Voice of Experience: Linda Bracken, CEO and Founder of YJT Solutions

Linda BrackenBy Jessica Titlebaum (Chicago)

Looking out the 38th floor window in a conference room at YJT Solutions, I can see straight ahead of me the Ceres statue that sits on top of the Chicago Board of Trade. Also known as the Roman Goddess of Agriculture or the Eternal Mother, the statue overlooks Chicago’s financial district and LaSalle Street.

The maternal sighting seems significant as I sit down to interview Linda Bracken, CEO and founder of YJT Solutions.

“People say that when you have kids the love is greater than you could ever expect and that is true,” she said. “But the sense of responsibility for my children as well as my employees is greater than I could have ever have imagined as well.”

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Voice of Experience: Diane Reyes, Managing Director, Global Payments Head, Global Transaction Services, Citi

DianeReyesBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Having been named to either US Banker’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking or its 25 Women to Watch lists for the last four years, Diane S. Reyes, Global Payments Head for Citi’s Global Transaction Services, is certainly a woman to admire. And she has plenty of good advice for rising female business leaders. For example, Reyes said it’s important to apply for jobs that may be a stretch, “even if you’re not 100% qualified,” she said.

Reyes explained, “Interviewing hones your skills – and you may not get the first job, but maybe the second or third. Every couple of years, try to interview for the next opportunity.”

She said women need to work hard to display their strategic value. “Make sure you’re perceived as strategic, rather than trying to solve everything yourself. There is a difference between delegating and executing. You have to be able to articulate the long-term strategy to your team and delegate the execution to them.”

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Voice of Experience: Brenda T. Dieck, Partner, White & Case

Dieck_BrendaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“I love the thrill of negotiating and the satisfaction of closing the deal,” said Brenda T. Dieck, Partner in the New York and Los Angeles Bank Finance Practice Group at the law firm of White & Case LLP. “There are so many interesting puzzles to solve,” she explained.

Currently charged with building the firm’s LA bank finance practice, Dieck said, “It’s a unique opportunity to be part of a well-established practice group in New York, and at the same time, have the opportunity to be somewhat of an entrepreneur in LA, building a complementary team on the West Coast.”

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Voice of Experience: Marie Wilson, Founder and President of the White House Project

marieBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

A Special Election Day Message from Marie Wilson: “There are 107 reasons for you to vote. Why 107 reasons? This Tuesday, November 2nd, 107 alumnae of The White House Project’s signature political trainings will be on the ballot and running for political office.”

“The first job I applied for was at DuPont. I took a test, and the results came back saying I was a candidate for management. They didn’t hire me because as they said, ‘you’ll just get pregnant and have a child.’ This was 1962,” said Marie Wilson, Founder and President of The White House Project.

Wilson, one of the honorary “Founding Mothers” of the Ms. Foundation and co-founder of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, has been advocating for women in leadership ever since.

“If you’re going to be a leader,” she said, “don’t rush to change yourself. The world is still mixed about ambitious women. You need people who will encourage you to dream big – and the world is often discouraging. You need a tough skin that is porous – slough off the critics, but listen.”

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Voice of Experience: Pam Kiernan, Global Head of Business Development, Global Prime Finance, Deutsche Bank

kiernan_pam_colorBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“My advice is to be confident in what you do really well. Be open to taking risks, and to new opportunities, leveraging what you do really well,” advised Pam Kiernan, Managing Director and Global Head of Business Development for Deutsche Bank’s Global Prime Finance business.

She explained that when she heard women voicing frustration about their careers, it was usually “the result of an aversion to taking risks at a key inflection point.”

Kiernan said one of the things she’s most proud of in her own career has been her ability to take on new opportunities – moving from an infrastructure position early in her career, to a client facing role, and eventually holding COO roles for the Bank’s North American cash equities business and DB Advisors’ hedge fund business. And now she’s taken on a global role in the company’s prime brokerage business as Global Head of Business Development for Global Prime Finance.

“Be confident, and take the risk,” she said.

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Voice of Experience: Theresa S. Wilson, CIO/Operations and EVP Technical Services, Wells Fargo

Theresa WilsonBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“Make sure you’re in front of the right leadership, that you’re sharing about the type of work you do,” advised Theresa S. Wilson, CIO of Operations and EVP of Technical Services at Wells Fargo. She continued, “You have to be vocal.”

Wilson, who has been with her company for 34 years, through several mergers and acquisitions, emphasized the importance of portraying one’s skills. She said, “It’s always good to step outside [your area] and help another group, so you can show your leadership style to others and build a wide breadth of your network.”

She continued, “Volunteer to do extra work. Demonstrate your leadership.”

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Voice of Experience: Camille Mirshokrai, Senior Executive and Director of Global Leadership Development, Accenture

camilleBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“We all have different definitions of success,” said Camille Mirshokrai, Director of Global Leadership Development at Accenture. She continued, “The only way we can define it so to truly know ourselves.”

After almost 17 years at Accenture, the majority of them working in leadership development and succession planning, Mirshokrai has helped design the fabric of the company’s leadership culture. She said, “We have to manage our career instead of the organization managing our career. Be in control of your destiny.”

Mirshokrai said, “It’s important to me, [when working with] groups of women, to urge them to be supportive networks to each other. We have to help the women in generations that come after us. Someone helped us climb the ladder, and we have to help them climb the ladder.

She continued, “The best way to retain women is to take on roles with responsibility for the next generation.”

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Voice of Experience: Anne Erni, Head of Leadership, Learning and Diversity, Bloomberg LP

anne_erniBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“As my career on the trading floor progressed, I began noticing women disappearing all around me,” said Anne Erni, head of diversity at Bloomberg. Before moving to Bloomberg, Erni was one of the founders of WILL, Lehman Brothers‘ women’s network. After founding WILL, she said, “I really began to understand the importance of sisterhood in the workplace.”

Erni, who described her career as “non-linear,” began her career on the trading floor, eventually becoming SVP, Prime Brokerage at Lehman, before taking on the Chief Diversity Officer role there.

“I want to drive people to contribute their very best, so they can make the most of their careers,” she explained. “I am passionate about people feeling passionate about coming to work.”

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Voice of Experience: Pamela J. Craig, Chief Financial Officer, Accenture

PamCraigBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Pamela J. Craig, Chief Financial Officer at Accenture, the best piece of advice she has to offer is: “Just go for it.”

“It sounds so simple,” she said. “That was particularly the case with my job as CFO… it just came up. And, my husband and co-workers were supportive and gave me the confidence that made a very big difference. It’s easy to lack confidence. It’s harder to have it. Go for it and make it all it can be. This a big deal for me.”

She continued, “Be open to stretch roles and go out of your comfort zone. It’s easy to say, ‘I’m not sure I can do that.’ You should say, ‘I bet I can do that.’”

Moving Up and Giving Back

“I graduated [from Smith College] in 1979 with a liberal arts degree – and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that. So I entered an MBA program at NYU in Accounting,” Craig began. “After a couple of years, I realized I didn’t want to be an auditor all my life. I switched to consulting.”

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Voice of Experience: Gina Biondo, Tax Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Gina Lori Berkowitz FIMG_1765By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“Don’t be afraid to make the hard call,” said Gina Biondo, Tax Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Stand behind the decisions you make, and get the right people behind you. You get to be a leader because you’re successful – and we need more highly visible women in leadership roles.”

She continued, “At some point, you have a responsibility as a woman to continue to help open doors for the women who will follow us.

Building a Career in Alternative Investments Tax

Biondo, a partner for 14 years, serves as the firm’s tax division lead. She is specialized in distressed debt and special opportunity hybrid classes, and works with business ranging in size from startups to established global firms.

“I’ve grown up in New York City. I started off in the New York City office of Coopers and Lybrand and I’ve been with PricewaterhouseCoopers since career start – just over 22 years.”

Biondo, who studied accounting and economics at Queens College and received her CPA and Master of Finance in taxation from Fordham, said, “I spent the first several years on the tax side on the general corporate team, working in corporate consulting. Then I moved to the financial services practice” for about the next ten years.

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