Voice of Experience: Gail Cohen, Vice Chairman and General Trust Counsel, Fiduciary Trust Company International

:ÌpBy Tina Vasquez, Managing Editor

Gail Cohen says that her career in law “happened by happenstance.” Out of college, she was hired by a trust and estate attorney because she could type, but ended up staying with the firm for 10 years during which time she became a paralegal, attended law school, and became an attorney.

“When I finished college and began working for the law firm, I thought about going to law school, but I had no clear direction,” Cohen said. “I had no idea what kind of law and honestly, at the time I had no idea what trust law was.”

After working at her first small law firm, Cohen spent several more years working for a large international law firm, Cohen then took a position with Fiduciary Trust, where she has spent the last 20-years of her career, now serving as vice chairman and general trust counsel. Currently, she is in the process of opening up a new office for Fiduciary Trust located in Boca Raton, FL.

“This is the kind of work that truly excites me because it’s entrepreneurial,” Cohen said. “I’m spearheading the project and it’s a lot of responsibility: a new office in a new market, requiring that we build our reputation. It’s almost like a start-up. It’s thrilling!”

The Challenges of Leadership
As vice chairman and general counsel, Cohen is a leader at Fiduciary Trust and as such, her biggest challenge, she says, mirrors the challenge leaders in any industry encounter: making sure the people you’re working with can do their job well.

“Day-in-day-out, that is a big responsibility and a big challenge,” she said. “The goal is to give people the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to accomplish their role and fulfill their responsibilities.”

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Voice of Experience: Samantha Kappagoda, Chief Economist & Co-Founder, Risk Economics, Inc.

Samantha KappagodaBy Hadley Catalano

Samantha Kappagoda, Chief Economist and Co-Founder of Risk Economics, Inc. in New York City, loves puzzles. She sees equations and hidden patterns woven throughout all aspects of life – from the Fibonacci sequence in a nautilus to the socioeconomic trends of an aging workforce – and feels compelled to solve them.

For Kappagoda, who is also the Co-Lead Investigator at the RiskEcon Lab for Decision Metrics and a visiting scholar at Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences at New York University, analytical problems are the fuel driving her dedication to her profession. An occupation she sees more than just a career, but a perpetuation of the legacy of all female mathematicians and statisticians.

“There have always been women scientists, but the current perception is not necessarily accurate, in that their contributions are under-represented,” said Kappagoda, recently named the 2013 Women of Distinction by the Girls Scouts of Greater New York.

Kappagoda explained that women have always had significant scientific influence, although the archetype of the profession often tends to be misleading.

“One of the main barriers to success for women in STEM is that the world does not tend to have the complete picture of these women’s great accomplishments and contributions to their fields,” Kappagoda said. This includes women like Ada Byron King, metaphysician and founder of scientific computing, as well as actress Hedy Lamarr, who patented an idea in 1942 for frequency hopping, which later supported secure military communications and mobile phone technology.

This is why Kappagoda encourages women pursuing economics, statistics, and mathematics to develop skills and build camaraderie.

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Voice of Experience: Gloria M. Grandolini, Country Director for Mexico and Colombia, World Bank

gloriagrandoliniBy Irene Solaz (Madrid)

Gloria M. Grandolini, Country Director for Mexico and Colombia at the World Bank, has never regretted her choice. She began her career as a traditional macroeconomist when she joined the World Bank 23 years ago, and later substituted her technical responsibilities for those of an executive working for the strategic and management dimensions.

“Since day one I have been working and taking decisions aimed at providing better opportunities to others, with a wider understanding of the global context, and the political and socioeconomic dynamics.”

Experience in the World Bank
It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Ten years ago, as a macroeconomist, she became the World Bank Treasury Manager and, later, the Director of the Financial Products group.

She felt overwhelmed because she did not have any experience in this area, and managing a group of traders and Finance PhDs as well as working with the increasing responsibilities of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis proved to be hard. But the management skills she had learned in her previous jobs allowed her to “bring a different perspective to the group”.

“I feel most proud of mentoring more junior staff along my career. Today, I feel pride and joy when I see many of them succeeding and reaching managerial positions.”

Grandolini has learned a lot along the way. “The chemistry and loyalty with the people you work with, both your boss and your closest colleagues, make a huge difference in terms of work environment, support, trust and ultimately your success.”

She also notes that “all money-related arrangements need to be stated in writing. Verbal agreements are not enough. And I’m not referring to salary arrangements but to any work-related matter or agreement related to money matters – such as budgets!”

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Movers & Shakers: Stephanie Weimer, Regional Vice President, ING U.S. Investment Management (ING U.S. IM)

 

women shaking handsWhile attending Pennsylvania State University, a friend’s father, who was President of Sun Life Financial Distributors, told Stephanie Weimer that she absolutely had to get into financial services. “I looked at him like he was crazy,” Weimer laughed. He said, “‘You’re smart and there aren’t enough women in the industry. If you enter it, you’ll be really successful.’”

He was right, of course.

Weimer is now Regional Vice President where she wholesales various mutual funds and separately-managed account products throughout the New England area. This is Weimer’s sixth year in the role and she has consistently ranked as one of the top salespeople for the company, despite covering one of the smaller regional areas.

From CIA to ING

Even upon entering the industry in 2006, Weimer still had no idea that financial services would be her career path. She had every intention of being a field agent in the CIA. When her friend’s father – the same man who urged her to enter the industry – offered her a job as an internal wholesaler with Sun Life, she gave him a one-year commitment as she waited for a background check with the CIA to clear. The problem was that her clearance went through quickly. As a woman of her word, she decided to maintain her commitment with Sun Life.

“It worked out for the best. I don’t dwell on it and I’m truly happy with where I am – and I’ve really come to love this industry,” Weimer said. “I learned the ropes with Sun Life, beginning as an internal wholesaler. In less than two years, I was offered a job as an external wholesaler with ING U.S. IM. That’s a quick move from internal to external.”

Interestingly it’s the skills that Weimer believed would make her successful in the CIA that have proven to be the most helpful in her success in financial services.

“I love to figure out what makes people tick and find out what they need and help them find a solution. Effective communication has proven to be one of my strongest assets,” Weimer said.

The Business of Golf

Weimer says that when first starting out in the industry, she wishes she would have understood the importance of having a good golf game. In first grade, her mom enrolled her in a junior golf league, but she had no patience for it.

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Voice of Experience: Christina Minnis, Managing Director in Healthcare M&A Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs

Christina MinnisChristina Minnis says that upon graduating from Yale in 1987, she had no real experience in the financial services industry and absolutely no Wall Street experience. “I was an intern at a bank and that was the extent of it,” Minnis said.

She obtained her Master of Management degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 1991 before forging her career with Goldman Sachs beginning in 1998, where she began as a vice president in the Investment Banking Division (IBD), focusing on leveraged finance deals primarily for the financial sponsors group. In 2001, Minnis joined the Fixed Income Division as part of Capital Markets and focused on industrials followed by healthcare. She was named managing director in 2004 and partner in 2008.

Today, Minnis is co-head of Goldman Sachs’ Healthcare Group in the Americas and head of the Healthcare Leveraged Finance Group and the Pension Strategies Group. She serves as a member of the IBD Operating Committee, and the Global Recruiting Council, while also co-heading global recruiting for IBD and serving as the chair of diversity for IBD.

Healthcare: A Thriving Industry

Of her many achievements, it is her work in the Healthcare Group that Minnis is most proud of.

“I’m incredibly proud of what we have built in our Leveraged Finance healthcare franchise. When we started, the healthcare leveraged finance revenue was less than $10 million and the team consisted of myself and an analyst,” Minnis said. “Now we’ve built our team up to seven people, and we’re fully integrated into banking. It’s been an amazing collaboration and a terrific accomplishment.”

It’s an interesting and exciting time to be working in healthcare from the perspective of the investment banking industry. The Affordable Care Act has created a great deal of change, and though Minnis says there are many challenges, there are also “great opportunities.”

“So many people choose the healthcare field because they want to add good to the world by developing useful technology and helping the quality of care. This is a dynamic time in history for this industry and though the role I play in investment banking is very different, it’s exciting to be a part of it,” Minnis said.

The People Part

Minnis says that many coming into the investment banking industry are unaware how crucial good client skills are.

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Voice of Experience: Stephanie Schnabel, Managing Director, Corporate Development, Accenture

Stephanie K. SchnabelBy Tina Vasquez, Editor

Stephanie Schnabel joined Accenture in April of 2001 and since 2005, she has led the organization’s corporate development efforts where she is responsible for the evaluation and execution of all potential global acquisitions and divestitures. Though she’s had a stellar career in M&A, what motivates her is not the acknowledgment of her peers, but rather the impression she is gifting her daughters.

“I’m a working mom with two young daughters and I want to ensure I’m a positive role model for them,” Schnabel said. “My mother was a professional in a male dominated industry and the first woman to get her master’s degree in mechanical engineering in the former East Germany. She encouraged me to have confidence in my capabilities, to work hard and to execute, and she continues to be a valuable role model for me at the young age of 87.”

Driving Growth
The Princeton University and Wharton alumna says that the one common theme in her successful career thus far has been “working to drive growth.”

In college, she worked for General Electric in their Plastics and their Nuclear Energy Businesses, which were industries “at very different stages of maturity, facing very different growth challenges.” Upon graduating, she worked as a strategy consultant developing growth strategies for clients in North America and Europe. Later, she utilized these skills at the private equity firm Catterton Partners, providing growth capital to businesses. Before joining Accenture, Schnabel took on the role of interim CEO at one of Catterton’s portfolio companies.

At Accenture, Schnabel works in close collaboration with Accenture’s leadership around the globe to ensure the organization is developing the right strategies and identifying and executing transactions.

“I have the pleasure of working with a strong team and we work with diverse parts of our business to acquire technology and services businesses to help further Accenture’s differentiation in key growth sectors,” Schnabel said. “I’m most proud of my role in developing a robust corporate development capability and driving impactful transactions for Accenture. I’m also proud of being able to tackle the diverse issues that arise in this field, including being able to navigate constant change in the technology space and deal with the economic, cultural, and business considerations of doing transactions on a global basis – while maintaining a fulfilling family life with my husband and two young daughters.”

Maximizing Your Impact
The recent Accenture survey “Defining Success” resonated with Schnabel deeply, as it highlighted the importance of personally defining success.

“It’s so important to maintain your drive, but you also need to know yourself well enough to know how to maximize your impact,” Schnabel said. “I am a mother, wife, daughter, and a working professional and face many of the same balance challenges other women face. It is critical to occasionally step back and think about how you can be most effective across all your priorities. We need to be honest with ourselves and focus on impact and efficacy, not just putting in long hours. It’s important to keep your eyes on your long-term goals and maintain your drive to reach your potential.”

Entering M&A
Schnabel says the M&A field is highly demanding, but it’s possible to have a fulfilling life, including family and other interests.

“Women entering this industry should recognize that it may not be easy, but much of their destiny is in their hands and it’s extremely important to keep focused on your long-term goals,” Schnabel said. “Think of your career as a chess game, not just thinking of your next move, but what position you want to be in a few moves down the board.”

The managing director also suggests focusing on effectiveness, impact, and continually challenging yourself as to how you can best leverage your skills to benefit your stakeholders. Schnabel also places emphasis on the importance of mentors, asserting that your best mentors don’t have to be women.

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Movers & Shakers: Rhiannon Wood, Senior Manager M&A Private Equity, PricewaterhouseCoopers

women on boardsWhen Rhiannon Wood began in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ audit department as a graduate in 2004, there was no way for her to know that she’d be part of the world’s largest professional services firm’s most pivotal global program. Though she’s spent the last six years in the firm’s M&A tax team working with a variety of private equity houses and corporations on international transactions, it wasn’t until this year that she was asked to join PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Genesis Park program, designated for the firm’s top five percent of senior performers.

“I’d say it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened in my career,” Wood said. “It’s a 12-month program that enables us to spend six-weeks working on personal development and strategic projects for our global board. It really feels like being a part of change for our business in the UK and globally.”

Wood’s six-weeks were up in September and she says the most important takeaway was the focus the program had on authenticity.

“There are a lot of discussions happening about what it means to be authentic or how to be an authentic leader, but what does that really mean? Oftentimes it’s just talking in concepts,” Wood said. “In the program, we spent a lot time focusing on the question of what is authenticity. We discussed how knowing your own values is central to the idea and how we can spot values in others and perhaps most importantly, how to live by our own values on a personal and professional level in order to be a more authentic leader.”

Now that she’s completed her time in the program, Wood says that the most exciting thing she’s working on is helping the firm invest in the future and the “next generation of leadership.”

“PwC is trying to be at the forefront of the industry when it comes to leadership, talent development, and diversity. It’s an exciting time to be with the firm. So many people are receptive to these groundbreaking ideas,” Wood said.

Don’t Let Your Plans Get In The Way

As a senior manager reflecting back on her first years in the industry, Wood says she wishes that she would have understood earlier that there is no one way of doing things. Ambition, she says, is a good thing, but becoming too fixated on your plan rather than on the journey can prove to be problematic.

“You can let your plans get in the way of unexpected opportunities that come across your path,” Wood said. “You need to recognize things as opportunities, rather than diversions. In the end, you’ll regret what you didn’t take, not what you did.”

Embracing Strong Personalities

Before entering M&A, Wood also says it’s important to understand that it’s a field inhabited by strong personalities and strong opinions, both of which require working with and navigating around.

“The most overlooked portion of this job is the people management piece,” Wood said. “There are a lot of ideas as to what an ideal transaction should look like versus what it actually looks like. You have to get stakeholders on board with everything you do and sometimes that means working with 20 stakeholders with very strong personalities and different agendas. The end goal is the same for everyone, but it makes getting a transaction done incredibly tricky. It’s just a matter of getting where we all want to be.”

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Voice of Experience: Clare O’Brien, Partner, Shearman & Sterling

OBrien-CWelcome to M&A Week on The Glass Hammer — we’ll be profiling successful M&A business women all week long!

By Tina Vasquez, Editor

In the past three months alone, Clare O’Brien has been to London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro (twice), and Abu Dhabi. Traveling around the world isn’t unusual for a leading M&A lawyer with international clients, but the depth, breadth, scale and scope of her work as a partner at global law firm Shearman & Sterling is stunning.

O’Brien’s client list includes such global names as Ardagh S.A., Boston Scientific Corporation, Bunge Limited, Corning Incorporated, Danone, Lafarge S.A., Mubadala Development Company, Quest Diagnostics, and SunGard. She is annually ranked as a leading global M&A lawyer and her crowning achievements include her work on behalf of SunGard in 2005, representing the company in an $11.3 billion private equity-driven acquisition, which garnered her The American Lawyer’s 2005 “Dealmakers of the Year” award, one of the highest honors an M&A lawyer can receive. O’Brien also represented Boston Scientific in its 2006 acquisition of Guidant Corporation.

O’Brien had a rough start in the States that did not foreshadow the success that would come.

“I grew up in Ireland, went to law school at Trinity College in Dublin, and became an attorney at 23,” O’Brien recalls. “I worried that if I stayed in Ireland, I would get stuck there, so I decided to pack up and head to New York in 1985, thinking I’d get a job at a law firm and stay a year or two at the most.”

O’Brien applied to 30 firms for a job – including Shearman & Sterling – and received 30 rejection letters in response. At that time, it was more unusual for non-U.S. trained lawyers to apply for jobs at large New York-based law firms.

“The situation seemed bleak, but then I took and passed the New York Bar exam, which opened up some doors,” O’Brien said.

Making Hard Career Choices
Talent like O’Brien’s never goes unrecognized and before long, she was hired by a small firm based in New York City, the sole woman on a team of six lawyers. When a headhunter approached her with two job offers in 1987, she decided to take the one at Shearman & Sterling. Again, she figured it would be a one- or two-year commitment.

“I sometimes think that my career can be characterized by the absence of forethought,” O’Brien said with a laugh. “I came to New York without a big plan and here I am, 25 years later. I believe that I am still here, and still doing what I do, because I still like what I do, including – at least on some level – the unpredictability of being an M&A lawyer at a big firm.”

More Global Than Most
O’Brien’s achievements with Shearman & Sterling reflect its reputation as a trusted firm often brought in for its global expertise. She was recently involved in several significant transactions, including for Mubadala Development, Bunge Limited, Danone, Lafarge, and SunGard.

“While Shearman & Sterling is a major international law firm, my work is probably more global than most,” O’Brien explained. “Of course, there are many challenges: time zone differences, a hectic schedule, and long hours. Thankfully I have a very supportive husband, tolerant daughters, and a wonderful nanny to help take care of them.”

Remaining Resolute
Clearly, with a job as demanding as O’Brien’s, a great number of factors are out of her control, but there is one thing O’Brien is careful about.

“I rarely schedule client dinners or drinks,” O’Brien said. “If you have a family and a demanding job, you have to make choices as to how much ‘discretionary’ time you will spend on work-related activities. Given how much I travel, I try to avoid non-essential evening activities.”

O’Brien says she may not get to spend as much time as she’d like with her daughters, ages 8 and 14, but she believes there is value in the image she represents to them.

“When they grow up, I hope they will look back and know they had a mother who was successful doing something she loves. I think that’s quite powerful,” O’Brien said, acknowledging that it may also represent a degree of wishful thinking and rationalization.

Getting Ahead
At Shearman & Sterling, O’Brien says gender is not a barrier to success.

“In my 25 years with the firm, I’ve never encountered bias because of my gender,” O’Brien said. “The firm is very good at identifying and promoting talent, and I believe that women are given equal opportunity to succeed on their merits.”

Shearman & Sterling has a number of women’s initiatives, including an inclusion network called The Women’s Initiative for Success, Excellence and Retention (WISER), as well as a LeanIn initiative. It is also a member of 85 Broads, The Glass Hammer, and other organizations.

Advice for Young Attorneys
Over her many years with the firm and through many important client meetings, O’Brien has worked hard and applied “street smarts” to her client work. Sometimes the simplest things can create significant results, she says.

“I know this is going to sound silly, but if you’re the person at the meeting who actually has the documents that people want to discuss or refer to, it makes a difference,” O’Brien explained. “It’s amazing how often others don’t have the relevant documents and if you do, it means that you become an important participant in that meeting.”

O’Brien reiterates how important it is to like your work if you’re an M&A attorney. The long hours, unpredictable schedule, and huge workload will make you “miserable” if your heart isn’t in it. It’s also important, she says, to set limits.

“Be prepared to set limits for yourself because if you don’t, no one else will set them for you,” O’Brien said. “It’s OK to take time off. If you trust your work and the relationships you’ve built with clients, they will understand that you also have – and need to have – a life outside of work.”

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Voice of Experience: Emma McGuigan, Managing Director at Accenture

Emma McGuigan AccentureBy Tina Vasquez, Editor

Emma McGuigan has been with Accenture for 19 years, joining the organization shortly after obtaining her master’s degree in electronics from the University of Edinburgh. As managing director in Accenture’s technology practice, she says her career thus far has been “challenging, creative, and progressive.”

“It is challenging in that every day there are new hurdles to overcome and interesting problems to solve. It is creative, as I’ve learned to use my technology skills to find solutions to business issues as well as my people skills to build successful relationships and teams. It is progressive as I take on increasingly larger responsibilities and roles and make a larger impact,” McGuigan said.

Redefining Success
McGuigan’s area of focus is working with clients in financial services and the public sector, drawing on her extensive experience in building IT architecture and large scale delivery of projects. This, she says, is her proudest achievement. Impressively, McGuigan was promoted while on maternity leave and prior to that, she’d been working part-time for Accenture for two-years.

“I realized that to be successful, you don’t necessarily have to work a traditional five-day week,” McGuigan said. “I’m proud that I’ve defined success in my own way. Fortunately, Accenture supports its people with a variety of flexible work and career options.”

In her new role, McGuigan is focusing on an internal project that grants her exposure to many people on Accenture’s global leadership team. “I’ve found this opportunity to be incredibly insightful, and a great learning opportunity,” McGuigan said.

Getting the Most Out of Professional Relationships
McGuigan says that to get the most out of a professional relationship, you need to take the time to get to know the individual. “Don’t drive straight to the transactional outcome,” she said. McGuigan asserts that how people grow professional relationships will be different for everyone, but taking the time to learn about how people operate makes for better collaboration.

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

Chen Min headshot 100713By Michelle Hendelman

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

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

Career in Investment Banking

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

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

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

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