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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Voice of Experience: Edie Hunt, Chief Diversity Officer and Advising Director, Goldman Sachs

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

EdieHuntBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I say this with rose colored glasses,” began Edie Hunt, Chief Diversity Officer and Advising Director at Goldman Sachs, “but I wait for the day when we don’t need an Office of Diversity and Inclusion – because everyone gets it.”

Hunt has spent the majority of her career advocating for diversity, initiating powerful ideas like Goldman Sachs’ Returnship, its women’s network, and its practice of awarding fellowships to diverse rising stars. She predicts that day when diversity offices are no longer needed is still 15 to 20 years in the future, but says she’s pleased with the current progress of the field.

“I think the next idea in diversity will be the concept of diversity being for everyone,” she said. “We had a watershed moment in 2010 during our Americas Diversity Week, which was that diversity is not about having events for women, Asians, LGBT employees, or any specific group. But that the events were for everyone in the firm to learn about the unique attributes of everyone else in the firm.”

She explained, “We have celebrations and events throughout the year. Whereas, five years ago at a women’s history month event, we’d have 95% women, now I’d say there’s at least 30% men. That is really where we want diversity to be heading.”

Hunt is also pleased to see an increase in the number of line managers taking the issue seriously. “I think the layer of people who really don’t live and breathe diversity initiatives is becoming thinner and thinner.”

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Voice of Experience: Amy Williams, Principal, Edward Jones

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

AmyWilliamsBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I’ve always been a really driven person,” said Amy Williams, Principal at Edward Jones. “I was fortunate to realize early on that I had a passion for serving others.”

Williams began her career at Edward Jones as a Branch Office Administrator. “I thought it was a great way to learn about the new field, and I soon realized I wanted to be on the other side of the desk. So I started an office from scratch.”

An early defining moment in Williams’ professional path was when her husband began experiencing health problems about six years into her career. “I had a one year-old and a five year-old and a really sick husband. But I knew that with the practice I had built, and with the sense of entrepreneurship I had built at Edward Jones, I knew that it was going to be okay. I could support my family. It didn’t end up coming to that, but it was a powerful realization.”

“That’s when I knew I had to get other women involved in this work,” she added.

Williams championed the cause of attracting women to financial advisory while developing her practice. “After 15 years of helping others build their business, I became a general partner, leading programs to develop women and minorities.”

Today, Williams is one of the Principals in charge of talent acquisition specifically responsible for diversity at Edward Jones. She continued, “And now, a little over 20 years at the firm, I’m humbled at the people I work with, at the grassroots efforts to bring in more talented women and minority advisors at the firm. I’m really proud of that.”

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Voice of Experience: Deb Wheelock, Partner, Global Leader of Talent Management & Diversity Center of Excellence, Mercer

This week The Glass Hammer is publishing a series of profiles on top leaders in corporate diversity. Check back all week long to learn about the women making a difference.

debwheelockBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“At Mercer, our primary focus is helping our clients maximize the potential of their human capital,” began Deb Wheelock, Partner and Global Talent Management & Diversity Leader at Mercer. “Unlike other companies, we don’t produce widgets. We market the professional knowledge of our people. They need to be our competitive edge.”

“Thinking back to my tech days, another way I put it is ‘our people are our next killer app,’” explained the former e-learning specialist. “Diversity is becoming an imperative because we have people of different backgrounds with diverse approaches and innovative solutions to bring to our clients.”

She added, “You just don’t get that level of innovation from a homogenous workforce, no matter how bright they might be.”

Wheelock believes diversity is undergoing a generational shift. “We’re seeing a change in what our colleagues are bringing to work in terms of their outlook as well as their biases. That pushes us toward inclusion – from tolerating differences, to appreciating and leveraging those differences.”

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