by Paige Churchman (New York City)

One April morning in 1994, Ana Duarte-McCarthy put on a brand new suit, rode the train down to Wall Street and joined the flow of rushing pedestrians. She may have looked like any other commuter, but for Ana this was a banner day. She was on her way to her first day of corporate life – a new job at Kidder, Peabody & Co. A meringue band played in her head (who needs an iPod?), and headlines like “Dominican Makes It to Wall Street” flashed through her brain. It was clear and sunny, just another Monday morning for the other workers. They didn’t look up at the young woman in the snappy khaki suit with the navy pinstripes. (It still hangs in her closet.)

Ana was in for some major culture shock. Not too many art school deans end up in investment banking. Ana had been assistant dean at Parsons The New School for Design. There she had learned how to scrounge for even the smallest resources. At Kidder, Ana’s eyes grew big when the morning coffee came on elegant silver tea services. “I think I was at Kidder three weeks when they gave me $3000 to take eight minority interns to Yankee Stadium,” she laughed. “And then they asked what else I wanted.” Art students don’t wear suits, and neither do their deans. Art students and their deans wear black. Also, at Kidder, she was suddenly back in middle management – smaller office, no longer running the show – but she expected that. She was eager to learn.

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By Pirkko Juntunen (London)

It is difficult not to fall quickly into clichés such as ‘superwoman’ when describing Laura Palomino de Forbes. In her mid-thirties, married and a mother to a 15-month old daughter, Palomino de Forbes heads up DIAM International’s business development and client services efforts in the EMEA Region from her London office. She has, through hard work and dedication, put DIAM on the map in Europe and Middle East by acquiring new assets of over $3bn in the past four years. Read more

by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

The Glass Hammer recently spoke with Dianne Ledingham, Director in Bain’s Boston office, member of Bain’s North America Telecom, Media & Technology Practice and leader of the consulting firm’s Global Sales Effectiveness group. Ms. Ledingham has played various local and global governance roles in the firm and is currently a member of Bain’s Worldwide Compensation and Promotion committee. In addition to serving corporate clients, Ms. Ledingham has advised several early stage technology start-ups in her career at Bain. She is also a Board member of City Year, a multi-regional non-profit.

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by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

“Nothing is impossible – there is always a solution,” advised Alice Wang, Managing Director of Global Credit Markets when interviewed by The Glass Hammer. In 23 years with J.P. Morgan, Ms. Wang has seen the company and the industry change dramatically.

She started her career in investment banking after a stint as a CPA with responsibilities that included auditing banks, government entities and non-profits. “When I joined J.P. Morgan, it was still thought of as The Morgan Guaranty Trust Company–the bank–not J.P. Morgan, the investment bank that we think of today. I was offered a role as an internal consultant, which at the time felt like a good fit, as problem solving was and continues to be very appealing to me.”

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by Heather Cassell (San Francisco)

Thirty years ago, peering into her uncertain future as a Spanish major at Colorado State University, Shelly Hendrickson, senior vice president and division manager for Wells Fargo California Business Banking, made a strategic move that put her in the driver’s seat of her own career and changed the course of her life. Upon someone’s suggestion that the Spanish knowledge could work well in business, she enrolled in a business course. Hendrickson says she “fell in love” and ended up double majoring in Spanish and finance.

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