By Tina Vasquez, Editor

Stephanie Schnabel joined Accenture in April of 2001 and since 2005, she has led the organization’s corporate development efforts where she is responsible for the evaluation and execution of all potential global acquisitions and divestitures. Though she’s had a stellar career in M&A, what motivates her is not the acknowledgment of her peers, but rather the impression she is gifting her daughters.

“I’m a working mom with two young daughters and I want to ensure I’m a positive role model for them,” Schnabel said. “My mother was a professional in a male dominated industry and the first woman to get her master’s degree in mechanical engineering in the former East Germany. She encouraged me to have confidence in my capabilities, to work hard and to execute, and she continues to be a valuable role model for me at the young age of 87.”

Driving Growth
The Princeton University and Wharton alumna says that the one common theme in her successful career thus far has been “working to drive growth.”

In college, she worked for General Electric in their Plastics and their Nuclear Energy Businesses, which were industries “at very different stages of maturity, facing very different growth challenges.” Upon graduating, she worked as a strategy consultant developing growth strategies for clients in North America and Europe. Later, she utilized these skills at the private equity firm Catterton Partners, providing growth capital to businesses. Before joining Accenture, Schnabel took on the role of interim CEO at one of Catterton’s portfolio companies.

At Accenture, Schnabel works in close collaboration with Accenture’s leadership around the globe to ensure the organization is developing the right strategies and identifying and executing transactions.

“I have the pleasure of working with a strong team and we work with diverse parts of our business to acquire technology and services businesses to help further Accenture’s differentiation in key growth sectors,” Schnabel said. “I’m most proud of my role in developing a robust corporate development capability and driving impactful transactions for Accenture. I’m also proud of being able to tackle the diverse issues that arise in this field, including being able to navigate constant change in the technology space and deal with the economic, cultural, and business considerations of doing transactions on a global basis – while maintaining a fulfilling family life with my husband and two young daughters.”

Maximizing Your Impact
The recent Accenture survey “Defining Success” resonated with Schnabel deeply, as it highlighted the importance of personally defining success.

“It’s so important to maintain your drive, but you also need to know yourself well enough to know how to maximize your impact,” Schnabel said. “I am a mother, wife, daughter, and a working professional and face many of the same balance challenges other women face. It is critical to occasionally step back and think about how you can be most effective across all your priorities. We need to be honest with ourselves and focus on impact and efficacy, not just putting in long hours. It’s important to keep your eyes on your long-term goals and maintain your drive to reach your potential.”

Entering M&A
Schnabel says the M&A field is highly demanding, but it’s possible to have a fulfilling life, including family and other interests.

“Women entering this industry should recognize that it may not be easy, but much of their destiny is in their hands and it’s extremely important to keep focused on your long-term goals,” Schnabel said. “Think of your career as a chess game, not just thinking of your next move, but what position you want to be in a few moves down the board.”

The managing director also suggests focusing on effectiveness, impact, and continually challenging yourself as to how you can best leverage your skills to benefit your stakeholders. Schnabel also places emphasis on the importance of mentors, asserting that your best mentors don’t have to be women.

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By Tina Vasquez, Editor

Emma McGuigan has been with Accenture for 19 years, joining the organization shortly after obtaining her master’s degree in electronics from the University of Edinburgh. As managing director in Accenture’s technology practice, she says her career thus far has been “challenging, creative, and progressive.”

“It is challenging in that every day there are new hurdles to overcome and interesting problems to solve. It is creative, as I’ve learned to use my technology skills to find solutions to business issues as well as my people skills to build successful relationships and teams. It is progressive as I take on increasingly larger responsibilities and roles and make a larger impact,” McGuigan said.

Redefining Success
McGuigan’s area of focus is working with clients in financial services and the public sector, drawing on her extensive experience in building IT architecture and large scale delivery of projects. This, she says, is her proudest achievement. Impressively, McGuigan was promoted while on maternity leave and prior to that, she’d been working part-time for Accenture for two-years.

“I realized that to be successful, you don’t necessarily have to work a traditional five-day week,” McGuigan said. “I’m proud that I’ve defined success in my own way. Fortunately, Accenture supports its people with a variety of flexible work and career options.”

In her new role, McGuigan is focusing on an internal project that grants her exposure to many people on Accenture’s global leadership team. “I’ve found this opportunity to be incredibly insightful, and a great learning opportunity,” McGuigan said.

Getting the Most Out of Professional Relationships
McGuigan says that to get the most out of a professional relationship, you need to take the time to get to know the individual. “Don’t drive straight to the transactional outcome,” she said. McGuigan asserts that how people grow professional relationships will be different for everyone, but taking the time to learn about how people operate makes for better collaboration.

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By Michelle Hendelman

Sometimes the most successful and rewarding career paths are anything but linear. Priscilla Almodovar, Managing Director and Head of Community Development Banking for JPMorgan Chase can certainly attest to this. “My career path is a unique intersection between deal making as a lawyer, government, and now banking,” she said.

“My experience in different sectors gives me an appreciation of who the stakeholders are in each area and how to be inclusive of the various points of view. As a manager, I can tap all of these different experiences to do my job,” added Almodovar.

Almodovar practiced law for fourteen years before moving into public service. She took a two month leave from her position as corporate finance partner at White & Case, LLP in order to pursue an opportunity in public service. However, this short two month leave turned into a five year leave as Almodovar served as the President and CEO of New York State’s housing finance agencies.

“My proudest professional achievement to date is running a public finance agency for the state of New York. For the first time, my ‘client’ was the public and the opportunity to do finance in government and serve the public was an incredible experience for me,” said Almodovar. She encouraged everyone to pursue the opportunities available in public service and at non-profits as she feels very strongly that these areas can provide some of the most rewarding professional and personal experiences.

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By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

There are many things that Lisa Brill loves about her work as a real estate partner at global law firm Shearman & Sterling. But best of all?

“It’s very exciting to walk by a building and know that it’s a deal I worked on,” she says. “The buildings and developments have much more complicated histories than anyone ever would guess.”

Structuring these real estate deals takes great skill, even for a leading real estate lawyer like Brill. “I really like a number of different aspects of the job – working on joint ventures, loans, acquisitions, land assemblages… these can be very complicated transactions.”

Adding to the challenge is the fact that Shearman & Sterling, as a major international law firm, is often brought in for its global expertise.

“We are primarily a New York practice, but since this is Shearman & Sterling, there is often a global aspect,” she explains. “For example, we’re seeing more and more out of Brazil, Mexico and China on the real estate side.”

“What attracted me to Shearman & Sterling initially was my interest in working on international transactions and the firm’s global footprint. Each culture has a different approach to business and a different legal system. At our firm, we have a very diverse group of lawyers and we are very cognizant of those differences.”

Another Important Role

In addition to her client work, Brill serves as co-chair of the firm’s Summer Associate program. She sees this role as critically important for helping all young lawyers, and especially women, acclimate themselves to life in a major law firm.

“We need to nurture and help every associate who comes in the door get on the right path,” she says. “But we especially need to reach out to young women when they start, so they know they have people they can talk to, that they have a support system.”

As a new lawyer just starting out, Brill herself didn’t work for any female partners directly, but that didn’t stop other women in the firm from reaching out to her to provide guidance and support, she explained.

“Other women, not in my group at the firm, would reach out to me – for coffee or to say hello, or just to let me know they were there if I needed to talk,” she recalls. “And it did make a difference to me. I always knew they were taking an interest in me, even if I wasn’t working directly with them. I think women partners have a responsibility to do this for the female associates.”

Brill remembers her early days fondly. Originally from Baltimore, she studied law at Georgetown. “I thought I would stay in the mid-Atlantic area, but then I realized how many opportunities there are in law in New York and beyond,” she says. In fact, the time Brill had spent living in Paris before law school inspired her to seek out opportunities beyond the US.

Impressed by Shearman & Sterling’s global footprint, she took a position at the firm’s London office, joining the Capital Markets Group. “I loved it – there were interesting clients and partners, and I had a fantastic experience,” she recalls.

But eventually she realized she wanted to be closer to her family in the US. She says, “Because Shearman has an emphasis on rotating to different groups to develop well-rounded lawyers, the firm supported me.”

She joined the New York Structured Finance Group and then moved to the Real Estate Group. “I loved it right away,” she explains. After about five or six years in Real Estate, Brill was made a partner at the end of 2007.

“I’m proud of my entire career,” she says. “And making partner is obviously a huge achievement. I think what I’m most proud of is the relationships I’ve made with partners and clients, and my development as a lawyer.”

“Being a lawyer can be incredibly challenging, not just in the practice of law. There is so much more. You’re a business advisor, a marketer, a business owner. Law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer, but I’ve found that the rest you have to learn as you go.”

She added, “It’s a fantastic career, and being a business person and a lawyer means your career is so diverse. But it is one of the more challenging parts.”

Advice for Women in Law

Brill says that while she hasn’t encountered any challenges to her advancement, she has noticed a lack of female role models in the industry in general.

“I’m very lucky to have started my career here – I don’t think there are any barriers for women to succeed and I definitely have had the same opportunities as my male colleagues,” she says.

Still, there are challenges, she says, especially when it comes to work/life balance issues. “As women, we continue to need role models so we can continue the dialogue on work/life balance,” she says. “I hope that associates in my firm see me as part of that dialogue.”

Brill shared some of the advice she often gives to new lawyers. “The first piece of advice is always think broadly. There are lots of opportunities in law and sometimes you need to seek them out.”

Secondly, she continued, “Don’t give up.”

Brill concedes that sticking it out can be particularly difficult for women, due to the lack of female role models at the top. “I have two children, and I hate the term ‘trying to have it all,’ because I think having it all is different for every single person. It’s challenging to find a balance. I think we need to be more open to young associates that they shouldn’t be afraid to talk about this and ask questions about how we each achieve our goals and manage our careers and families.”

Brill connects with Shearman women during the firm’s women’s network events. She also enjoys being a part of the Associate Development Committee. “One of the things Shearman & Sterling is doing differently now and will be carrying forward for our first- and second-year associates is that we have a Corporate Group. Rather than being placed in a practice group from the start, associates will have the opportunity to try a broad range of corporate practices before settling into a group. I am co-heading the Corporate Group and work with a great group of administrative people here to make it happen. It’s a great program and allows the associates to experience as much as possible early in their careers before anyone expects them to be an expert and meet people in every part of the firm.”

In Her Personal Time

Outside the office, Brill enjoys participating in industry groups like WX, a woman’s real estate group in New York. “I encourage young people to find those groups – it’s a great way to meet people and have conversations about the industry you are involved in.”

She is also a board member of the City Bar Justice Center, an organization providing pro bono services to people in need, “like victims of Hurricane Sandy,” she explained. She is particularly involved in the group’s Neighborhood Law Project.

“I also have two young children who bring great joy to my life and of whom I am incredibly proud. They’re a lot of fun and a lot of work. Mostly fun,” she says with a laugh.

By Michelle Hendelman

Women can have incredibly exciting and rewarding careers in financial services and investment banking if that is what they want to do. Elizabeth Crain, COO of the global independent investment bank Moelis & Company, has worked her way through the ranks of investment banking and private equity during her career.

“I have been in the industry in many capacities over the last twenty-five years and have had to make some difficult career decisions during that time,” Crain stated. “One of the most critical moments in my career was when I met Ken Moelis, who had just joined UBS to run investment banking. I pitched him on the idea of creating a business development role which he bravely agreed to.” Crain recognized that making the leap to UBS was potentially risky – she had no title, job spec nor a clear career path in this new role – but she knew it felt right, and that she could leverage her experience in banking to help run a business on the management side.

Also, having met Ken, she was impressed and remembered an important piece of advice from a colleague who told her that if you have the opportunity to work with someone like him, take it. “This was without a doubt the most critical decision of my career,” added Crain, “and it took me down a different path that has been hugely rewarding.”

Early in her career, Crain entered the Analyst training program at Merrill Lynch after graduating from Arizona State University in 1987. She completed two year junior analyst program, then went on to earn her MBA from Wharton before returning to the financial services industry.

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