Voice of Experience: Karen Fang, Managing Director and Head of Cross Asset Solutions & Strategies, Global Banking & Markets Division, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Karen FengWelcome to The Glass Hammer’s Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! All month long we will be profiling successful women here in the US who have Asian heritage as well as spotlighting some amazing women in Asia and discussing what it means to work there.

“I have been very lucky in my sixteen-year career to have always been involved with the things that I am passionate about,” said Karen Fang, Managing Director and Head of Cross Asset Solutions & Strategies, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Career in Banking

Originally from China, Fang attended college at the University of Tokyo in Japan, where she gained a lot of exposure to the world of Investment Banking and Capital Markets as an Economics major. “My fascination with Finance began when I was a sophomore in college and had multiple internships at different investment banks.” said Fang. She spent the majority of her time interning at Merrill Lynch, and ultimately decided to accept an offer as a derivatives structurer from Merrill Lynch in Tokyo after graduating in 1998.

“Because I was trilingual, I was fortunate enough to be transferred to the London office to work on our cross-border structured products business and then eventually relocated to New York,” explained Fang. She worked for a couple of different firms including Goldman Sachs before returning to Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York where she is now the Head of Cross Asset Solutions & Strategies in the Global Banking & Markets division. According to Fang, learning as much as possible about every single asset class, whether it is fixed income, equities, or commodities, as well as the various client industries, to be able to truly understand clients’ strategic issues before responding with effective solutions, is one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of her role.

“Using technical knowledge to provide C-Suite clients with a complex set of solutions, help them navigate our firm, and deliver the firm’s strengths is very fulfilling,” explained Fang. “I am proud of running a business –and managing a team –that is truly cross asset and cross industry. Given that the banking industry is going through a major transformation as a result of the new regulatory environment post financial crisis, our business model is changing very rapidly,” said Fang, “and a major focus for our team right now is to figure out how to optimize our balance sheet in a way that creates a win-win situation for the clients and our firm.”

This creates a lot of opportunities for Fang and her team to think outside the box and get innovative. “We shine when the problems are complex and the solutions require collaboration of multiple divisions and teams,” she said.

Women in Banking: Embrace Being Different

One of the biggest obstacles that Fang identified for women in banking is the limited amount of networking opportunities that can help foster relationship building and career development. “We need more senior level women leaders in sales and trading, and banking,” said Fang. She applauded the efforts of the industry as a whole to become more diverse, she cited many efforts that Bank of America Merrill Lynch put in over the years to increase Diversity & Inclusion and noted the positive changes that she has witnessed throughout her career in the industry. “Things are very different now, not just in policy, but on people’s minds and in their day to day behavior. More diversity is good for our business.”

“You don’t have to act like a man in order to thrive in a male-dominated industry,” she advised. This is something that Fang wishes she had realized earlier on in her career. “Many women that I coach and mentor have this notion that emulating the behavior of a man will help them go farther in their career, when in fact, that may not be true,” said Fang.

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Movers and Shakers: Lei Chen, Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management, American Express

Lei Chen Lei Chen, Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management for American Express, is very passionate about talent development. This is why she makes it a priority to be actively involved in many of the mentoring, leadership training, and networking programs available to executives at American Express.

“One of the things I am most proud of in my career at American Express is my involvement with the Executive Women’s Interest Network,” said Chen, who led the employee network, and has been instrumental in building it up as a critical platform to help advance and retain women talent through various activities including workshops, guest speaker series, roundtable discussions, mentoring programs and networking events.

“I think it is so important to reach out and help others develop their potential,” added Chen, “and one of the most effective ways to do this is by gathering together, sharing our experiences, learning best practices, and paying it forward.”

Career at American Express
After graduating from Michigan State University with a Ph.D. in Statistics, Chen joined the Risk and Information Management group at American Express where she had the opportunity to develop expertise in almost all areas of Risk Management and across multiple business units.

Currently, Chen serves as Vice President and Head of Enterprise Growth Risk and Information Management where her primary role is to develop risk management strategies and drive growth in the area of non-traditional payment products.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is that I am directly involved in redefining our company’s brand by making our products more accessible and inclusive,” said Chen. “Enterprise Growth group is like a start up inside of American Express. With the launch of Bluebird, a checking & debit alternative, we use emerging technologies to expand our customer segment beyond our premium base, and to enable “financial inclusion” for the underserved population by traditional financial services.”

One of the challenges Chen acknowledged is delivering the brand’s promise for world class customer experience, trust, and security while achieving industry best risk performance.

According to Chen, the leadership support she has received from American Express has played a key role in her personal career development. One of the most notable programs Chen was selected to participate in was the Compass 45 Leadership Program, of which she was a participant in 2006. This was a twelve month program designed to help high potential and high performing leaders further develop their leadership skills through focused training and working on real projects that solve real business problems within the company.

“In addition to strengthening my leadership skills, I built strong connections and network among my peers,” explained Chen. She continued, “Before the program, I used to be a workaholic. Hearing and observing how my peers balanced their work and life, I had my ‘aha moment.’ I was inspired and realized that I can also have it all.”

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Voice of Experience: Elinor Hoover, Co-Head, Financial Strategy and Solutions Group and Vice Chairman of Capital Markets Origination, Citi

Elinor-L.-HooverWelcome to The Glass Hammer’s Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! All month long we will be profiling successful women here in the US who have Asian heritage as well as spotlighting some amazing women in Asia and discussing what it means to work there.

According to Elinor Hoover, Co-Head, Financial Strategy and Solutions Group and Vice Chairman of Capital Markets Origination at Citi, it is important to maintain contacts, nurture relationships, and build networks from the moment you begin your professional career.

“When you are starting out in your career, you might be so focused on building up your technical skills that you fail to recognize the value of establishing relationships that can serve as key factors in your career development and advancement,” she added.

“This networking extends beyond your colleagues and communities,” said Hoover. “You need to think about networking on a global level and understand how this is a component of driving business forward.”

Career in Banking

Hoover entered the financial services industry in the late eighties with an academic background in music, biophysics, and biochemistry. “I was not your typical business, economics or finance major, but I decided to go into investment banking,” said Hoover. “After working for a couple of years in the healthcare investment banking area at Credit Suisse First Boston, I accepted a position at The Blackstone Group, which was focused on M&A.”

When Hoover joined Blackstone, it was building its private equity business. At the same time, cross-border activity between Asia and the United States was really heating up. “I was interested in this opportunity by virtue of my heritage to spend some time in the Asia region,” explained Hoover, who went on to perform M&A advisory work with Blackstone in Tokyo for two years.

After she returned from her international assignment, Hoover earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and continued to follow her passion for banking in her next role within the Derivatives Products Group at Morgan Stanley. “I had investment banking experience, but I was not as familiar with the sales and trading aspect. Since my background was in mathematical based work, I decided that a structured products group would be a good fit,” said Hoover.

During this time, there was a strong interest in reorganizing the derivatives business and starting an effort around corporate clients, according to Hoover, who was selected to help launch that effort based on her previous experiences in corporate finance and derivatives. “I helped grow the business domestically in North America, and then globally,” Hoover noted.

In the early 2000s, Morgan Stanley launched another effort to integrate the derivatives business with the cash businesses. “Once this effort was underway, I was in charge of Fixed Income Capital Markets, and later became the Vice Chair of Capital Markets, where the goal was to integrate derivatives, equity, and debt in order to create a much more suitable offering to our clients,” Hoover said. This experience sparked her interest and passion for developing holistic product offerings, something she carried over to her current role at Citi.

A few years ago, Hoover began to look at Citi and recognized the company’s strength in capital markets, and its relationship management process, which was being implemented to elevate its client franchise. “After nearly 20 years at Morgan Stanley, I decided to join Citi,” said Hoover. “I saw this as a tremendous opportunity to join a firm with an established capital base and global reach.”

Serving Clients with Innovative Solutions

Hoover views her current role at Citi as a culmination of her past professional experiences. “The effort is to be cutting-edge and innovative on corporate finance and risk management topics, and as a result offer holistic solutions to clients around important thematic issues,” explained Hoover.

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Movers and Shakers: May Tong, Vice President, Portfolio Management, Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions, Voya Investment Management (formerly known as ING U.S. Investment Management)

women salesWelcome to The Glass Hammer’s Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! All month long we will be profiling successful women here in the US who have Asian heritage as well as spotlighting some amazing women in Asia and discussing what it means to work there.

“Seek broad experiences,” advised May Tong. “Use these experiences to establish what your passions are and which path you want to take in your career. Then, go for it full steam ahead,” added Tong.

Capitalizing on Career Opportunities

Tong graduated from Boston College where she studied Accounting and Finance. Upon graduating, she accepted a position in the Quantitative Advisors group at Merrill Lynch Investment Management, where she would be responsible for managing index funds and enhanced index funds. “This was such a valuable experience for me, both professionally and personally,” said Tong, “because I learned every detail about how to manage a fund and I was fortunate enough to work with really great managers who ultimately became mentors to me in my career.”

Three months prior to the Merrill Lynch and BlackRock merger, one of Tong’s most influential managers at Merrill had moved on to Voya Investment Management to start up the Quant Portfolio Management team and brought her aboard to join his team shortly after. “He took me under his wing, guided me, and gave me the autonomy to help him build out the quantitative portfolio management group,” said Tong.

The financial crisis of 2008 resulted in some internal restructuring at Voya Investment Management, which ultimately opened more doors for Tong and led to career-changing opportunities. “I was forced to think about my future career path and the direction I wanted to take,” Tong noted. “This made me realize that while having skill and expertise in one particular area is a good thing, I wanted to gain a broader perspective of the industry.”

At this juncture, Tong decided to earn her Executive MBA from Columbia and was sponsored by Voya Investment Management. “It helped me grow and increased my value to my company,” remarked Tong.

In 2010, an opportunity presented itself within the Multi Asset Strategies & Solutions (MASS) group and Tong took advantage of the chance to expand her depth and breadth by managing asset classes as opposed to funds. “It was a steep learning curve, but also an incredible learning opportunity, “said Tong, “and now I have been working with the MASS team for almost three years.”

According to Tong, her ability to make this career move, and thrive in a different environment, was made possible by the strong leadership and support she experienced from her managers. “I cannot express enough how valuable it is to have good managers who give you the space and support to grow professionally,” stated Tong.

She also credits her success to the fact that she stepped outside her comfort zone and took her career in a different direction. “There are days I miss the black and white aspect of fund management, but I love the fast-paced and dynamic environment of the multi asset strategy team,” explained Tong.

Maintaining Equilibrium

According to Tong, maintaining a healthy balance between personal and professional endeavors throughout her career is something that she is proud of. “Finding that happy medium is certainly different for everyone,” said Tong, “but I have found what works for me and in turn I find that I am extremely satisfied in both my work and home life.”

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Voice of Experience: Eu-Lin Fang, Partner, PwC Singapore

Eu-Lin FangWelcome to The Glass Hammer’s Celebration of Asian Heritage Month! All month long we will be profiling successful women here in the US who have Asian heritage as well as spotlighting some amazing women in Asia and discussing what it means to work there.

According to Eu-Lin Fang, a Partner at PwC Singapore, the professional world can be demanding, and in order to persevere, you cannot lose sight of you who are at the core. “It is important to continue to ask yourself, ‘Who am I, how do I live my life purposefully?’” Fang said.

“A rewarding career can consume your time, but it is good to devote some time for yourself to regroup and spend time on areas that bring balance to your life,” noted Fang.

Career Path

With a degree in accounting and finance, Fang naturally decided to pursue a career in accounting. Fang was drawn to the firm because of its reputation for being one of the best and biggest global accounting firms. “I came to PwC because I wanted to qualify as an accountant,” recalled Fang, “like others, I was fortunate to be given opportunities by the Firm to develop myself professionally”

An auditor by training, Fang was able to work on several bank audits and regional audits, as well as audits in the oil and gas, property and retail amongst others. “In my earlier years as an auditor, one was able to cover a few industries, but now given the complexities within each industry including increased regulation in those industries, there is inevitably more specialization”

Before she made manager, Fang had the opportunity to be seconded to the PwC London office in 2005 until 2007. “It was a different business environment,” said Fang, “and I had a very steep learning curve which I overcame quickly.” When she returned to Singapore, Fang observed many positive changes as a result of the demand for more specialization occurring in the profession. Soon after returned from London she joined PwC’s Financial Services Industry Practice (“FSIP”) to specialize in financial services and made partner in FSIP.

“Making partner was a surreal experience and something that I am proud of,” remarked Fang. “It drives me and motivates me to keep going forward in my career.”

Currently, Fang continues to serve as a financial services auditor specializing in banking, and she also is part of the Risk Assurance department which offers risk advisory services for clients. “Our team is very solutions based,” said Fang, “which results in a very collaborative work environment. We work on so many different engagements, and yet I observe that there is rarely conflict or disagreement. This aspect of teamwork is something I greatly appreciate about working for PwC.”

“It’s been quite a journey,” said Fang, who has been with PwC for her entire career.

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Voice of Experience: Marissa Thomas, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

women working mentoringEven after 20 years in the industry, PwC’s head of private equity, Marissa Thomas, says she still loves what initially drew her to the field: the adrenaline rush of a fast-paced industry rife with deadlines and tight-knit teams.

Thomas has spent the entirety of her career with PwC. She started in the regional corporate tax business, moved into the M&A tax business and even spending a three-year stint in Switzerland, where she was second in command with a team from all over the globe. Ten years after joining the firm, she was named partner – a great achievement given that the average time it takes to make partner is seventeen years.

“My role has changed a lot, shifting from client services to focus more on private equity,” Thomas said. “Two years ago I took over private equity, which is 10 percent of our revenue in the UK and I’m very proud to lead that business. When I started leading the business the industry dynamics were changing, and with that came a challenge to encourage our private equity teams to be more innovative about how they add value to clients. It was hard work but rewarding when people in the business and more importantly our clients responded positively to our approach.”

Plenty To Be Proud Of

Thomas can add being the first women to head private equity in the UK firm, a division notoriously run by men, to her long list of noteworthy achievements.

“It’s a big achievement and recognition of your hard work. I’m equally proud when clients ask me to take on big roles outside of my specialty, as it that they’re willing to put their faith in me and they trust I’ll do a good job,” Marissa said.

Thomas says she doesn’t wish to change anything about her career or the way she’s approached it. Part of the reason, she says, is that hers is an industry that changes rapidly.

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Voice of Experience: Gigi Freeman, Executive Director, MSCI, Inc.

women smilingIdentifying opportunities for career advancement is something that has served Gigi Freeman, Executive Director at MSCI , very well throughout her entire career.

She graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Earth Science, and she envisioned herself establishing a career in science before realizing that financial services held a lot of opportunity for anyone willing to work hard and learn at a fast pace, regardless of their educational background.

Although Freeman could have chosen to pursue a scientific career, she chose to follow her heart –and her instincts –instead.

Career Path

Freeman accepted an internship at a financial research firm where she learned about equity markets. This experience ultimately sparked her interest in returning to school to earn her MBA, but before she did that, Freeman was fortunate enough to secure a position in a rotational trader training program.

During the summer between her first and second year of business school, Freeman accepted an offer to be a summer associate at Goldman Sachs in their Equity Sales and Trading group, which led to a full-time position in the Boston office after she completed her MBA.

After working with large asset management clients in the Boston area, Freeman accepted an international assignment that brought her to London to be a US shares sales trader covering continental accounts. “This was great exposure for me to see how business is done in London as well as how different cultural norms affect the business space,” noted Freeman.

Freeman’s career path changed directions when she joined a small boutique investment research firm which almost had a startup environment, according to Freeman. She recalled, “This was such an interesting point in my career because I had the opportunity to perform several different tasks. With only 35 people in the entire company, I really felt like I was part of building something from the ground up.”

This firm was eventually purchased by RiskMetrics, and later RiskMetrics was acquired by MSCI, Inc., where Freeman serves as an Executive Director, overseeing MSCI’s Sales Training and Online Client Experience. “Due to these acquisitions, my role changed,” explained Freeman. She continued, “I was responsible for relationship management, and was approached several times about joining the sales team, but I knew that was not the right fit for me at that point in my career.”

Being able to accept challenging roles and transition into new territory is something that Freeman is especially proud of. “I was asked to changes roles and take a little bit of a risk when I moved into a Director of Operations position, but I knew I was a quick learner and I had confidence in my abilities,” said Freeman. “Accepting this role allowed me to learn more about our business and it led to my current role where I am involved in strategic IT products and broader business initiatives,” she continued.

“There is a lot of innovation right now in the marketing technology space,” said Freeman, which is something that really drives her daily work. “I am spending a lot of time looking at marketing automation, mobile apps, and optimizing our CRM,” she added.

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Intrepid Woman: Loreen Arbus, Film Producer and Executive, Chair of Women Who Care Luncheon.

rsz_1rsz_loreenarbusBy CEO and Founder Nicki Gilmour

Loreen Arbus is a woman of many worlds and has certainly lived a life less ordinary.

She is already known by many as a change leader, a thinker and a doer, a career woman, a supporter of the arts, a member of numerous boards, an ally for people with disabilities and a major philanthropist in the US. When I recently spoke with her, I was delighted to experience firsthand her relentless bravery to tackle the hard topics with grace, which makes her completely deserving of the “Intrepid Woman’ mantle bestowed upon her.

How does she manage to be in so many worlds at once?

“I grew up as an outsider. It can be the best and worst thing to be not included since it can make you a better person, or do great damage to the individual,” Loreen said. She continued, “I feel lucky that it has made me a better person as I can identify with other people’s experiences as outsiders and help them to navigate their way to success.”

Perhaps her background of growing up as a once marginalized child has allowed her to defy labels or categories. It may have also given her the impetus to continue learning via new experiences, which span cultural aspects as well as humanistic endeavors, such as Co-Chairing the upcoming 13th Annual Women Who Care Luncheon to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of New York City Women who Care Luncheon at Cipriani’s in NYC on Wednesday May, 7th.

Loreen founded The Women Who Care Luncheon as an ode to unsung heroines like her sister’s caretaker Miss Karen Hansen. Loreen recounted to me that her interactions with Miss Hansen were life enhancing, and she accredits Miss Hansen with teaching her unconditional love due to the way that she cared for her older sister who had severe disabilities. The Karen Hansen Caregiver Award is a major part of the luncheon. It was Loreen’s parents Leonard H. and Isabelle Goldenson who co-founded the nation-wide organization of United Cerebral Palsy in 1949. UCP has a number of programs to help children with disabilities, including a favorite program of Loreen’s –an advocacy program that empowers adults and young people with skills to go to Albany and advocate directly for themselves with state representatives.

“I most often support causes in a specific way. I like to meet the people that I am helping, it replenishes my soul to experience the change that is taking place,” explained Loreen.

She encourages others to tour UCP and see how eager the children are to learn, play sports and word games. Loreen believes that connection to the mission of any charity can come alive; the closer one can get to connecting with the people driving it. Loreen also currently is the Executive Producer of the award winning documentary, “A Whole Lott More”, a film that aims to bring more awareness to employment issues for people with disabilities

On Being a Change Leader
Loreen’s trailblazing career in television meant that she pioneered where no woman had gone before as she was the first woman in to head up programming at a major U.S. television network, a feat she accomplished twice. Another noteworthy achievement to mention is that she spearheaded the inclusion of cable to be recognized within the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences EMMYs award system whilst she was at the Showtime television network. She understands the power of asking and ‘darn hard work,’ and mentions that she wishes women would be less apologetic around owning their hard work.

Loreen commented, “The greatest gift that I was given is that I can look at all sides of an issue. It is very exciting to be part of my mission that can lead to changes being made.”

Certainly, her unwavering dedication to helping others, and her ability to create space for other perspectives to come alive and become working ideas, is a striking feature about her.

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Voice of Experience: Amanda Blanc, CEO of Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary, AXA Insurance UK

amanda blancAmanda Blanc began her career in 1989 as the first female and youngest branch manager at Commercial Union. She achieved many other top positions during the following years, which taught her one important lesson: a lack of confidence can stop many women from reaching their true dreams.

When she mentors other women she realizes that, when looking at the list of competencies in job descriptions, they focus on that one particular qualification that they do not meet. In contrast men will feel qualified for the job if they meet six out of ten competencies.

Women in the insurance industry have several barriers which they must overcome, and confidence is one of the qualifications that keeps this business, as Blanc described, “a man’s world, particularly at executive level.”

However, Blanc’s belief in her potential has led her to work as a consultant for Ernst & Young, as the regional director for AXA’s commercial intermediary business, as the distribution and customer services director at Groupama in 2003, as Chief Executive of Towergate Retail Division in The Towergate Partnership and, starting in 2011, as CEO of Commercial Lines and Personal Intermediary in AXA.

Her confidence in her abilities is only one of the reasons for her success. “I don’t do regrets or looking back. You just need to learn from any mistakes and move on without dwelling,” she explained.

Insurance and the Financial Crisis

Blanc identifies transparency as one of the key issues that the insurance industry must face, and knows that AXA’s effort to be more transparent with their customers is an important challenge.

“Insurance is notorious for indulging in acronyms and technicalities that are all but impenetrable to the man on the street. We are working on being much clearer, in layman’s terms, about what is and isn’t covered in a policy and what steps our customers can take to ensure that they do not breach any of the policy conditions. It might seem like a small thing, which it is, but it is pretty fundamental. I want our customers to be absolutely clear about what it is they are buying and how they use the policy when they need to.”

She also recognizes that “banking has received most of the public vitriol following the financial crisis, but the wider financial services community had much to feel sheepish about too, and insurance has certainly not been immune to some of the behaviours that have had such a catastrophic impact on banking. As financial institutions, we have lost the faith and trust of our customers, [whose] starting point now is that we are going to fleece them, and so they treat us accordingly. That is a shocking situation to find ourselves in and one that we must change.”

“It’s not going to change with lip service or marketing ploys. The only way we are going to get the customer back onside is by changing the way we behave, creating business models that deliver shareholder value through good customer experience and making sure that the necessary change in culture genuinely permeates throughout the business,” Blanc said.

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Movers and Shakers: Triinu Magi, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Neura

happy man with womenTriinu Magi, Co-Founder and CTO of Neura, a company leading the trend on the Internet of Things, has always believed in paving her own path. Growing up in Estonia, Magi was instilled early on with the idea that everyone had the opportunity to create their own successful future. This mentality and entrepreneurial work ethic has shaped Magi throughout her professional development.

“This established the foundation that made me the leader I am today,” said Magi.

Drawn to Innovation
Magi entered the workforce at the young age of nineteen and she noted that in every role she held, innovation and technology were always two key focal points. Before she branched out on her own to create Neura, Magi spent over fifteen years working in various computer and network security related positions.

During the period when Estonia was establishing their independence from Russia, Magi played a key role in developing the Estonian e-government services and she was instrumental in creating an independent security analysis for Estonia’s e-voting system. Later in her career, Magi worked in research and innovation for Israel’s RSA Security.

“Without these experiences, I would not be able to hold the role I do at Neura. I consider each of these roles to have been stepping stones that have led me to where I am today,” said Magi. “I definitely feel like I was in the right place at the right time,” added Magi.

While Magi acknowledges the part that her previous roles have played in her success, she is proud of the fact that she had the courage to follow her passion and her heart by forming her own company. “I encourage every woman to follow their passions by doing what they love,” said Magi, “and this will involve a lot of hard work, but in the end it will be extremely rewarding.”

Magi has always gravitated toward innovation throughout her career, which is why it is no surprise that she started Neura one year ago. “We are excited about the work we are doing with the Internet of Things and exploring the interconnectivity of technology that will ultimately make our digital experiences more personalized and more human,” Magi explained.

She continued, “I believe that Neura will be the solution that enables the Internet of Things movement to provide trustful, intelligent and adaptive services to connected devices’ users. This is the future of technology, bringing intelligence to connected ecosystems, and we’re very excited to be a part of it.”

Women in Technology
“Do whatever it is you love to do,” advised Magi. According to Magi, women need to be careful not to create their own barriers by self-selecting out of opportunities. “By doubting our abilities and lacking confidence, we enable the negative stereotypes that surround women in technology,” said Magi.

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