Voice of Experience: Carolyn B. Lamm, Partner, White & Case

carolynblammBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“There really is no silver bullet to winning and achieving,” began Carolyn B. Lamm, Partner at White & Case.

“It’s absolutely hard work and maximal effort. It takes a long time to figure out that the way to win a case is working very hard to develop the evidence, analyze the legal issues, and, formulate a winning approach—and convey it with excellent written and oral advocacy,” she continued.

Lamm, who specializes in international dispute resolution, is the former President of the American Bar Association. She also served as the organization’s representative to the United Nations. She is passionate about encouraging more women to take on leadership roles in the profession, and encourages senior women to reach out more to junior women.

“Women are very supportive of each other in a very positive way. If you give one a chance, she usually will perform wonderfully for you,” she said.

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Movers and Shakers: Anne Izzillo, President, Financial Women’s Association of New York

anneizzilloBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Anne Izzillo, President of the Financial Women’s Association, believes sincerely in the power of networking – in fact, she said, that’s how she got involved in the group in the first place. “I lived and worked in London for 14 and a half years and I came back in 1999, basically without a network.”

“Everybody had gone to the four winds in the almost 15 years I was away,” she explained. “And somebody I know, a friend of a friend actually, suggested, because I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t have a network anymore… that I join the FWA.”

“You can join and meet some great women and foster some great relationships, or you can actually join a committee and get involved in the organization and that’s what I did from day one.”

On Tuesday, The Financial Women’s Association of New York celebrated its 2011 Holiday Party at the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square with networking and discussion. Hosted by NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifield, the event featured an interview between Greifield and CNBC reporter Scott Wapner.

A new partnership between the FWA and The Daily Beast’s Women in the World project was also announced at the event, whereby the FWA will have a page on the WITW website and partner on events.

Kim Azzarelli, Vice President, New Ventures at Newsweek Daily Beast and President of the Women in the World Foundation, announced the project. Azzarelli, whose background is in corporate law, said the partnership would connect different sectors to benefit women globally. She explained, “If we could connect the dots across all of the sectors, we could really do a lot for women and girls, and connect the dots across the generations as well.”

The partnership is one step in making the FWA a more global organization, which, Izzillo said, is one of her key goals for the next year and beyond. “Eventually, someday I’d love to see the FWA be an international or a global organization,” she said.

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Movers and Shakers: Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement, Wells Fargo

KarenWimbishBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Karen Wimbish, Director of Retail Retirement at Wells Fargo, refers to herself as a “second half champion.” Having been in the industry for over 35 years, and worked in several functions, she saw her career pick up significantly after her kids were high school age – and she said, women in particular can benefit from a new, more flexible vision of the workplace.

She explained, “The old notion is that you have to sky-rocket up through the ranks. You can actually do it a little later.”

At a time when people are living and working longer, Wimbish said, women shouldn’t feel locked into a particular career path. “I never managed anyone besides my part time assistant until I was over 40. I was always an individual contributor. But now in the second half of my career, I manage hundreds of people. I don’t believe in career paths – I believe in opportunities.”

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Voice of Experience: Elle Kaplan, CEO & Founding Partner, Lexion Capital Management

ellekaplanBy Robin Madell (San Francisco)

Elle Kaplan moved to New York City with no job, no apartment, and $200 in savings. She is now the CEO and Founding Partner of a leading independent private bank, Lexion Capital Management. “It has been a fun and often unpredictable journey,” Kaplan said.

With a background in English literature and chemistry, Kaplan’s entrance into the finance industry was not automatic. She began her career by temping, applying to every financial firm that she could think of. But she had missed the recruiting cycle and was initially rejected by every bank she tried. “I contacted headhunters, and they looked at my English and chemistry degrees and said I would never get a job on Wall Street,” Kaplan said. “However, I always think of a ‘no’ as someone’s opinion, nothing more. So the rejections did not alter my plans.”

Kaplan’s big break came during an interview to be a receptionist at a private equity firm. During the interview, the team noted her ‘A’ average and expressed concern that she would be bored answering phones. Kaplan agreed and asked whether there were any openings for analysts. Four days later, she had landed an analyst job. “That was my biggest ‘sale!’” Kaplan said.

During her career, Kaplan has worked as a private banker at JP Morgan Chase, as a derivatives specialist at a British investment bank, and as a Vice-President and financial advisor at Bernstein Global Wealth Management. Along the way, she earned an Executive MBA from Columbia University. She recommends the degree to those who work full-time.

“One great thing about getting an Executive MBA is you put your classroom management lessons into action right away versus waiting until you graduate,” Kaplan said. “You can also advance faster in your career choice because you don’t have to take off time for school. Instead you are doing it all at once.”

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Movers and Shakers: Deborah Farrington, Co-Founder and General Partner of StarVest Partners

deborahfarringtonBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Deborah Farrington, Co-Founder and General Partner of StarVest Partners, said one of her key career themes has been an ability to take risks at the appropriate time and seize opportunities as they presented themselves.

She encouraged women to be more open to taking on new challenges when they arise – to walk through doorways when they are opened. “Don’t shy away from things. I think you’ll be surprised at how well you can do them,” she said.

Farrington is now a leading venture capitalist, and as one of only two women named on the Forbes Midas List of top tech investors this year, she is enthusiastic about getting more women into the field.

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Voice of Experience: Carolyn Buck Luce, Global Pharmaceutical Sector Leader, Ernst & Young LLP

CarolynBuckLuceBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“Life is filled with chapters. The ability to live a life worth dying for is an important touchstone for me,” explained Carolyn Buck Luce, Global Life Science Sector Leader at Ernst & Young, and Co-Founder of the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force.

She recommends ten-year planning as a way to manage that life. “Every ten years, I go over what I want to learn in the next ten, and the critical experiences I want to have. I ask, ‘how do I live the next chapter as fully as I can?’”

As a result, Buck Luce has gained a wealth of experience and advice, and has passionately dedicated chapters of her life to helping advance women and girls.

“One of my interests is helping women and girls be all that they can be,” she said. “Women and girls have this ambivalent relationship with power and ambition. For many reasons women and girls are underserved, under-empowered, and under-appreciated around the world.”

She continued, “We need to create institutions that meet the needs of society, and that means women and girls getting comfortable with power and ambition so we can take our place at the table and join men in leadership.”

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Ten Inspiring Voices

iStock_000014186302XSmallBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Today we’re celebrating our 2000th post (check out our Founder and CEO Nicki Gilmour’s article this morning on inclusive leadership), by reflecting on the things we’ve learned while working to inform, empower, and inspire women to break the glass ceiling.

As Editor of The Glass Hammer, one of the most fulfilling parts of my job is the opportunity to interview extraordinary women and tell their stories through our profile series like Voices of Experience, Movers and Shakers, and Intrepid Woman.

Today I’m sharing ten things I’ve learned from our Voice of Experience profiles that have personally impacted me and my journey – I hope you’ll find them just as inspiring!

1. Think About the Kind of Life You Want to Live

To illustrate the importance of what she called “living the life of the possible,” Sheree Stomberg, Head of O&T Administration, Global Operations & Technology Chief Administrative Office at Citi, shared a moving story about her grandfather.

“He lived life with no regrets – he was very active into his 90s. He lived the art of the possible,” she said. “When he was 65 he suffered a heart attack. The doctor said he must live a life without physical exertion, not eat food that was too hot or drink things that were too cold… he looked at the list and tore it up. The doctor said he wouldn’t live 5 years.”

She continued, “When he was in his 70s, we went mountain climbing in Alaska together. And when he was 75 he went back to tell the doctor about it.”

“I’m not advising people to discredit medical advice,” she joked. “But he always looked for how to move life forward. That’s what I mean about living the life of the possible.”

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Voice of Experience: Suni Harford, Managing Director and Regional Head of Markets for North America, Citigroup

sunniharfordBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I’m constantly learning in this job,” said Suni Harford, Managing Director and Regional Head of Markets for North America at Citi. “And that’s great after twenty-five years in the business, to say I learn something new every day.”

Harford, who co-heads the firm’s women’s initiative in addition to her day job, shows inspiring enthusiasm for her career – and, she said, it comes from doing work she enjoys.

“It sounds silly to say that the most exciting thing I’m working on right now is just doing my job, but these markets make for interesting days, and it’s very rewarding.”

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Voice of Experience: Kathleen Hughes, Managing Director, Head of Global Liquidity Sales, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

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Kathleen HughesShe advised, “Think strategically about how you build your brand. This is something I personally had to learn – the bar gets higher and higher in this industry, and it’s not enough to keep your head down and work. Of course, you have to produce. But you also have to promote your success and build your brand in a different way.”

And, she said, how you build that brand depends significantly on your firm’s culture. “Our culture here tends to be team-oriented. Relationships matter.”

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Voice of Experience: Kelly Mathieson, Managing Director, Global Custody and Clearance Business Executive, J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services

KellyMathiesonBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Helping write the recent tri-party repo reforms has been a significant source of pride for Kelly Mathieson, Managing Director of Global Custody and Clearance Business Executive at J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services, and is one way she’s making her mark on the industry.

“I think my proudest professional achievement has been the opportunity to be involved in and lead part of the reforms mandated by the Fed for the tri-party repo market movement,” she said.

“The market crisis occurred in ’08, and I picked up the clearing business about a month after that,” she continued, adding that Lehman was a notable client at the time. “It really gave us unbelievable insight into how that market model was not working effectively.”

She continued, “We made recommendations in May 2010 and have been working on the reforms’ implementation, and I’m quite proud of that. It will transform how that model works, and it will impact the generations to come.”

Mathieson, who was recently named of one of American Banker’s top 25 women to watch continued, “It was a Herculean amount of work and I’ve never been involved in something like that before.”

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