment and brokerage side; and for the past eight years has worked in philanthropic services, where she currently has $26 billion in charitable assets under management for clients.

“The lifeblood of our business is the advice we provide our clients around their donations and assisting nonprofits in making sure they are sustainable,” Renner explains. Having always been personally involved in charitable work with both her time and treasure, the chance to marry that in her professional life is the achievement of which she’s most proud.

“For me it’s not about achieving a certification or designation, but about what I do every day, and I’ve really found a home for myself in this area that allows me to align my personal and professional values,” she says.

A Sea Change in the Philanthropic World

As the country prepares for an impending generational “wealth transfer,” Renner finds several themes consistently emerging. First, as a matriarch or patriarch who is naturally at the maturing point is engaging in legacy planning, they are asking how they can ensure that their values will be represented. The goal is to engage multiple generations from the family in their philanthropic pursuits.

Others are wrestling with the question of how much to leave their kids and wondering how to engage philanthropy as a tool to stave off entitlement.

“Donors are viewing themselves as an investor in these causes more than ever before, and we are adjusting the advice we provide them to create a more disciplined process.” To that end, she has helped develop a series of philanthropic planning modules that they are currently honing through focus groups, and she looks forward to rolling them out. “It’s a pleasure to be able to work more deliberately on these issues and adjust our business to how our clients are telling us they need counsel.”

Renner has become attuned to the absolute value of listening with intention and mindfulness which is helping inform this new initiative. When her father passed away shortly after she turned 50, she hit a point of reflection. “It causes you to look at things differently, and one of the things that has stuck with me is the art of listening and how it helps you understand others and yourself. Being mindful means that if I’m in a situation where I’m listening to clients or my team and find myself having an internal reaction, it spurs me to dig deeper to figure out where it’s coming from.”

Finding a Mentor Helps Your Career Path

One thing Renner learned from her mentor early on in her career was to focus on developing transferrable skills. For example, you don’t just want to be an expert in credit analysis, but you need to know how to solve complex problems. “In any position, consider what skills you can learn that you don’t yet have or want to cultivate,” she says.

And today she encourages women to be intentional about mentoring other women. “Don’t wait to be asked; when you see someone with potential, proactively reach out to them,” she suggests. That’s because we all are a collection of our past experiences and to give someone that gift of your accumulated knowledge will allow them to make progress faster.

She takes that outlook to her work on Wells Fargo’s Women’s Team Member Network, a diversity and inclusion employee resource group she finds valuable for its focus on broadening everyone’s lens around diversity and how to foster and develop it.

Her outside philanthropic pursuits are a perfect match for her professional life: She is absolutely passionate about the American Red Cross, and is the national chair of the women’s giving group called the Tiffany Circle. The group has flourished in five different countries, and in her role she helps develop the strategy around mobilizing this women’s segment. “A lot of the work I do at Wells Fargo helps the Red Cross with their fundraising and stewardship because I can share national trends and the emerging role that women are playing in philanthropy,” Renner says.

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Erika Irish Brown, Chief Diversity Officer, Goldman Sachs

Erika Irish Brown“Be Bold and Take Risks to Be an Agent of Change”

“If you expose people who are smart and hard working to opportunities – and provide them with an access point to begin a career – success follows,” says Goldman Sachs’ Erika Irish Brown.

As Goldman’s new Chief Diversity Officer, Brown is responsible for driving inclusive culture initiatives and efforts related to the firm’s recruitment, retention and advancement of diverse professionals.

She notes she is genuinely passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry. “The sense of purpose I have for my work drives me every day.”

A Beneficiary and Proponent of Diversity and Inclusion

Brown’s first introduction to financial services came via a year-long internship as a college student, which was offered specifically to students from underrepresented minority groups by a state-run bond agency. She describes the internship as a huge win given her alma mater – the State University of New York at Albany – did not send a high volume of graduates to Wall Street at that time.

This internship helped her land an analyst role at Lehman Brothers, which she says was a life-changing opportunity. “Very often, people ask me, why am I so committed to diversity and inclusion?” says Brown. “One reason is because I got my start on Wall Street as a beneficiary of what we now call a diversity and inclusion program.”

After working in investment banking at Lehman, Brown went on to issue bonds for the City of New York and served as a Presidential appointee at the US Treasury in the Clinton administration, ultimately earning her MBA from Columbia University and serving in roles at Morgan Stanley and Black Entertainment Television. She enjoyed the financial markets, the fast-paced nature of her work and the variety of people she was able to work with, but added: “It was a different time – gender, ethnic diversity was low.”

Brown took an interest in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) space, serving as a recruiting liaison for both on-campus and experienced hires – on top of her day job as a banker.

Prior to the financial crisis, Brown began her first ‘official’ diversity-focused role, once again, at Lehman, where her team focused on enhancing diversity at the vice president level and above. Post-crisis – and a brief stint on the Obama administration’s Treasury transition team – Brown joined Bank of America, where she built a team focused on executive diversity recruiting. From there, she went on to serve as Bloomberg’s chief diversity officer, building the company’s D&I platform from the ground up.

“Being considered a subject matter expert on diversity globally has made me very proud,” says Brown. “This is not easy work, it is not easily measured and you have to be bold and take risks in order to be an agent of change.” This risk-taking has led Brown to Goldman Sachs, where she has a large, global platform to influence diversity.

Evaluating and Developing New Approaches at Goldman Sachs

“It was important for me to come in and listen, learn and talk to people,” says Brown of her approach to her new role at the firm last year. “I wanted my expertise to be informed by the culture here.”

After connecting with stakeholders across regions and divisions and gaining a global perspective, she now feels well informed to have opinions, make assessments and execute on the best practices and strategies that will work for Goldman Sachs.

Brown outlines some of the many opportunities in the D&I space she hopes to focus on in the coming months:

  • Enhance the Goldman Sachs brand as an employer of choice in diverse communities;
  • Embed D&I practices into all aspects of the Talent process;
  • Advance the firm’s inclusive culture and work environment; and
  • Ensure accountability for furthering D&I at every level

Her team has the support from CEO David Solomon and the firm’s Global Diversity Committee. Brown notes that it is crucial to have senior leadership setting the tone – particularly when diversity impacts each and every area of a company, from business performance to client engagement.

“Today, no topics are off the table in the workplace, and people expect to bring their authentic selves to work,” says Brown. “I’ve seen firsthand that this approach has been adopted at Goldman Sachs as well.”

Recommendations From a Life-Long Learner

Describing her roles at several investment banks and why young women should pursue financial services careers, Brown says, “The skills sets you develop in a short period of time, the amount of responsibility and high bar for expectations, and the seniority of people – both internally and clients – that you engage with is empowering.”

Her advice to women as they progress in their careers is to continuously innovate and be life-long learners.

“Ask yourself – are you pushing the envelope, taking risks and being ambitious,” says Brown. “We should all reflect upon our legacy and ensure we make a difference in our workplace – it can be anything from launching a new product to creating opportunities for others.”

Outside the office, Brown continues to push for change in her community. As vice chair of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, she works to ensure the Central Brooklyn community has access to housing, education and economic development opportunities, arts and cultural activities and capital for small business owners.

Brown stresses: “giving back is important to me – anything I can do to contribute and give back to others, I’ll do.”

And, a mother to three sons, Brown also keeps busy on the slopes, skiing in the winter with her family and cheering on from the sidelines of elite AAU basketball games. “We’re very active as a family, and our time together is so important and a priority to me,” she says.

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Voice of Experience: Valerie S. Peters, CTFA®, Senior Vice President and Head of Relationship Services; Abbot Downing

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Valerie Peters_color_lowres
“When I entered the corporate world over 20 years ago, I believed that it was possible to achieve anything with hard work and discipline, and I still believe those are key ingredients to success,” says Valerie Peters, who serves as operations leader for Abbot Downing, a Wells Fargo business serving ultra-high-net-worth clients.

Her career path has proven the value of focusing on a goal….and working to achieve it.

Each Experience Leads One Step Closer to Career Goals

Peters started her career in retail banking as a customer service phone representative and then transferred to the commercial real estate division, where she was selected for the management trainee program. She immediately felt drawn to the wealth management arena during a rotation in the trust area, and with that eventual role in mind, she began looking for opportunities that would help her build the skills she needed.

She took a role managing a team of client service professionals supporting wealth management clients with their banking, investment and fiduciary servicing needs; from there, she moved on to become a manager within a trust center and eventually transferred to the division that served ultra-high-net worth clients. Her time working in client-facing, trust services and operational roles were each stepping stones that helped prepare her for her current position as operations leader for Abbot Downing.

In her quest for continuing education, Peters counts achieving her designation as a CTFA (Certified Trust and Financial Advisor) several years ago as one of her proudest moments. “I had spent several years working in the fiduciary area, and earning the CTFA was a culmination of the time I spent gaining work experience, as well as obtaining knowledge through the various trust school programs I have been fortunate enough to attend,” she says.

Sponsors and Mentors as a Key Ingredient to Success

Along the way, Peters has found that sponsors and mentors are crucial and has appreciated the support they have given. She has also looked externally to find role models to emulate; one of her personal role models is Ursula Burns, who came from modest beginnings to become the first African-American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. “I have long been inspired by her hard work and dedication,” Peters says, citing her strong work ethic and commitment to learning the ins and outs of business through a variety of roles.

Over the years, Peters has participated in a number of programs geared towards retaining diverse talent, including women, naming the Diverse Leaders Program as one of the most impactful. “The whole time I participated in the program, I felt that I was valued not only for what I do within the organization, but also for who I am and how the perspectives and insights gained through life experience shape my thoughts, ideas and values,” she says.

When Peters is away from work, she values time spent with her family—a favorite escape is spending time at the beach unwinding and enjoying the ocean. “We try and get away as often as possible when the kids are on break from school,” she says.

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Mover and Shaker: Jeanelle Johnson, Director, Deals – Valuations, PwC US

Jeanelle JohnsonFor PwC’s Jeanelle Johnson, it’s the experiences gained from taking on new challenges and living overseas which have made her career path so rewarding.

Having the right people around her was key to making it happen.

“Finding your people is extremely important in feeling like you belong, and sometimes you have to be strategic to find them,” she explains. For her, finding sponsors has been pivotal in helping her advance, both to understand the professional landscape and the unwritten rules.

Creating a Career on Her Own Terms

Johnson started in a different career path than most of her counterparts in the consulting world; she began at a family-owned business in the financial services industry where she examined trading by company executives and wrote articles for mutual fund companies. She decided to earn her MBA—working full-time, while pursuing classwork part-time on the evenings and weekends.

While participating in on-campus recruiting, she interviewed with an investment firm in Baltimore for an investment banking role and started as an Associate, only to find out a month later the group was being sold. Johnson was getting married at the time so she took a pause to reflect on what she wanted in her future career.

Earlier in her career, Johnson had been exposed to Big 4 firms, which she was surprised to learn did more than just accounting—but also valuations and M&A transactions, which is what she had enjoyed most when she worked in investment banking. She had also been intrigued by their reputation among her peers and in the media, such as in Working Mother magazine, as a place where she could enjoy a challenging work environment, but also be able to carve out the time she needed to start a family.

Johnson joined a Big 4 firm in 2006 and worked there until August 2015, appreciating the flexibility they offered her—first working remotely from California while her husband completed a graduate degree; then working from home most of the week when her first child was born; and finally offering her a transfer to the London office to accompany her husband who had been offered an opportunity there—a stint that was supposed to be a year and ended up being more than five.

When they moved back, she and her husband decided it was best for the family to focus on her career, and he became the primary parent. Johnson was looking for a firm that was supportive of developing people like her into partners, and the recruiter who had hired her at her prior firm was then at PwC so she pursued an offer there. “I was offered a position that started in March, but I told them that I could not start until August, and they were willing to wait,” Johnson says, which confirmed she had found the right place. They moved to New York for two years and then returned to Washington D.C. in July 2017, which she says has been wonderful both personally and professionally.

And, she says, that’s the professional achievement she is most proud of so far…the ability to pivot to whatever opportunities she was offered, rather than just following a straight line.

Finding Role Models—And Acting as One

Johnson says she admires people who demonstrate grit and resilience, and who don’t let anyone see them sweat—even when they are. “Maintaining that calm, level head imbues confidence to everyone, while also being open and approachable—those are qualities I try to emulate,” she says.

As one of the senior women in her practice group, she is proud to take part in diversity and inclusion initiatives that help promote the idea that it is possible to have both a successful career and family, especially as an underrepresented, minority woman. “Much of the corporate world was not designed by us or for us, so being visible allows younger people to see what they can accomplish,” she says.

Recently, Johnson joined the board of directors for a charter school in D.C. as another way to share her professional acumen.

With two children ages six and 10, she appreciates the opportunities that were presented by living overseas. “It provides you with such an interesting frame of reference; we traveled extensively, and my daughter has visited 18 countries…she’s drummed on the streets of Istanbul and been in a backpack in Marrakech markets.”

“Traveling gives you a broader view of the world, and I am passionate about instilling that in my children. If you stick to what you know, you may never see what is possible.”

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Voice Of Experience: Kenya Scott Woodruff, Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Kenya Woodruff“Don’t stress out” over your career, Kenya Scott Woodruff tells women who are entering the workforce.

“It really does all work out. Your career path might not be as you predicted, but if you are willing to work hard; you are open; and you say ‘yes’ to things that others don’t, you are going to end up with great opportunities to advance.”

Finding Her Passion in Healthcare

Kenya began her career at a large law firm in Dallas as a commercial litigator, but she discovered the healthcare practice area as a second-year associate and immediately loved the complexity of the space.

She found a mentor who was a client. He managed litigation for a large health system and helped Kenya develop a steady stream of healthcare litigation work. She later went to a firm where she handled government investigations, before transitioning to an in-house position with the Dallas hospital district, Parkland Health and Hospital System, where she handled investigations, litigation, regulatory and transactional work.

After four years, Kenya returned to private practice, focusing on mergers, acquisitions and joint venture strategic partnerships in the healthcare sector and advising administrators and medical providers on compliance and other business issues. In October, she came to the newly-opened Dallas office of Katten as part of a respected trio – Cheryl Camin Murray, Lisa Genecov and Kenya. They were the first three women partners in the new office and were hired to grow the firm’s healthcare practice in the Texas region.

While Kenya is looking forward to what the team will accomplish, one of her top career highlights is a project she took on when she returned to private practice, working with five physicians and a technology investor to help them build a healthcare company. Together, they formed an independent Accountable Care Organization (ACO), Premier Patient Healthcare, and the company has since expanded to more than 400 physicians and created savings for Medicare and private payor programs each year they have existed.

Kenya found it exciting to watch their growth and especially to realize that there are rural, unaffiliated physicians who now have the technology that delivers recent visit and admission data about patients to the physicians’ desktops and enables them to care for their patients with an understanding of their recent medical encounters. “We’ve been through a lot together since 2012, and it’s amazing to see the wonderful work they have done,” she says. “It is awesome to see the role they are playing in advancing efficient care and to be able to play a part in that advancement.”

In fact, in this era of constantly searching for high-quality, cost-effective care, Kenya is finding that collaborative arrangements are emerging as an important answer. “We are working to help healthcare professionals and organizations figure out how they can take care of patients across the continuum of care in an efficient and effective way,” she said.

Career Advice For Creating a Successful Path

The healthcare industry is largely a welcoming place for women. While there are still advances to be made, Kenya says companies are increasingly amenable to women progressing into executive leadership roles. But in the legal industry, she recognizes there is still a real issue with retention of female attorneys at law firms, even though most firms are very close to 50/50 in gender division when hiring.

Kenya believes one of the best ways to combat attrition in the legal profession is to make sure that women have mentors early in their careers. Often times women may be on par with their male counterparts when it comes to the skills needed to succeed, but they are less likely to have mentors who show them how to navigate the politics of the firm, as well as the business of law, specifically how to develop a practice that is sustainable and financially successful.

In addition, she encourages women to fill their toolbox of knowledge and experience and then seek out a niche they enjoy that preferably is not saturated by other experts. “We have to remember that our business, like others, is subject to the financial realities of supply and demand,” she said.

And mentoring shouldn’t stop as women ascend the career ladder. Kenya stresses the importance of continuing to find camaraderie and support from groups, whether internally at a law firm or externally in industry-based organizations.

At Katten, Kenya is active in the Women’s Leadership Forum, which supports the retention and advancement of women attorneys at the firm through mentoring and professional development programs. She finds the forum’s meetings to be helpful because women often share success tips, as well as challenges. “That’s what it takes to help people move forward—honest, straightforward advice,” she said.

Kenya has also been involved with a number of industry groups, such as the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, which she calls a “powerhouse organization with great women, companies and firms.” Along with the advice and other benefits of female networking groups, she says it’s vital for women to share career opportunities with each other and support other women as they climb their respective ladders.

A Healthy Balance in All Aspects of Life

As the mother of two “strong-willed” girls, ages 9 and 11, Kenya increasingly enjoys watching as they come into their own and hearing the interesting conversations their newfound maturity sparks. With her husband, David being a magistrate judge, it’s a challenge to juggle family, church and work obligations, but she and her husband share the load – they are true life partners. “Our church family is a big part of our lives,” Kenya said, adding that “We are there for each other in good times and bad. My church family is fun, supportive and they even help with emergency childcare needs!”

Kenya sits on the board of directors for what was formerly AIDS Arms, an organization focused on the prevention and treatment of HIV. She was a part of the board when the nonprofit group legally changed its name to Prism Health North Texas to better reflect the comprehensive services it provides. “The name change has been well-received, and we continue to enjoy great community support,” she said. “I always encourage people to find some organization where they can get involved and help their community in a significant way.”

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