Voice of Experience: Bettina Huser, Executive Director, UBS Geneva

Bettina Huser“Be curious and get a good early overview of the business and then position yourself with colleagues and managers so you are able to advance,” recommends UBS’ Bettina Huser. She sees many young women who finish university beginning their career as assistants where men are often guided toward faster advancement. “As a woman, you have to very loudly and clearly articulate your desire to advance and earn more responsibility, and that is how you can gain the same advantage as others.”

Building a Career in Banking

Huser began her career studying law but decided to go another direction and joined a graduate banking program where she simultaneously began working in wealth management as an assistant to a private banker. There she learned a great deal about the business and client service, which paved the way for her to spend her career in the sector in different positions, including discretionary portfolio management and advisory services in various financial companies. She has currently been at UBS for five years as an investment advisor for UHNW customers of the Near East region.

This career path is very fulfilling to her, as she enjoys the close relationships she builds with customers — giving them advice, following markets and staying well informed about what’s happening in politics and the economy, which allows her to make wise investment decisions.

Ongoing changes in the industry have led to new regulations that require constant attention. “My challenge is to stay ahead of those developments in an environment that is more and more complex for investing also.”

However, she knows that adapting to these changes is a necessary element of success; in fact, she advises young women that the most important thing to do to build your career is be open to what is new, from new people to new ways of working. “You have to be comfortable with the unexpected.”

Overcoming the Balance Challenge

Over the years, Huser has found that the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field are not related to the work itself but rather the environment and expectations. While she has never felt that she was treated differently than men in work-related matters, she acknowledges it is challenging to find success in your professional and personal life simultaneously.

The job requires long hours, which means many women have to choose if they want to have a career or family because it is hard to have both. “You are expected to work hard, of course, and if something comes up you need to stay late at night, which can be difficult if you have a family,” Huser says, noting that many of her male colleagues have a wife at home, which allows them to travel and be present with clients in a way that can be more challenging for women.

She finds that although every woman experiences different challenges and pursues a different lifestyle, she has learned that sometimes you have to work even more than the men do to be considered for promotions.

In fact, balancing that demanding work with raising a daughter is the professional achievement she is most proud of – demonstrating that as a woman you don’t have to choose between a professional career and a family but can successfully do both.

Huser has enjoyed raising her 17-year-old daughter and appreciates that she will grow up in a world where she can pursue any dream she has. In addition to her ongoing balance of home and work life, Huser also takes time to travel and read and is interested in causes related to the environment and animal protection.

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Voice of Experience: Katina Stefanova, CEO & CIO, Marto Capital

Katina StefanovaTo be an effective leader, you need to know what you don’t know, says Katina Stefanova, CEO and CIO of Marto Capital. “When we go to college, the educational system teaches us to know the right answer to any question, but the ability to adapt and accomplish results comes from knowing what we need to learn. We need to focus our time on what we don’t know and don’t see, which is an incredibly important quality for any leadership position.”

Creating Success in the Financial Services Industry

Originally from Bulgaria, Stefanova came to the United States at the age of 18 with a one-way ticket purchased by her Grandfather and $200 in her pocket. From that, she built a career that eventually led to becoming founder and CEO of Marto Capital, an emerging multi-strategy asset manager.

After arriving in America, she attended Brigham Young University as an undergraduate then entered the finance and technology field. “I was in the right place at the right time, on the West Coast during the dot-com boom,” she says.

She began her career in Arthur Andersen’s M&A division, then worked for AdRelevance, where she led international business development for this media startup (which was eventually sold to MediaMetrix). Following the sale, she moved to London to become Director in IBM’s Business Strategy team in the EMEA region.

When she returned to the United States, she switched to the asset management industry, earning her master’s degree from Harvard Business School and joining Bridgewater, where she spent nearly 10 years in investment and senior management roles as the company rapidly grew.

Along the way, Stefanova’s most profound learning experience has been working with amazing mentors during the most formative parts of her career, including Bridgewater’s Co-CEO Eileen Murray and Founder Ray Dalio.

Introducing A New Paradigm With Her Firm

Two years ago, Stefanova left Bridgewater to start her current firm, which is on the vanguard of the alternative asset management industry. She considers her work building Marto Capital, as not just a “job,” but a calling. “If my team and I do it right, it will be great for investors and the industry.” And she adds, “This a tough industry, but I want what I do today to be meaningful not only to me, but to my daughter.”

The industry was in need of a new way of thinking. She sees a giant misalignment of interests between many alternative asset managers and investors – particularly a lack of transparency and a lack of alignment of economic incentives. This disconnect has led to a culture of mistrust between asset managers and their clients. Katina’s goal is to rebuild that sense of trust through its solutions and business model.

“Historically, when you consider successful asset management firms and financial institutions, you think of optimizing for financial capital,” she points out. But at Marto, they add social capital into the equation. Through that prism, they are working to address current problems such as underfunded pension systems by implementing smarter investing for pensioners and retirees.

“Everything else follows if you keep positive social outcomes as your goal,” she says. “We are here to make money for our clients, but we also are focusing on operating with a level of integrity and transparency that allows us to avoid prevalent ethics issues.”

She believes that women are particularly well suited to this model, because of their empathy and ability to look at clients holistically, based on the belief that it is as important to have a positive impact as it is to make money.

Remaking the Industry for Women

The lack of network and support in the industry can be a barrier for women. “The decision makers who manage alternative assets are still white men over the age of 50, and that makes it difficult for those who are not in the group,” she says. “It’s still a cliquish industry and even women with capabilities and experience find that our networks are not at that level.”

Unfortunately, that lack of role models, combined with the reputation of the asset management industry’s insensitive culture, may be one of the reasons that young women she talks to are shying away from the industry.

But she says that’s a mistake. “Collectively, as female leaders in the industry, we need to focus on changing and elevating the culture. Don’t be afraid to enter because it’s a fantastic place where you can have a lot of impact and be a trailblazer.”

And as women like herself rise through the ranks, she sees the immense opportunity for her experienced peers to start businesses and take leadership positions in asset management firms. “It’s crucial that we not take ourselves out of the game, even though it’s difficult, because it’s worth it when we succeed.”

She believes that this generation is the one who can make the difference, given their critical mass: If women assume more leadership roles over the next five or 10 years, it will help make up for the way the industry has historically lagged behind others in the presence of women in leadership positions.

Altruistic Endeavors Outside of Work

With two children, ages 13 and six, Stefanova aims to combine work and home life for optimum fit. But that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t continue her trailblazing efforts, even outside of work.

Stefanova sits on the board of technology startups that are relevant to the asset management space and acts as an angel investor in tech firms.

She also maintains board positions with three important organizations: Women Sphere, which helps support women in STEM fields; One Heart Bulgaria, which works with orphans and children who are less privileged in her home country; and Aspire, which helps prepare high school and college students around the country for the work world.

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Voice of Experience: Nili Gilbert, Co-Founder & Portfolio Manager at Matarin Capital Management

Nili GilbertBy Cathie Ericson

“My best advice is that women should appreciate the benefit of taking measured risks, those you can understand and manage,” says Nili Gilbert, co-founder and portfolio manager at Matarin Capital Management, citing starting the firm as one of those measured risks.

“You have to believe in yourself to ensure that you don’t shrink in the face of challenges,” she says, adding that the goal isn’t to look for the course without them, but instead to rally and meet them.

Innovating in the Financial Industry

Gilbert’s interest in financial markets dates back to when she was a young girl in Switzerland and was curious about the different currency markets she encountered while traveling. She designed her own related field of study while attending Harvard, earned her MBA from Columbia Business School by age 24 and joined Invesco.

There she met the team with whom she’s been working ever since. They founded Matarin Capital Management in 2010, taking pride in the fact that at that time they’d been together for almost a decade, managing more than $25 billion as a team at Invesco.

“Our team has always operated under the investment philosophy that human emotions drive markets, and so our strategy to make money is to trade on the dislocations that these emotions create and to deliver our clients a more stable return,” she says.

Cofounding and helping build Matarin is the professional achivevement she’s most proud of and one that reflects her initial career inclinations. Gilbert wrote in her business school application that she dreamed of one day founding a financial services company. “I said that I hoped to create a company that would help shape values in the industry and so starting Matarin was a seminal moment,” she says.

The firm was established based on values and a longer-term view. “We realized there are thousands of asset managers out there, and the world doesn’t need just another hedge fund. That’s why we set out to build something that is different and that has purpose, something that would be an enduring business.”

The firm is continuously engaged in a variety of research projects to support its investment strategies. Some of the research that Gilbert is most engaged with at this time includes a review of valuation as a market timing tool. She notes that it’s tricky to use valuation to determine the future direction of the S&P, for example, because the market index can stay overvalued for a long time before it corrects.

A second project the firm is undergoing is a consideration of how the advent of negative interest rates may change basic assumptions about how macroeconomics work, as they look at a combination of theoretical viewpoints and historical observations.

Winning as A Team

Gilbert says that one thing she’s learned over time is that success doesn’t come from individual contributions, but rather from a strong team as a whole. She says their team sets goals as a group and achieves as a group which is why the people you team up with are so critical to your career.

Since all five of the principals at Matarin have previously been senior professionals at large, well-respected firms, they know that there can be a better way to work, away from the typical silos. In that setting, portfolio managers only have control over their returns but that’s not the sole factor affecting client well-being. She appreciates that the firm’s approach gives them the ability to control what strategies are appropriate, what fees should be, how to manage communications and when to close funds that have reached capacity.

“There are some very technical questions in the industry that for us start at the core with conversations about values,” she says, adding that while some cultures are focused on asset accrual, Matarin chooses to set goals in terms of dollars of added value generated for clients over time.

Making the Industry Positive for Women

The industry will benefit when women see more women like themselves in it, which will show them the path to success, she believes. That’s why Matarin tries to stay visible with its principals acting as mentors and speaking at conferences, including involvement in “100 Women in Hedge Funds.”

Since the portfolio management space is such a performance-oriented business, it can be quite meritocratic, which makes it an excellent career for women. “Investment performance can be a great equalizer. Women who deliver strong returns can have long and fruitful careers in the industry,” she says. “Because of the emphasis on performance, women should be attracted to the industry as a place they can excel.”

She says that diversity as a whole is important for any business, and her firm supports diversity in skill sets, gender, culture and backgrounds. She emphasizes that they hire based on merit but never before they’ve considered a diverse pool of potential candidates.

“If you have a good mix of viewpoints around the table, you can embark on a professional debate that puts your ideas in the best form so you can test and vet them from different perspectives.”

Work and Home Combine for a Positive Life View

Gilbert serves as a member of the board of directors and chairs the finance and investment board for the Synergos Institute, an international development organization focused on poverty alleviation. She says the group identifies breakdowns in the system which cause or perpetuate poverty, and helps to implement leadership initiatives and structural changes to repair them.

An avid traveler, she and her husband just returned from their honeymoon in French Polynesia.

Gilbert says her ability to work hard comes because of one belief. “When you do something you love, it helps you build resilience to make it through the hard days, and it makes the good days better, too.”

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Voice of Experience: Toan Huynh, Managing Director, Accenture Technology

Toan Huynh“At the start of my career, I wish I grasped how important it was to not only enjoy the work that you do but, potentially most importantly, to enjoy the people you work with,” says Accenture’s Toan Huynh. During her early days, Huynh was careful to put walls up between her work and her personal life, but now realizes that the best way to make it all work – to be successful – is to combine the two. “Throughout my career, the people that I work with have become more than colleagues. They are friends, advisors and – more than anything – have become pathways for me to gain more personal growth, more learning and to experience more adventures than I could have imagined.”

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics and International Relations, Huynh was faced with a dilemma of sorts when she received two job offers, one in investment banking and the other in consulting. “I chose consulting because of the amazing learning opportunities I knew it would allow me, for the impact I believed I could make.” She never looked back, and since has worked across a variety of problem solving roles during her career, including being a co-founder of one of the most well respected boutique cloud services brokerage and advisory firms in the world, Cloud Sherpas, which was strategically acquired by Accenture late last year.

Accenture is a leader in helping organizations move to the cloud to take advantage of a new era of service delivery and flexibility, where applications, infrastructure and business processes are brought together and delivered As-a-Service. Accenture’s Cloud First agenda offers comprehensive, industry-focused cloud services including strategy, implementation, migration and managed services, and assets including the Accenture Cloud Platform that can drive broader transformational programs for clients. Cloud Sherpas became of an integral part of Accenture’s aptly named Cloud First Applications team, which delivers cloud services for Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, Google and other “pure play” cloud technologies.

“We are constantly innovating around how to be the next generation customer care solutions providers – how to stay ahead,” says Huynh, who credits much of her success and achievements to a great passion for her job and teamwork. She also is working with Accenture’s New York Metro Office to integrate the company deeper in the local NYC community, around both fintech innovation and corporate citizenship collaboration with its non-profit partners. Although Huynh has had the chance to work in most major cities around the world, “NYC continues to be a hub for all things” for her.

A Rapidly Changing World

Huynh is kept on her toes with the constantly changing environment within which she works. “Within my space, we work with forward thinking insurers and financial services firms to springboard passed the legacy system constraints and corporate culture – the old ways of customer interactions – and modernize legacy systems and processes. Customer expectations around financial services companies are changing at a rapid pace, especially as digital disruptors have changed how and where customers want to engage, across a variety of communication channels. At Accenture, our goal is to help our customers innovate using our digital and Cloud First platforms. The work has been so exciting and rewarding to see customers transform into new icons in their ecosystems.”

In Tech, More Women Leaders

Although Huynh agrees that, traditionally, the financial services and technology space has been dominated by men, she notes that, “this is changing quite drastically and with good reason.” Huynh attributes this change to more women having greater access to (and encouragement) in taking technical training, but moreover she sees the biggest area for women to succeed in this field through mentoring. “Mentorship is paramount to helping one another build networks that foster and develop women leaders in this space,” and she adds, “Accenture is a leader in this way and I am proud to do my part to mentor up-and-coming young women.”

Accenture’s commitment to women really starts at the top, with its CEO making a personal commitment to advancing gender equality, and it also set a goal to grow its’ percentage of women new hires globally to at least 40 percent by 2017. Personally, Huynh is involved with the NYC Women’s Employees Resources Group, which drives programs that support women and help them build strong networks at Accenture and in the broader community, which she finds particularly important.

“My advice for young women? Be fearless in your educational pursuits and find a great mentors early, men and women, to be your advocate and help you navigate. For my women peers? I encourage each of us to continue to use our influence and experience to help women navigate and progress in their careers, and to be a resource pool to help elevate women leaders wherever we work and volunteer.”

Life, Outside Work

As a woman tech start up founder, Huynh does her part within the tech alley and entrepreneurial community to encourage others to do what she did, by being on panels and speaking to organizations. “I want others to take a big leap of faith and dare to do something different.” She also is part of the 37 Angels – a woman only angel investing network that invests in early stage seed start-ups started by male and female founders. “Being present and being daringly ‘out there’ will hopefully help pave the way for more women leaders in the workforce.”

Huynh and her family support Opening Act, an organization which provides after school theatre programing for underprivileged kids, as a way to develop skills for life. They also support Words without Borders, which provides translations of literary works across languages to break down barriers for knowledge exchange.

She uses the skills she’s acquired throughout her career to be the best mom possible to her 21 month old daughter.

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Voice of Experience: Christine del Rosario, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

christine del rosario“Early on in your career, try to think about your aspirations and long-term goals and share them with the people who can help you realize them,” says Christine del Rosario, a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers. While your colleagues will notice you’re giving it your all and might have a sense what you’re working toward, you have to be clear with them as to your goals, so they can help you build the skills to have the experiences you need to pursue opportunities. “If something is on your list, people who support you will tend to help you get to where you want to be.”

Career Path

Del Rosario joined the Orange County office of PwC in 1998 after graduating from UCLA and spent nine years in the assurance practice specializing in the industrial products sector. In her first coaching meeting, she recalls, she mentioned to her coach she wanted to do an international tour at some future stage in her career, and that aspiration was always revisited in their discussions from that point forward. Her plans materialized in 2007 when she moved to London for a three year assignment, and also had the opportunity to work in Tokyo during that time. Through this experience she was exposed to the financial services sector and decided to switch her specialization to financial services when she repatriated in 2010.

Over the years, del Rosario has seen that superiors give opportunities to people they like and in whom they see potential, and they will invest time in developing those individuals. She suggests for women to continue to find ways to connect with leaders in their organizations, both men and women alike. “It’s not so much about networking, but about developing relationships that are genuine because of the emotional investment you have made with those people, which creates a special bond that, almost always, stays with you forever.”

Del Rosario says she was fortunate to develop deep relationships with senior managers and partners early in her career, and she found those individuals looked after her, providing counsel and feedback. “Navigate your way to increase your visibility and likeability factor so you’re top of mind when opportunities arise,” she advises.

One program at PwC she feels has contributed to her success is “Breakthrough Leadership,” where high-potential senior managers who have been identified as future leaders gather for a two-day conference. They build skills, such as how to solicit candid feedback, and are connected with leaders who will help open doors and act as sponsors as they make the journey into the next stage of their careers. “It’s important that we make sure we have these opportunities to develop women, and support them as they progress towards getting admitted into the partnership,” she says. A key contributor is the ability to get exposure and network with leaders and other peers.

Exciting Times and Giving Back

Without hesitation she says that being admitted to the partnership is the achievement she’s most proud of. “Leading up to it you get such tremendous support and the partners truly make you feel they have your back, so when you get admitted it’s like being welcomed to this special family,” she says.

Currently, del Rosario is working closely with some new clients on the audit side. “New engagements with new teams are always a great opportunity to learn together and establish new processes, which is quite powerful when you realize you helped shape what people will continue to build upon for years to come,” she says. “These types of highly collaborative projects are very exciting to me.”

In addition to working on these new clients, del Rosario enjoys being constantly challenged and working to help clients understand how PwC’s five identified megatrends (demographic and social change, shift in economic power, rapid urbanization, climate change and resource scarcity, and technological breakthroughs) will shape the global and economic landscape, many of which may disrupt her clients’ businesses.

Del Rosario has always had an interest in developing others, which carries over into her philanthropy. She serves as an officer of the board of Ascend, a non-profit that focuses on diversity and inclusion and development of Pan-Asian leaders in the business community. Since having been involved in Ascend, “I have had the opportunity to help mentor a lot of wonderful and highly-engaged and motivated individuals as they work their way through their careers, and all of them inspire me to continue to try to make a difference each and every day,” she says.

A Travelling Family

Del Rosario appreciates the privilege she had of travelling around Europe when she and her husband were living in London and now she delights in taking her son places they went as a couple to rediscover them as a family. Before her son turned five, he had traveled over 100,000 miles, with each journey catalogued in a special travel book a friend created when he was born.

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Voice of Experience: Wendy Yun, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

Wendy YunEvery experience offers learning opportunities and skills that can be applicable in the future, believes Goldman Sachs’ Wendy Yun. “Maximize every opportunity,” she says. “If you’re involved in meetings or invited to work on special projects, it’s always important to be prepared, think ahead about potential issues or action steps, have confidence to express your ideas or concerns and in general, find ways to add value.”

Building a Successful Career from Past Experiences

Yun began her career as a private practice attorney focusing on securitizations and structured products. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2006 and now oversees a team of lawyers and negotiators who cover derivatives and other products globally on behalf of the firm’s Investment Management Division.

While one of her proudest professional achievements is her promotion to managing director in 2012, she says she is equally proud of her role in helping members of her team develop their own voice and identity as professionals.

Reflecting on her career, Yun has realized the importance of being open to new challenges and of maximizing new opportunities. As a junior lawyer, she hoped to specialize in collateralized loan obligations and other securitized products, but was often assigned other types of deals and transactions as well. “Initially, I thought these projects were a distraction from my primary focus,” she says. “But over time I realized that having the opportunity to work on a variety of assignments helped me become a better lawyer by diversifying my skill set and expanding my outlook.”

And, she adds, learning opportunities that shape your perspective may come from jobs or experiences that might not be related to your current career path. “I tell junior lawyers that having a range of experiences, including waitressing in high school or working as a legal assistant before law school, helped me develop interpersonal and other skills that I rely on today in my current role,” Yun noted. “I learned early on that you must be adept at multi-tasking and prioritizing competing requests while simultaneously being sensitive to your clients’ specific needs and preferences and managing different personalities.”

That mindset will serve professionals well throughout their careers, which often take twists and turns they don’t envision, Yun says. In her current role, Yun spends an increasing amount of time analyzing and implementing new regulations that apply to derivatives and other products utilized by her businesses. While the work deviates from the transactions and trading agreements that her team negotiates, she finds it fascinating to observe the process of how new regulations are developed through her involvement with industry trade associations and meetings with regulators.

She also finds it important to maintain a global perspective on understanding how rules from multiple jurisdictions might differ. “As we support global businesses, we constantly have to be aware of how various regulations could affect our transactions with other multi-national organizations and our clients worldwide.”

Opportunities for Women

Yun has seen increased opportunities for women in the financial sector and is active in helping others build their skills. She believes that fostering women’s ambition can start at an early age and currently mentors a high school junior who is preparing for college through the Student Sponsor Partners program. She also serves on the Women’s Leadership Council of her alma mater Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., to help prepare female graduates to enter the workforce.

In addition, Yun mentors junior people at the firm and encourages them to develop their professional identity as thought leaders. “At Goldman Sachs we have a culture that encourages teamwork, but women also need to find their own voice and develop leadership skills.”

Yun finds that some women, even at senior levels, may be more risk adverse than male counterparts in taking positions, sharing views or asking questions. Over time and based on the responsibilities that Yun has been given in the course of her career, she has developed a greater willingness to express her perspectives among leaders in the business, with colleagues in her department and others in the industry. She also recognizes the importance that mentors have had in helping her to develop this greater confidence. “I would encourage women to seek advice and feedback from peers or mentors and not hesitate to ask questions and share thoughts,” she urges. “Take advantage of the support network you have through mentors, sponsors and colleagues.”

Use Travel to Develop a Global Understanding

An avid traveler, Yun encourages everyone to get out of their comfort zone and travel to develop a global perspective of the world. She cites her studies in Moscow as an experience that instilled in her a new outlook at a relatively young age. “Entering a culture where people did not have access to basic goods fundamentally changed my outlook and priorities,” she says. “Travel positively alters your view of not only global issues, but also your perspective of your own life.”

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Voice of Experience: Jennifer Tsahalis, Managing Director, Head of Planning, Execution & Operations, TIAA Digital

jennifer tsahalis featuredAs a woman in a male-dominated industry, I’ve made sure that my male counterparts know what I bring to the table to ensure I have a seat with them,” says TIAA’s Jenn Tsahalis. Although tech and finance are both male-dominated fields, Tsahalis shares that she hasn’t felt gender discrimination, always assuming positive intent.

Over the years if she was excluded from a meeting or important conversation, for example, she didn’t automatically assume it was because she’s a woman, but because the team wasn’t yet aware of her strengths, talents or ability to add value.

While Tsahalis has worked in financial services technology for many years, she initially attended the University of Vermont where she majored in Electrical Engineering, a path chosen because the school didn’t offer courses in architecture, her intended career of choice at that point.

During the course of interviewing for her first job after college, Tsahalis was particularly intrigued with Andersen Consulting, now Accenture, where she says “it was less about the bits and bytes and more about how you think and how you get work done.” She moved to Boston to work for them, which she says set her career path on its current trajectory. “Accenture taught me many essential skills. Their focus on the thought process and their encouragement to never stop learning has stuck with me.”

Building a Legacy of Success

During the tech bubble days in 2000, Tsahalis had a short stint at Razorfish, before deciding to pursue her next role as a tech lead at Fidelity Investments in the Health & Welfare Benefits Outsourcing division. It was there, while working Fidelity’s NetBenefits product that she says she found her niche and moved into technical project management. In her eventual role as Technology Delivery Manager Tsahalis ran some of the largest and most complex systems in the history of the firm, developing a reputation for bringing highly complex systems and highly matrixed teams together to deliver results.

Following her success at Fidelity, Tsahalis was offered an opportunity to join Merrill Lynch, helping to build the company’s digital presence. In her role as Director of Program Delivery for Online Channels, she led the design, development and delivery of the 3- year program to launch MyMerrill.com and Merrill Edge.com before moving the eventual ongoing day-to-day program delivery of the firm’s client facing (online, mobile, IVR and call center desktop) channels.

It was during this post-launch period that Jenn helped create a process that transitioned this launch of a brand new platform into a steady state development machine and is a period about which she is particularly proud. For Tsahalis, the satisfaction came from overcoming people and process resistance and developing a delivery methodology that made projects run both smoothly and transparently. “I’m one of those people who loves process,” she says. “It was gratifying to develop a process that would make someone’s job easier, in order to give them more time in the day to focus on being creative and innovative.”

In July 2015, Tsahalis joined TIAA as the Chief Operating Officer for the TIAA Digital organization – a group that spans both business and technology and is at the heart of TIAA’s quest to become a true digital company. Different from her technical program delivery past experience, she says working in a business operations role provides unending learning opportunities and challenges, all of which are immensely fulfilling and provide the same opportunity to establish right-sized processes and to grow professionally.

“It is fascinating to work on the business side of the TIAA Digital organization, developing strategic operational plans and delivering essential metrics,” she says. “Automating and improving both the customer experience and our back office operations is imperative to success, because in reality, every company must now become a technology company,” she says. “And this is absolutely true of a firm like TIAA.”

Investing in Each Other

Whether working on technical projects or driving business operations, Tsahalis has found one constant theme. “It’s important for women to support each other, regardless of their career stage,” says Tsahalis. “The workplace can be competitive and this sometimes can cause women to face off against each other. After experiencing some of this in the past, I’ve made it a focus to bond with my female peers and to invest in their teams and their goals, which helps to keep the competitive vibe at bay and better serves us in the long run.”

At TIAA, she has made it a point to join relevant groups including the company’s Women’s Employee Resource Group and the IT Women’s Council, where she recently participated in a panel discussion for International Women’s Day. “The panelists were fantastic – very transparent and candid. We really helped some of these younger women think about how they can manage their career and still have a good life balance,” she says. “I learned so much from the panelists myself – women really can do amazing things and I was inspired by my peers.”

Inspiring the Next Generation of Women

While Tsahalis says she didn’t understand the need to join women’s networking groups earlier in her career, she believes they can be of huge benefit to women because these groups offer an easy way to meet people, build your brand, contribute to a community and potentially even to find a mentor. She also encourages women to look to men as mentors to take advantage of the different perspective they can offer.

Tsahalis advises young women to have a vision for where they want to go and to reach out and build the relationships to get there. That’s an important topic for her as the mom of two daughters: Lily, age 11, and 18-month-old Violet. With a husband who’s also in IT, they focus on helping their daughters understand that they can aspire to any career.

“We spend a lot of time really encouraging them because we see the logical way their minds work to process information. Lily has become a very rational person as she applies logic and the principles of science to every decision – helping her to cut through the drama that can be associated with 6th grade girls.”

Tsahalis says that when she was growing up, she wasn’t aware of all the career options that were available and only landed in Electrical Engineering by accident. She is happy that girls now have so much opportunity presented to them through a wide variety of programs in their schools and communities.

In addition to taking advantage of women’s groups or other networking programs that may be available at school or work, Tsahalis also encourages all women to speak up for themselves and not to overthink their decisions. It is her experience that many women limit themselves just by not speaking up or trying something new. She believes that working hard, being confident in one’s skills, networking and supporting one’s peers are all keys to a successful career.

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Voice of Experience, Hila Goldenberg, Head of Ultra – High Net Worth Clients in Israel, UBS Wealth Management

Hila GoldenbergBy Cathie Ericson

“Ask for more,” advises UBS’ Hila Goldenberg. “Women often expect to be promoted or be included on a high-profile project, but are too shy to speak up and ask for what they want. It won’t just happen; they need to ask for professional development and define their career goals, then express these plans to their superiors as they strive for more.”

Throughout her career, Goldenberg has seen the benefits of being open about a desire for increased responsibility. She began her career at a law firm in Israel and then went to work as an assistant to the General Director for the Israel Antitrust Authority, a unique experience that allowed her to meet a wide variety of business, parliamentary and government leaders.

Realizing she had an interest and aptitude in business, she went back to school and earned her MBA at INSEAD in Fontainebleau and Singapore, ranked as the best global MBA program in the world. After graduating, she joined Citi Private Bank in London as part of the team that covered Israel, later moving back to Israel when they opened an office there. She stayed there until 2014 when she was invited to UBS to form and lead its ultra-high net worth team in Israel.

Helping Her Clients Make a Difference

This decision to join UBS to start a new venture and create a new coverage team is a professional achievement of which she is particularly proud. In her role, she is able to help wealthy individuals with a full array of services far beyond asset management, everything from philanthropic endeavors and impact investments to next generation wealth transfer and art selection. “We are partners in their endeavors and work with them to help develop the legacy they want to leave, such as creating a tangible impact on society or helping disadvantaged socioeconomic groups,” she says. “Many have concerns that the next generation must not rely solely on the great wealth they are inheriting. We advise them on best practices for setting personal and professional milestones and provide assistance on structuring their wealth for the generations to come.”

The other part of her role that is meaningful to her is overseeing the Social Impact Bond UBS has launched in Israel to help fight diabetes. The funds will be used to identify and work with high-risk populations on lifestyle changes they can implement to help prevent diabetes, work that she says will make dramatic differences. “Impact investing provides a vehicle that has a social effect and also offers solid financial benefits for investors,” she says. “We have seen much interest from clients in this theme.”

Diversity Creates Success

Goldenberg has been involved in an annual Women in Wealth networking forum at UBS that allows participants to learn about other cultures and best practices. She appreciates that UBS has a focused emphasis on diversity and inclusion and views it as an asset in the organization’s recruiting endeavors. “Whether it’s diversity of gender, culture or even just a different educational expertise, such as arts and sciences, we look to hire people from various backgrounds,” she says, adding that the goal is always to look at the individual to find the best talent.

“We benefit from these different viewpoints because they lead to more quality decision making as we consider perspectives of people who can share a broader variety of input,” she says.

Travel as an Integral Part of Work and Family

With a partner and two boys, ages three and four-and-a half, Goldenberg strives to balance the challenge of a successful, fulfilling career with the needs of her family. Her position requires extensive travel, so while she finds it hard to leave, she is proud to articulate to her family that she loves what she does, even though she misses them.

And they are able to share in adventures with frequent travel as a family, both around Israel and abroad. They take a trip to Asia every year and are currently preparing for a trip to Thailand. “We love discovering different cultures and history and immersing ourselves in the entire experience,” she says.

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Voice of Experience: Wendy Mahmouzian, America’s Head of Corporate Services and Real Estate and Global Head of Hospitality, Goldman Sachs

Wendy MahmouzianThe ability to recognize and support talent and lead diverse teams in a high-performance environment, along with a keen appreciation for people’s individual balance between work and personal lives, have significantly contributed to Wendy Mahmouzian’s career. She has not only found the right work/life balance for herself, but supports this pursuit among the teams she leads.

“You have to understand that we’re all somewhere different on the work/life spectrum, and there’s no one answer to the question on how to achieve balance. It’s up to you to determine what it takes to make you feel comfortable and allow you to bring your best self to work,” she says. “It might be your family, sports, culture or education that allows you to achieve that balance, enabling you to bring 100 percent of yourself to work and perform at your best.”

For Mahmouzian, performing at her best has meant constantly learning new skills and being willing to take on new challenges, all while continuously looking for ways to solve problems and create new opportunities for clients. During her 20-year career at Goldman Sachs, she has spent the latter half with the Corporate Services and Real Estate (CSRE) team, first as global chief of staff and now as head of the team for the Americas and global head of hospitality. She joined the firm in the Global Investment Research division and subsequently co-managed the Securities e-Commerce group. Common themes in all of her positions have been contributing to transformative change and enhancing engagement with clients.

A Diverse Set of Priorities That Range From Crisis Response to Sustainability

One of Mahmouzian’s most significant undertakings was leading the team in 2009 that opened the firm’s world headquarters at 200 West Street, overseeing the startup of operations and multi-month migration of employees to the new building. Ensuring that everyone in the new headquarters could be productive on day one was a significant undertaking.

She remains focused on improving the firm’s workplace strategy to respond to business needs and creating a high-performance environment that enables the flow of business, promotes client engagement, maximizes productivity and reflects the firm’s commitment to sustainability and inclusion. She is currently involved in a number of projects, including refurbishing existing buildings, developing new campuses and ensuring that the firm’s spaces meet the needs of employees, clients and guests.

Reviewing past milestones, Mahmouzian notes the vital role her team plays in supporting the firm during key events, including Superstorm Sandy. During the 2012 storm, she organized the team that managed the firm’s response. “We focused on protecting the firm’s assets, particularly its people, and making sure that the business remained up and running throughout the storm and its aftermath,” says Mahmouzian. “The intersection of planning, communication, managing risk and being nimble enabled the team to ensure the firm’s business continuity and was a hallmark of our response.”

Mahmouzian also helps manage the firm’s environmental and operational impacts through innovative strategies in energy efficiency, investments in green building and initiatives to ensure a sustainable and inclusive supply chain.

Advice Along the Career Ladder

For Mahmouzian, patience and listening were skills she developed over time, but she also notes the importance of individuals’ establishing their own voice and speaking up. “You have to learn how to balance soliciting the opinions of team members with articulating your own view as well,” she says.

She also advises women, especially those early in their careers, not to be deterred by a historically male-dominated field like real estate, but to seek as role models more experienced women who have succeeded professionally in the space. “Your capabilities will make you successful, so don’t be intimidated by a room full of people that look different from you.”

While Mahmouzian also supports hospitality, a typically female-dominated field, she says it’s important for both hospitality and real estate to cast a wide net and seek diverse talent that is accretive to the team and delivers for clients.

“Embrace the strengths of those around you and use them to your advantage – engage, encourage and enable,” she says, adding that as she has become more senior, a big part of her job is supporting high-potential talent and creating a platform for their success.

Helping Evolve Women’s Initiatives

One of the projects that Mahmouzian undertook in the CSRE division was to help formalize the division’s women’s network. A cornerstone of this effort was establishing a signature women’s conference that features speakers and a wide range of professional development initiatives to enhance participants’ skills. Over the years this conference has evolved into a global event via video conferencing. She is also proud that many male colleagues have increased their attendance and advocacy. “It’s gratifying that they are eager to support and sustain broader efforts to advance women in the firm,” she noted.

Work/Family Balance Comes From Being Present in the Moment

For Mahmouzian, balance depends on being present in the moment. “With today’s technology, demands are coming from all different angles, and we need to remember that five minutes of focused attention on a challenge or in a discussion will yield a better outcome than an hour of distracted work. Take the time to listen, interpret and have a clear mind,” she says.

She brings that ethic home to her husband and two daughters, whom she calls her “support network.” Being present in the moment is the best way to ensure we have quality time, she says, adding that they love to ski and value the time they spend together as a family.

Superstorm Sandy offered a situation that allowed her to test the merits of this approach. Her family understood that she needed to continue working throughout the weekend in response to the storm: “They knew that in this crisis, my focus was to protect the firm and our people, and they gave me the freedom to do what I needed to do.” As the crisis subsided, her work team returned the favor, ensuring she could hand over the reins to be with her family. “Being present is the cornerstone of success, whether it’s work or family.”

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Voice of Experience: Denise Landman, CEO, Victoria’s Secret Pink

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Denise LandmanDenise Landman is CEO of Victoria’s Secret Pink, a $2 billion specialty retail brand marketed to college girls. She is carefully crafting a culture of integrity and trust at her organization while finding innovative ways to engage with her target customers.

True North

“I personally have a fiduciary responsibility to create value for my organization and a secure future for my business leaders,” said Landman. “Leadership is a conscious effort. It is a muscle to develop and build, and requires deep introspection. People become leaders when they decide for themselves what and who they will be.”

“For me,” continued Landman, “the best leaders have emerged as being very authentic. Authentic leaders are guided by an inner compass, or true north. Your integrity is what creates a sense of community in the organization that ultimately translates to performance.”

“Building a culture of honesty can only create positive outcomes,” said Landman. “I make mistakes as well. None of us are mistake-proof. It is often that you learn the most through your mistakes. I embrace those mistakes when they occur in my organization.”

How to Market to College Girls

Many people involved in branding want to go straight to product development.

Landman, on the other hand, needed to spend more time thinking about the characteristics of the college girl. “I needed to define her for myself. I would not allow designers to design anything until we had a clear sense of what this eighteen year old girl wants,” said Landman. “Eighteen year old girls are still young and naive, and, in other respects, preparing to be the women they will be in the future. It is a fragile age. I have to go back to what it means to be an eighteen year old, and how to translate this understanding into a product.”

Learning Your Craft

Landman spent the early days of her career perfecting the fundamentals. “It was only when I knew I could be effective with my career choice that I strive for higher levels of responsibility,” said Landman. “I couldn’t have put myself out there if I didn’t have the right stuff. I am a big proponent of honing your craft and knowing what you are talking about.”

Work-Life Integration

Landman adopted two sons (one from Russia and one from Ohio) when she was 50. When asked about work-life integration, Landman said that she and her husband made the decision that he would stay at home and she would continue with her career. “It is such a personal journey, and there is no one blueprint or roadmap to follow,” stressed Landman.“I am learning a lot about how to be the best mom while also being whole and effective in my professional life.It is hard.”

By Hua Wang

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