Voice of Experience: Valeria Strappa, Head of Efficiency and Cost Management for Citi Latin America

This week The Glass Hammer is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with profiles of senior Hispanic women in the financial and professional services. Check back all week long to read more.

ValeriaStrappaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Valeria Strappa, Head of Efficiency and Cost Management for Citi Latin America, defining a career path and learning to get comfortable with negotiation are critical for women to advance in their careers. What I think is important is to first be the designer of your own destiny and second, to learn that you might not necessarily get what you think you deserve, you will get what you are able to ask for and to sell for your results

Strappa has quickly risen through the ranks at Citi, distinguishing herself as a skilled turnaround expert with a passion for results. She continued, “A lot of times women think people will recognize their work. And they do, but that doesn’t mean you get what you were expecting for it. You have to be able to solve a big problem for a big leader and of course be able to stand up and show your results.”

She added, “This is something I learned from my boss. He once told me: you don’t delegate to your parents the decision of who your husband will be right? Then why delegate designing your career path to your boss? I was shy about this before. But just by letting people know what I want and sharing what I was doing – it made things much easier to get what I wanted.”

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Movers and Shakers: Elizabeth Diep, Senior Manager, Asset Management Practice, PwC

This week The Glass Hammer is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with profiles of senior Hispanic women in the financial and professional services. Check back all week long to read more.

elizabethdiepBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Elizabeth Diep, Senior Manager in PwC’s Asset Management Practice, it’s important to be open to new possibilities. “Be open minded. There is such a changing landscape in this profession. We are seeing growth in Latin America, while in Europe, there are challenges now but absolutely something different is going to come out of it. It’s about being open to opportunities and not hesitating to take on new roles.”

Diep is enthusiastic about the pace of change in the industry and how women can leverage that change to advance their careers.

“Every experience, whether good or bad, is going to help you grow. Don’t resist change,” she said. “Change will help you become a seasoned professional a lot faster and a lot better.”

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Voice of Experience: Licenia Rojas, Vice President and Global Leader for Risk and Payments, Technology, American Express

This week The Glass Hammer is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with profiles of senior Hispanic women in the financial and professional services. Check back all week long to read more.

Licenia Rojas cropped exec photoBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Licenia Rojas, Vice President and Global Leader for Risk Automation and Payments for Technology at American Express, as women advance in their careers, and there are fewer role models to draw inspiration and advice from, mentoring and sponsoring within a peer group can be invaluable. “For my peer group, we’re always looking at how to expand each other’s current responsibilities. We’re creating sponsorships among ourselves.”

That can mean letting colleagues know about new roles or projects, or letting other team members know when a peer has made a significant contribution or achievement. “As you grow, it’s important to feel comfortable saying someone is doing a great job. I really believe in paying it forward,” Rojas explained.

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Life After Corporate: Lori Anne Wardi, Vice President, .CO Internet S.A.S.

IMG_1154-252-352-112By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Lori Anne Wardi, if your job just isn’t working for you, think about what your strengths and passions are, take a deep breath, and plunge in to something new. She should know – after spending years as an attorney in a large New York City law firm, she plunged into a corporate learning and development career at an investment bank, and then plunged once again to begin her own business.

But when her business went bust – soon she found herself on the hunt for an inspiring career again, until her hobby turned into just that.

“Forge your own path,” she said. “People fall into a trap of believing there’s this career path you’re supposed to be following. Sometimes you have to step off the path – or jump off the path. And it could be three steps forward, two steps back, four or five times. Your career is not always going to be linear.”

“Now I’m a co-founder of a company I absolutely love, .CO Internet, and my career is about helping other companies and businesses get started. And helping to change the fabric of the Internet at the same time.”

She added, “If you have the gnawing sense of anxiety that the corporate world just isn’t for you, and you have a bigger vision for what your life and career can be about – you owe it to yourself to go for it – to create the future you want.”

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Voice of Experience: Cindy Davis, Shareholder, Financial Institutions Group, Greenberg Traurig

cindydavisBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Even when she was in high school, Cindy Davis knew what she wanted to do for her career. “I wanted be a corporate lawyer, doing deals, and advising executives,” she recalled. She went on to study accounting at the University of Massachusetts, not because she wanted to be an accountant, but because she thought it would give her a competitive edge as a corporate lawyer.

Davis explained with a laugh, “I was one of the few people who went to law school who always wanted to be there.”

After graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, she took a job at a small firm, then gradually moved to larger and larger firms, before winding up at Paul Hastings, where she spent fifteen years, ultimately becoming partner. In 2009, she moved her practice to Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder.

Davis said she is fueled by her enthusiasm for new deals. “I love getting calls from a client on a new transaction. It’s very satisfying to cross the finish line on a particularly complicated deal and then move onto the next one.”

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Intrepid Woman: A Pro Bono Secondment Leads to a New Mission in Life

LilyDeyContributed by Lily Dey, Author, Coach, Accountant & Technologist

In the fall of 2011, I knew that my career wasn’t progressing the way I had intended. I’ve always been ambitious, wanting to do more and more with myself, but I’d been stuck in the same role for too long and felt unable to break free.

I’d finally qualified as an accountant earlier that year – I was a late starter as I’d originally worked in IT for investment banks prior to that. …And I was single. …And I had recently stepped down as the Chair of Trustees for a local charity. In short, I was bored.

It’s easy to decide to get a new job, but the current market was unsuited for the ambitions I had. Instead, I looked within my current company for opportunities. I saw one email announcing a pro-bono secondment program, which sends employees on assignments with our partner NGOs around the world. The thought of three months abroad was too good to pass by. Soon, I was successfully selected and headed off to Tanzania to work for a microfinance organisation.

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Voice of Experience: Anne Milne, Managing Director, Emerging Markets Corporate Research, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

anne milne@baml comBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Looking back on her career, Anne Milne, Managing Director of the Emerging Markets Corporate Research at Bank of American Merrill Lynch, believes she could have benefited by focusing on career development earlier on.

“When I first started work, like many women, I thought if you just worked hard, you’ll get recognized, not realizing you need to market yourself to seniors – and not just your direct senior but people high up too,” Milne said. “A lot of the time, people might not know how hard you’re working.”

Similarly, she said, seeking input from mentors can help with advancement. “I think maybe what I could have done more is ask for more advice.”

It’s also important to set long-term goals and plan your advancement, she added. “You have to look at your career as a business and don’t get too emotional about it. Set larger term goals.”

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Voice of Experience: Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Co-Founder & Managing Director, PAAMCO

judithposnikoffBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I think what I wish I had known when I was starting out was to be a little more flexible – to really jump into opportunities even if they’re outside the path I expected to follow,” began Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO).

Posnikoff began her career as an academic – and had intended to stay there, she explained, until one day she got a fateful call from a friend asking for help at his firm. That opportunity eventually led to a whole new career, she explained.

“Really look at opportunities, even it seems way out of what you considered before,” she added.

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Voice of Experience: Gabriela Franco Parcella, Chief Executive Officer, Mellon Capital Management Corporation

gabrielaparcellaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Gabriela Franco Parcella, CEO of Mellon Capital Management Corporation, it’s important to keep an open mind when thinking about where your career might take you. Looking back on her early career, she said, “I could have had more impact on a company in my first 5 years by thinking more broadly.”

“We put ourselves in boxes. I thought of myself as a lawyer and I thought I would always be a lawyer. It took a while before I realized I could use my lawyer skills in other roles.”

After moving from Mellon Capital’s legal department to roles in operations, and gradually gaining more responsibilities, Parcella was named CEO of Mellon Capital last year. She encouraged young women to keep their minds open to various career paths.

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Voice of Experience: Denise Higgins, CFA, Client Portfolio Manager, ING U.S. Investment Management

denisehigginsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Having spent most of her career as a portfolio manager, Denise Higgins, CFA, Client Portfolio Manager at ING U.S. Investment Management, says she feels very fortunate to have worked in a profession where women succeeded based on merit. “As a portfolio manager, you get a report card every day and your performance can be judged very objectively. If you deliver strong results, you will advance,” she said. However, one of the key challenges for women in the industry is that there are still few female role models at the very top.

But, she continued, she believes things are improving and that senior women can help facilitate the change – by actively mentoring and sponsoring the next generation of women in the pipeline.

“Take the time to be a mentor. You can mentor formally, but do it informally too. Identify the people who have good promise and try to give it back by advising them and raising their exposure. The only way to get more women in management roles in the industry is to lend a hand and be proactive about it,” she encouraged.

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