Voice of Experience: Jennifer Wu, CFA, Senior Vice President, Institutional Sales and Relationship Management, ING US Investment Management

JenniferWuBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“My advice for women starting out in the asset management industry is to seek out mentors within their respective firms and broadly in the industry,” began Jennifer Wu, CFA, Senior Vice President of Institutional Sales and Relationship Management at ING US Investment Management. “When I entered the industry, I asked people for their insights on career advancement and everyone had the same advice: find mentors who can champion for you.”

She continued, “As long as they are in a position to influence your career development, you need to be open-minded and thoughtful about finding someone who identifies with your ambition, understands your constraints, and someone who is willing to invest in your career.”

Read more

/by

Life After Corporate: Sonpreet Bhatia, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, MyCityWay

SonpreetBhatiaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I’ve said this many times,” began Sonpreet Bhatia, Co-Founder and COO of MyCityWay. “If you have a vision and are passionate about solving a problem, just start now. There is no better time.”

Bhatia and her two co-founders took a risk when they developed MyCityWay, an app that helps people find information they need to navigate their city. The three were working on Wall Street in technology roles, drudging through the midst of the economic meltdown. When they came up with the idea for company together, they just went for it.

And their risk paid off – after earning the backing of New York’s Mayor Bloomberg and BMWi, among other investors, they’ve now taken their company global.

“Make sure everything you do adds up to something big. Take it one step at a time. Staying focused will pay off,” Bhatia said. “And don’t think you’re alone out there – reach out to other women. They will help you.”

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Kathy Hannan, National Managing Partner, Diversity and Corporate Responsibility, KPMG LLP

KPMG: Kathy Hannan. Tax department. Photo by Andrew Collings.By Robin Madell (San Francisco)

Ethics. Philanthropic partnerships. Stakeholder engagement. Environmental best practices. Diversity objectives. For Kathy Hannan, these are not just platitudes, but guiding principles. This is both because of what she does, and who she is.

Hannan currently serves multiple executive roles as the national managing partner, chief diversity officer, chief corporate responsibility officer, and global lead partner at KPMG LLP. She has spent nearly three decades at the Big Four tax and advisory firm, whose member firms are among the largest international professional services networks in the world, with 152,000 professionals – including more than 8,600 partners – in 156 countries.

Throughout her long tenure at KPMG, Hannan served in various leadership positions, including vice chair of human resources. She was also the first female area managing partner for the Midwest tax practice. “Throughout my career, I’ve focused on people-related strategic business decisions impacting recruiting, succession planning, career development, training, and benefits,” says Hannan.

Hannan’s list of notable achievements within KPMG include establishing the Women’s Advisory Board (WAB) and Diversity Advisory Board, which serve as counsel to firm leadership on workplace matters. She also established the KPMG Network of Women in 2003 to engage KPMG’s women professionals and deliver a wide array of women’s programs and activities that strengthen strategic alliances locally.

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Jennifer Pattwell, Partner, PwC Singapore

JenniferPattwellBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Jennifer Pattwell, a Partner at PwC Singapore, has spent her globe trotting career in pursuit of fun and fulfillment. “It’s something a previous boss and mentor said to me once – there’s no point in doing something if you’re not having fun doing it.”

“If you just take a job to take a job, you won’t have that motivation, and motivation is one of the key things I hold dear. We spend so much of our time at work, it’s important we find that time fulfilling,” she continued.

“Travel was a priority for me at the start of my career, so my career was about fulfilling a key personal priority at the time. It’s about weighing what’s important to you. If you can combine your personal objectives with your career goals, then you are on the right track.”

Read more

/by

Thought Leaders: Moira Elms, Global Head of Brand and Communications, PwC

thought-leadershipA strong interest in gender diversity has not always been an inherent piece of my make-up. But throughout my career trajectory this interest evolved. I got to a stage in my career where there were not many working women around me. Lots of talented women were falling by the wayside. That was when I became passionate about gender diversity.

I felt I had to do something about it.

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Kathy Elsesser, Managing Director and Head of Global Consumer Retail Group, Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs

Kathy elsesserKathy Elsesser, Managing Director and Head of the Global Consumer Retail Group in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, speaks enthusiastically about the opportunities for women in the financial services. She believes that women can achieve their full potential by being authentic and thinking carefully about what they want in life.

“Know what you want and ask for it. I have noticed a tendency on the part of the women I mentor to take what they’re given and do well with it. But the question I try to ask them is ‘what do you really want?’” She continued, “Ask for the things that will help you get that – versus accepting the things that are presented to you.”

And that mindset can benefit women throughout their career – from the entry level all the way to the top. She encouraged women to think carefully about how their skills and talents could be best leveraged at work. “Especially for women who decide to have a family, I would encourage them to think every day about how they are spending their time. As you get older, you begin to realize that time is a limited resource.”

She continued, “When you have a new project, think about whether this is important, or whether, if you personally do it, it is going to have an outsized return relative to someone else taking it on.”

“I really see women take on what they are given rather than asking whether it’s the best use for their time. If someone else can do it, give it to them and find a higher and better use for your time.”

Read more
/by

Voice of Experience: Beverly Anderson, Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Financial Services Group, Wells Fargo

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Beverly Anderson, Executive Vice President and Head of Wells Fargo Consumer Financial Services Group, one of the most important lessons she has learned during her career is what it means to be a leader.

“I got some really good advice a few years ago from one of my mentors, and it has helped me so much as a leader,” Anderson said. “I’m an intense person and I push pretty hard to achieve at a high bar. And what I’ve learned about that style is that it sometimes keeps people from coming along with me.”

She continued, “If my style impedes people from getting on board, that destroys my leadership brand and my ability to lead effectively.”

“What I’ve been working on is taking all of that passion and excitement and energy around business achievement, and funneling it in the right way to motivate and inspire the team I work with. It’s a fundamental shift in the way I lead and connect with my teams and partners. It’s been transformative for me.”

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Paula Anderson, Partner, Litigation, Shearman & Sterling

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

At just 36, Paula Anderson, a partner in Shearman & Sterling’s litigation practice, has already earned a national reputation, having been named to Crain’s NY Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list and having received the National Organization for Women’s 2012 Women of Power and Influence Award.

It is not lost on her that these are significant achievements for an African American woman in an industry where diversity is still too rare.

“I’ve been interested in diversity in the legal industry since I began my career, and it still concerns me,” she said. “I go to industry functions and there are hundreds of attorneys there, and I am often the only person of color or maybe one of about five out of hundreds. I’ve always been driven to find a way we in the legal industry can address that, to better reflect the students graduating from law school.”

Anderson is doing her part at Shearman & Sterling. She is a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee, has been active in the firm’s WISER (Women’s Initiative for Success, Excellence and Retention) inclusion network, and was the first chairperson of the firm’s African American inclusion network BLAQUE (Black Lawyers Aligned in the Quest for Excellence).

“Through our various inclusion networks, we aim not just at recruiting diverse lawyers but promoting them as well,” she explained. “At the mid-level we lose a number of these lawyers. We see too many people opt out or pursue other careers. It is an industry-wide issue.”

Anderson adds that Shearman & Sterling’s inclusion networks are designed to enable people to advance by providing two key factors for success in a legal career: mentoring and programs focused on business development and networking. She has been very open in talking with young lawyers about the stereotypes that women and people of color must contend with in their line of business.

“Access to the pathways to success also means dealing with some of the unconscious biases that may exist,” she said. “For example, there are certain preconceptions some people have with respect to women not having boardroom presence or not being aggressive enough. Particularly in the litigation field, there are certain ideas of what a successful and capable litigator should look like, and that’s often something akin to a Perry Mason.”

That’s why visibility is so important for successful role models, she added. “We need examples of women who are successful, who have their own unique style and are being themselves, and are able to relate to a board or a jury. We are making some progress in addressing these types of challenges.”

Read more

/by

Movers & Shakers: Latasha Brown, Senior Manager, Assurance, PwC

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Latasha Brown, Senior Manager, Assurance, at PwC says she is cautious about speaking for all women in accounting when it comes to the challenges associated with gender or race. “But,” she continued, “I can certainly speak for myself, and the experiences of my close associates and colleagues. And I would say one of the main barriers or hurdles is holding onto the belief that it’s enough to just show up and be good.”

“It really is important to develop meaningful relationships with your clients, advocates and sponsors. I still find that some of our male counterparts tend do a better job of selling themselves, and putting themselves out there,” she explained.

“In my experience the challenge for women is not to put those limitations on yourself, by staying inside your comfort zone.” She added, “I have learned that opportunities come to those who step outside that comfort zone.”

Read more

/by

Voice of Experience: Dayle Davison, Managing Director, Citi Private Bank

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Dayle Davison, Managing Director at Citi Private Bank, spoke enthusiastically about the importance of networking – particularly for African American professionals.

“Are there challenges for African Americans and women in this industry?” Davison asked. “Sure. But I don’t think they are as prevalent as they might have been in the past. We have come a long way.”

“When I first joined the bank, women wore a uniform – nondescript suits with weird ties. Now we are able to wear clothing that doesn’t try to hide the fact that we’re women,” she continued. “But I think the biggest barrier is the absence of an historical network for women, and definitely for African Americans.”

She referred to a recent Fortune Magazine interview with Bob Johnson, the founder of BET. “He speaks very broadly about building strategic partnerships and your brand identity, but also, he discusses challenges that African Americans in business have faced in breaking through barriers.”

“It comes down to that historical network we haven’t had,” she continued, “but we’re building it, and I feel very good about the future.”

Read more

/by