Tag Archive for: Managing Director

Voice of Experience: Miruna Stratan, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

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miruna-stratanBy Cathie Ericson

As a technologist, there is no better time to enter the financial services sector, asserts Miruna Stratan, Goldman Sachs Managing Director in the Technology Division. “Technology is no longer a cost center, but is at the core of digital transformations across the industry, providing the opportunity to impact and shape new business models.”

Driving Technology Advances Throughout Goldman Sachs

Miruna joined Goldman Sachs after studying communication and electronics engineering at Bucharest Politechnica University and earning her graduate degree in telecommunications from Stevens Institute of Technology. Building technical teams and developing new innovative infrastructures have been the hallmark of her career throughout her time at the firm.

During her 17-year tenure at the firm, she has held multiple roles. Early on in her career she built technology solutions for the banking business. Subsequently, Miruna took a series of technology infrastructure engineering roles, focusing on data center engineering products across the computer storage and networking space and working closely to drive the firm’s global data center architecture and strategy.

Over the years, she had the opportunity to work directly on building innovative technology stacks that transformed Goldman’s operational model and enabled the firm to be increasingly agile. Miruna was also part of the team that engineered the virtual desktop platform for the firm, and more recently she drove a security engineering project that enabled Goldman Sachs to extend its cloud platform securely to public cloud providers. Currently, she manages the external cloud access platform, cloud desktop and remote access function for Goldman Sachs engineering. She was named Managing Director in 2015.

Being named “Technology Fellow” in 2014 was a notable achievement for Miruna. The role of Technology Fellow is a distinction reserved for the best engineering and architectural talent at Goldman Sachs, a select group of engineers whose authoritative knowledge is demonstrated through strong technical leadership, innovation and problem-solving expertise.

“At Goldman we manage complex technology stacks and control frameworks; we think of ourselves as a technology firm building the platforms that allow our colleagues to transform our businesses into a data-driven model through applied technology,” Miruna says. “It is exhilarating to be at the forefront of emerging technologies in the infrastructure organization when the rate of technology change has been so tremendous.”

Lessons Learned – and Now Shared

Over the years, Miruna’s career has progressed in large part because of the opportunities she took to move laterally throughout the firm. “I had to prove myself each time in these new roles, on different types of technologies, but these opportunities were the most amazing learning experiences I had,” she notes. “I am quite proud of the engineering teams I have built over the years as well as seeing many of my mentees grow and develop.”

One important lesson she has learned is the significance of communicating your contributions to others. Early in her career, she focused on building her technical skills while avoiding the spotlight. She recommends that women develop their technical skills and establish themselves as an expert in a specific technology or platform early on, but once they get there continue to accept lateral opportunities and embrace the challenge to work on something completely different. Miruna also realized it’s essential to listen to feedback and be thoughtful about how to align others to your vision.

“You have to modulate your message to the audience and understand how to be practical when delivering a product,” she said. “Communicating your strategy effectively to stakeholders ensures buy-in for a new project or platform.”

Ensure Women Have a Seat at the Table

Initially, Miruna felt intimidated as the only woman in most situations, but over time, she found diverse role models within the firm and across the tech industry. Connecting with these individuals helped her realize that being different allows others to naturally notice your contributions more.

“It’s so important to have strong female and diverse role models in executive and senior technical roles,” Miruna says. “We have to carefully mentor the technical talent not only as they enter the firm, but throughout their career.”

Due to her own experience in the sector, Miruna is passionate about building a thriving female tech community and has participated in industry conferences such as the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, ABI.NY events and Lesbians Who Tech.

She also focuses on giving back to the Women in Technology organization and devotes significant time to recruiting and retention programs, partnering with external organizations such as Girls Who Code and the Anita Borg Institute. Additionally, she has been involved in the Geek Speak program, which provides individual coaching and feedback to help women improve their presentation skills when discussing technical topics.

Throughout her career, Miruna has been involved with Goldman Sachs’ affinity networks, serving as the Managing Director sponsor for the technical pillar of Women in Technology. She has also participated in the Disability Interest Forum and is an ally to the firm’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community.

Supporting Children With Disabilities

Separately, she actively works at balancing her family and career while simultaneously addressing complex special needs situations. “I have learned how important it is to prioritize, delegate and recognize the activities that are the best use of my time,” she says.

Miruna is passionate about helping kids with disabilities by ensuring kids with dyslexia have access to specialized education accommodations and programs. As October 15 is both World Sight Day and World Dyslexia Day, in October she reflects on her future impact and contributions to this important issue and creates a specific action plan for the upcoming year.

“There is now so much technology available that can be leveraged to help kids with disabilities participate fully and successfully at their grade level in the learning process,” she says. “I regularly research innovation that creates accessible, technology-based solutions in the areas of communication and advocate for such solutions in the special needs community and within my school district.”

An avid reader of both science books and literature, Miruna enjoys traveling with her husband and their 12-year-old twins. Recent trips have included Spain and Romania, and this year they traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and learned about the amazing geology of Yellowstone County.

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Voice of Experience: Marla Arbiv, Managing Director, Accenture

Marla ArbivMarla Arbiv, a working mom of three, has led a nearly 30 year career at Accenture.

She spent the first two-thirds serving clients, traveling around the world and living across three continents. She’s worked in multiple cities across the U.S. and spent two years working at Accenture in Tel Aviv and later, in Sydney, for an additional two.

Currently living in Atlanta, Marla helped build the company’s Oracle capability in its North America Global Delivery Network and now focuses on the company’s Oracle Outsourcing business. As part of her role, Marla managed a pipeline for delivery center-based work and has invested a significant amount of time helping Accenture teams and clients adopt delivery models that enable more people to work locally, and remotely.

In fact, numerous women (and men) come to Marla for coaching on how to raise a family while advancing careers. Navigating this balance can be tricky when travel is extensive, and Marla has a personal desire to see people achieve a work life balance that works for them. She states, “I’ve personally promoted many of the Accenture programs for flexible work and tried to lead by example for my peers and colleagues. I think for many people, regardless of company or level, finding a balance can be difficult – but it is possible.”

Marla strongly believes she has proven that as a career woman, you can progress professionally while effectively managing family and other personal commitments. In this way, Marla has been a direct and indirect mentor for multiple people, at various points in their careers. She comments, “I’ve worked to develop longstanding relationships with people, even if they move to other parts of the business or away to other locations. I greatly enjoy being a mentor to others, and I hope that people perceive me that way. I work with people to understand their situations so that I can help them be successful.” Interestingly for Marla, most of her early mentors were men. She reflects, “I’ve always been a self-driver, so there were times when I didn’t have an active mentor, but I’ve always encouraged people to find support through mentors, male or female.” Marla attributes her lack of women mentors to the lower number of women in tech at the time.

Now, however, interest in technology among young women is on the rise, thanks in part to organizations like Girls Who Code (GWC), with which Accenture partners across the U.S., helping the organization inspire, educate, and equip young women with computing and professional skills that enable them to pursue technology careers. The company has hosted multiple GWC clubs across the U.S. including NYC and Chicago and, this year, has extended the program to Atlanta, where Marla served as the executive sponsor. She says, “The girls in the program spent seven weeks learning new skills and were exposed to real-world business expertise and mentorship opportunities. While GWC provided the curriculum and wonderful instructors, we scheduled field trips and guest speakers and coordinated a mentorship program with our people who met with the girls on a weekly basis.”

As a leading technology company with a commitment to gender equality, Accenture has a vested interest in supporting organizations like GWC and fostering the next generation of women tech talent. Labor force statistics show anticipated shortages of technology majors in the near future. As for the gender gap, there is a significant decline in graduation rates for young women with technology degrees.

For Marla, it’s also personal. “It really started with Accenture’s involvement with organizations like GWC and Code.org to open my eyes. My three children are in high school and I began to ask myself, what are we doing to promote careers in tech for these kids? Are my children being taught computer skills in school? On college tours I heard prospective students speak about what they’re interested in and very few indicated computer science. Technology education needs to happen before college.”

According to Marla, early education about career possibility in the field is imperative, as “technology is going to drive everything we do– regardless of job or industry.” Every field has a piece of technology. Everyone needs to understand the influence of tech, even if they don’t want to be a technologist. “Concepts that we were talking about when I first started at Accenture, that at the time seemed esoteric and impossible, are now the reality. Technology is expanding and fast moving – there’s opportunity for young women to really make a mark. It’s a great field to look forward to.”

Advice for young women? Pace yourself to be able to sustain the changes that happen both in your career and personal life. She offers, “A career in tech is not an easy one –change is rapid and expectations are high. But by seeking out opportunities to grow, and taking chances when you are not always comfortable, it provides for a rewarding career in an exciting field.”

Her admission about change being uncomfortable at times is balanced by Accenture’s encouragement and support in her pursuing new and challenging opportunities, which she says mirrors the changing pace of technology. “Throughout my career, I have balanced the times when I could be flexible and take chances, with opportunities that aligned to my personal needs raising three children. I now see how my career choices have positively impacted my kids. No doubt they picked up on my constant drive to ‘get things done’ and do my best to succeed in both my professional and personal life. They’re self-starters, and I like to believe that they saw me be a self-starter.”

Outside of Work, Marla enjoys traveling and hiking and has a knack for running long distances “when she finds time!” With three very active teenagers, 15, 16 and 17, Marla spends most of her personal time watching (and driving to) her children’s sports events – track & field/pole vaulting, basketball and soccer.

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Voice of Experience: Melissa Barrett, Managing Director, Chief of Staff Global Compliance & Head of Global Compliance Training, Goldman Sachs

Melissa Barrett By Cathie Ericson

“Work hard, seek advice from mentors, and the advancement opportunities will come,” says Melissa Barrett, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, who has experienced that firsthand in her journey with the firm.

Barrett has spent 19 out of her 20 year career at Goldman Sachs, beginning in the Investment Management Division and then moving through several locations and departments to her current role in Compliance. “What is unique about Goldman Sachs is that there are so many opportunities to take on diverse roles while staying with the same firm,” she says. “I’ve loved having the opportunity to do different things at the firm and that I haven’t had to look outside of the company to be able to take on new challenges.”

Much of her current focus in Compliance is helping employees achieve a similarly diversified career, as she spends time on people initiatives for the division. Her goal is to determine what motivates employees and help them identify rewarding career paths at the firm. To address research showing that millennials are apt to job hop, Barrett spent time last year reaching out to other managing directors on ways to engage specifically with millennials. This year, she is doing the opposite and ensuring that millennials are best prepared to engage with people of different generations. “I want to figure out how to retain this generation and ensure they carry on the firm’s culture of employing high performers over the long-term,” she noted.

Mentors Can Make the Difference

Barrett attributes much of her success to trusting her mentors and managers, who encouraged her to take risks that she says she otherwise might not have considered. That’s why she believes it is important for professionals at all levels to find people who will be their sponsors or mentors. “Some of the moves I’ve made in my career were a result of someone I trusted advising me that taking a risk was the best move for me. Use your mentors’ guidance to help you navigate your career. No matter what their level, or whether they’re inside or outside the firm, find people who can answer questions and provide solid advice,” she says. “Have a diverse group of people you can turn to – at various points in your life and career you will need to seek advice from different people.”
Based on her positive experiences with mentors, she encourages her peers to sponsor women and act as a role model. “Think about what the younger generation is searching for and realize that you are what they aspire to be. Make an effort to support them and be open and honest about what attributes will lead to success. Being transparent about your personal struggles allows people to connect with you.”

Barrett advises younger women to be confident and trust in their abilities. “Have a voice and know that you have a place at the table and your opinion is valued,” she said. She also recommends that women get involved in activities at the company beyond day-to-day work, such as an affinity network. “I think one of the things that has kept me so tied to Goldman Sachs is that I’ve worked with and met so many people, and coming to work each day becomes more than just a job,” she noted.

She herself participated in the year-long Vice President Leadership Acceleration Initiative (VPLAI). One of the most unique facets was a feedback component that was directly targeted to specific areas of development. “I really appreciated that direct feedback so I could understand what skills and areas I needed to improve to get to the next level,” she said.

Balancing Work and Home

Barrett was already established in her career when she had her child, now three years old, so she has been adjusting to the challenge of being a working mother in the finance industry. “Every day is a juggling act to find time to be a good mom, a good spouse and take time for myself. Each person has to figure out how to make it work.”

Barrett also notes that flexibility and a work-life balance aren’t solely for working parents. “Ultimately, I think it’s up to you as an individual to determine what’s important to you and ensure you prioritize things outside of work. I try to lead by example in this regard.”

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Voice of Experience: Tina Shell, Managing Director of Client Operations for Citi’s U.S. Retail Bank and Mortgage Businesses

tina shell“People are what draw me to opportunities. When you build relationships, you want to follow those whom you admire,” says Citi’s Tina Shell. Now that she is in a position to inspire others, she is focused on helping her own team develop. “Sometimes I take a chance on someone, when their talent or commitment might not be obvious, but I help them grow and identify what they’re good at it,” she says.

And sometimes Shell finds people need help identifying potential paths; for example, in operations, where there appears to be just one ladder, it might be difficult to see all the other opportunities that are out there. “I believe in strengths more than weaknesses so when you help people see theirs, they can move onto paths they hadn’t seen for themselves.”

That philosophy has helped guide her successful career through a constantly evolving industry – one that barely existed when she first started out. As Shell puts it, her journey “just happened along the way.”

Radical Changes within an Industry

Shell started her career in the industry working the phones in call center operations for SPS Payment Systems to earn money while attending college. “It’s a tough job and it stays with you,” she says. And she stayed with it. While she remarks that it’s a career path you might never think of, since many people don’t even what call center operations is, it has grown to be an entire industry, one in which you can even now earn a degree.

She had planned to become a professor, so she earned her master’s degree while working full time at the center. Her next step was earning her Ph.D., but she felt as though she needed a break before plunging back into school. Her managers had been discussing her potential for management opportunities so she decided to give it a try.

With the web and online services just a fledgling product, she was assigned to the division as a special project, working with others outside her area to get it up and running. From there she was recruited to manage two outsourced contact centers based outside of Chicago.

The new opportunities gave her a solid foundation, and when a former boss joined Citi, she eventually followed him and has been there 15 years. Today she wears numerous hats: she leads Client Operations for Citi’s Retail Bank and Mortgage Businesses; is Functional Program lead for the North America Contact Center Operations Digital Strategy for centers that service Retail Bank, Mortgage and Credit Card clients; and serves as the site president of the 3,000-employee Citi Service Center in Florence, Kentucky.

As she looks back on the twists and turns the industry has taken, she says that “contact center operations has been turned on its ear.” The old model was about customers calling in, and now we are moving to a model where most of the servicing and communications will take place via online mobile app. “What excites me is that we aren’t sure yet where the model will land,” she says, underscoring the importance of choice whether it’s online or on the phone. “Omnichannel servicing is important and with it comes a different employee of the future,” she says. “We have to build a pipeline of employees who see these jobs as valuable.”

To that end, Tina and her team are always looking toward the job of the future and how they prepare for it. With 4,000 employees, the majority of whom are interacting with customers, the model will change going forward, which will have repercussions for recruitment, hiring and training. “You want to make sure that the people who are in the job today can do it tomorrow.”

Building Women’s Stature in the Industry

She advises women entering the industry to realize they might have to be open to taking on assignments and roles where they are a little uncomfortable. “Those are the opportunities that get you recognized and where you learn the most,” she says. She adds that she wishes that earlier on in her own career she had relaxed and not stressed about the little things that always eventually work themselves out.

She is a big believer in cultivating relationships and networks. “I am so thankful for the people I‘ve worked with who have influenced me, but it doesn’t just happen. You have to focus on deepening and growing the relationships. One of the best pieces of advice she has been given is to talk to at least one person every day where you’re just checking in with them, not asking them for something.”

And that extends to her peer group, whom she encourages to support and advocate for each other and identify opportunities for one another.

Building those relationships requires getting out of your silos and working across departments. Over the years she has found it beneficial to participate in groups that allowed her to learn more about the business and its offerings from a global perspective. “You learn more about others’ frame of reference and that helps you think about things differently when you go back to your desk.”

Finding a Balance

Shell says it’s vital that workplaces encourage flexible work environments. “It used to be that if you left five minutes early, there would be a boss who would point it out, ‘I see you’re only working half a day today.’ We’re all becoming more accepting.”

Finding time for balance and recharging means that she will unplug, and rely on the confidence she has in the capable people managing the business in her absence. A favorite getaway for that unplugging time? Beach vacations, spent with family and friends.

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Voice of Experience: Shannon White, Managing Director, PwC US

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Shannon WhiteBeing “out” at work has been incredibly beneficial for PwC’s Shannon White, and she believes it is important for others to do the same. “When you’re hiding yourself, it takes a lot of energy, and you don’t have the same reservoir of mental effort to devote to relationship-building or being creative or productive.” And, as a leader, you’re more guarded, she says, which can be an impediment in the consulting industry, where business is built around relationships, both internal and external. “Because I’ve been authentic, people trust me and believe I’m honest and open. That allows them to trust me with their challenges, even those that have nothing to do with sexual orientation.”

Born and raised in Seattle, White attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate where she had a diverse college experience. She played on the basketball team as a walk on; studied for a semester in Japan; participated in a business group; led a tutoring program; and volunteered as a high school teacher in South Africa for a year after graduation.

On her return she joined MBNA America in their management development program and upon completion, managed community development programs. Her work with the United Way helped put her on the path to earning an MBA: Initially she thought she might want to work with non-profits but during her program, she changed focus and decided to major in finance and become an investment banker.

After working as an investment banker at JP Morgan she worked with a finance company, providing funding for affordable housing, and then she went to work with a consulting firm helping communities to recover from disasters. This is one of the projects of which she is most proud, working out in the field after disasters such as the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina, helping communities recover through efficient grant dispensation.

Eight years ago she joined PwC’s US firm and now leads a business unit in the Public Sector Practice. For the last nine months her team has been helping a client implement a new delivery model for a grant program. “This is at the heart of what we do as consultants, helping agencies achieve their missions better, faster and more efficiently, and this program will do that. By instituting change management and new delivery metrics, they will provide a real benefit to American citizens.”

She sees that government agencies are applying a real focus on customer experience and how they can help citizens with their journey to more efficiently receive the benefits of the agency.

Seeking Opportunities

When White looks back on her career, there’s one piece of advice she wishes she’d known: She would tell her younger self to have fun all along the way. “You can’t know that you will have a successful career among the twists and turns, but if you set goals and remain flexible to take advantage of every opportunity, it will work out.”

She advises young women to develop a “brand” that will define them. “Maybe they become an Excel wizard starting off, for example. You know that your brand will change but by being competent in your craft you can establish yourself in at least one area where you’re a go-to person.”

While it’s crucial to say yes to opportunities, she says it’s also important to raise your hand to volunteer. “If you hear someone mention a need in a meeting, say, ‘Can I help you with this?’ Or identify gaps in your experience and proactively ask someone to help you find way to bridge it.”

And, women executives with more experience can play a role too, by helping young women with what they need for their careers and acting as a sponsor behind the scenes to help give them those advantages.

A Supportive Culture Promotes Diversity

White believes that companies need both formal and informal structures in place to foster diversity and has appreciated the culture at PwC. “It would be hard to ever leave this firm since I have felt so supported in my journey, and the programs that PwC offers really gives the firm an advantage. We are going to keep highly talented people because we have these resources,” she says, noting that the firm sends a strong message when it speaks out about LGBT legislation, for example.

She herself is a senior leader in the OPEN group, which serves the LGBT community, and participated in a “Crossing the Finish Line” program for women preparing to be partners. She has also participated in PwC’s Aspire events, where prominent external women speak about women’s issues.

Fostering diversity in gender is important, and leaders need to commit to giving women opportunities for different experiences and tasks that will allow them to demonstrate their skills. “Men are more liable to raise their hand, but we know that companies led by women have greater profits,” she says. “Companies need to figure out how to nurture their pipeline to allow that.”

An area where PwC excels is in flexibility for both men and women. She notes that as soon as she returned from maternity leave, she immediately received new assignments and an account team to lead.

Family and Relaxation Outside of Work

White relies on yoga and a daily ritual of meditation and writing in a gratitude journal to set a calming and appreciative tone for her day. “When I’m feeling good about myself I want to help others feel good, which helps me be supportive of team members and clients.”

She and her partner Lee have a three-year-old son Solomon, who is her main priority. As part of work life integration, she involves her family as much as she can at the firm, bringing them to events and making them part of her work life.

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Voice of Experience: Julie Silverman, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

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Julie SilvermanFor Goldman’s Julie Silverman, coming out to her colleagues was an important statement, particularly due to the small number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people working in the financial services industry at the time. She acknowledges that while support of LGBT people in the workplace has increased dramatically, the need to raise awareness is not over.

“When each person comes out, there’s a meaningful trickle-down effect to everyone around them,” she says. “I come out every day in regular conversation. I talk about my wife and have pictures of my kids all over my office. For me, my identity is very public, and it’s important to me to be able to bring my whole self to work. Being out has allowed me to focus my energy on doing the best job I can and I hope I serve as a role model for those who might consider coming out in the workplace.”

From Restaurants to Banking

Silverman’s path to the financial services industry could be called unconventional. After graduating from Brown University, she began work as a manager at Pastis, a restaurant in New York City’s Meatpacking District.

There, she honed skills that would prove to be highly relevant to her future banking career. “At 23, I was managing a large group of diverse people, an experience that put me on the front line solving problems, from employee dynamics to customer service,” she says. Noting that restaurant staff can be transient, she took an organizational perspective on how to reduce attrition and improve the continuity of service.

She also developed problem solving skills and the ability to stay calm under pressure while working in the fast-paced restaurant environment. “The hallmark of my management style was instituting a degree of fairness throughout the restaurant, and I continue to implement that in my role today,” she says. “Employees may disagree with you, but if they sense you’re fair, they are more likely to respect your decisions.”

After her time at Pastis, Silverman earned her MBA at Stanford with the hope of enhancing her understanding of business. She joined Goldman Sachs as a summer associate in the Investment Banking Division and returned as a full-time associate in 2006. She then served as the business unit manager for Equity Capital Markets and Leveraged Finance, and later became chief of staff for the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and the Financial Sponsors Group. Now a managing director, she is currently head of the division’s junior banker program.

“I’m proud of the work we’re doing to enhance the junior banker experience,” she said. “This population is critical to the success of our business, and we recognize that we need to make changes that will provide these employees with development opportunities and make them excited to come to and stay at the firm.” Changes Goldman Sachs announced late last year to the program include a faster promotion timeline, a rotational assignment to a new group and the help of new technology to improve execution efficiency.

Silverman wishes she realized earlier in her career that investment banking can be very entrepreneurial. She noted that she hesitated to pursue a career in financial services following the completion of her undergraduate degree because she didn’t realize so many options were available. “There are opportunities in banking to develop a variety of different skill sets. You’re building your own business on behalf of the firm, which allows you to be creative, thoughtful and chart your own course in many ways,” she says.

She urges analysts and associates to choose a role that’s intellectually stimulating, but that also allows them to achieve goals outside of work, whether spending time with family and friends or volunteering.

Growing Acceptance of LGBT Issues

In the 10 years Silverman has worked at Goldman Sachs, she says the firm’s continual evolution supporting LGBT issues has experienced a “large shift in a relatively short time.” She notes that while there were previously only two or three people who were out in the Investment Banking Division, these numbers have risen.

She is particularly pleased with the growth of the firm’s Ally program, where senior people across the organization publicly indicate their support for their LGBT colleagues by placing “Ally” signs on their doors, as a way to show employees that this is a place where they can be out and be comfortable.

Although Silverman came out many years ago, she notes that having children requires LGBT people to come out on a continual basis. “When you tell people that you have children, there is still an assumption that you are straight. If you correct that assumption, then the questions start about how you had your children,” she says. “It can put you in the awkward position of deciding how much detail is appropriate to share with a client or new colleague. These are issues we continue to face every day.” Still, she says, it’s important to be able to bring your whole self to work and find an organization like Goldman that is supportive of that.

Giving Back Within and Outside the Firm

Silverman believes that giving back is critically important, and she has been pleased that the firm has given her the ability to balance volunteer work and her career. Giving back helps to keep her grounded. “It offers a great perspective when you can leave your work and do something to help others,” she says.

Internally, she has served on Goldman’s LGBT steering committee and has organized Pride Month activities. She also works with junior women in informal mentoring relationships. “It’s important for senior women to realize that we’ve all benefited from mentorship and now it’s our turn to give it back to those who are coming up at the firm,” she says. “We have to help each other and avoid competition.”

Outside of work she is equally busy with philanthropic efforts, serving as a member of the Junior Advisory Board of the Innocence Project and as vice chairman of the board for the Hope Project, a non-profit work readiness organization in Brooklyn that trains people in poverty to help find sustainable employment. She admires the work of the Hope Project, as the organization not only provides skills training but also teaches mindfulness and the ability to cope with workplace challenges. “It’s intensive, but the results are some of the best in the country,” she says.

And of course, her main priority is being a present and primary parent to her two children, ages six and four, alongside her wife.

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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: 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: Molly McCombe, Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Citi Retail Services

Molly McCombe “If you see an issue impacting the business, jump in, even if it’s a problem you haven’t solved before,” says Citi Retail Services’ Molly McCombe. “Often, women put a higher burden on themselves to have specific content knowledge about an issue and wait to be asked to solve a problem, whereas men just jump in,” she says, adding that her own tendency to stick to safe projects might have limited her at the beginning of her career. “But now I have more confidence and will raise my hand even if I’m not the expert. There’s plenty of truth to the adage, ‘Fake it till you make it.’”

From Strategy to Leadership

After completing her undergraduate degree in finance at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University, McCombe began her career in a commercial credit training program where she was placed in a lending position, climbing the ladder to become a vice president. She began to consider other possibilities in the business world and honed in on management consulting, attracted by its opportunities to solve a variety of challenging business problems. Setting her sights on that career path, she reverse engineered what it would take to get there and realized a top-tier business school was a must.

After earning her M.B.A. from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, she joined McKinsey & Company and became a consultant for financial services firms, a role she found both fascinating and challenging. Eventually she realized that she was ready to move to an operational role, where she could “practice what she was preaching,” and took a strategic role in the credit card group at HSBC, where she held a variety of positions, including leading business development, digital marketing and product development. She joined Citi in 2011 as part of Citi Retail Services, the division responsible for providing credit cards and related services to stores such as The Home Depot, Macy’s, Best Buy and many more. In her CMO role she is responsible for all aspects of joint credit marketing and analytics between Citi and the retailers, from campaign development and management through execution and assessment, as well as leading Citi’s digital marketing, loyalty, and research groups.

One of the achievements she’s most proud of is making the transition from a strategist and advisor to a manager and operator. “It’s been a 180-degree turn. I love both jobs because they’re different and yet they inform one another,” she says. She enjoys the strategic side — working on thorny problems and helping the client see them through — and also appreciates the day-to-day aspects of leading geographically dispersed teams and tackling tactical and operational issues. “I am a better leader and manager because I’ve done both,” McCombe says.

Managing the marketing of credit card programs with leading retailers puts her in a front row seat to what’s new in both the banking and retailing industries, and she is fascinated by the changing ways that people approach shopping.

“Consumers are in the driver’s seat in how they interact with retailers now, because they can leverage so much information to make informed purchases,” she says. No longer is it just about finding product and price information online, but also considering peer reviews about products and sharing experiences.

“At the same time, consumers are increasingly open to building deeper relationships with retailers,” McCombe explains. “Part of the value we bring to retailers is our experience in this area. We’re using our understanding of consumer preferences to drive more relevant offers to our retailer’s customers and enhance market share for our retail partners.”

The Advantage of Being a Women

McCombe says that women can be discouraged when they don’t see as many women farther up the ladder, which will continue to be a deterrent until the payments industry can promote and retain women at multiple levels. “It’s a challenge to say ‘I’m passionate about this industry, and I’m going to jump in,’ when there aren’t many women on the upper rungs,” she says, citing a niece who just graduated from Northwestern University who had remarked on the lack of women in senior roles. But she advocates that young women view it instead as an incredibly relevant place for women since they are the primary decision makers in households on budgeting and how money is spent. “A savvy organization is going to want that experience and input, whether they’re evaluating their product offerings or their payment options. Since I started, there is a much greater appreciation for a woman’s perspective in this business, and the opportunities are endless.”

And as women do rise to leadership positions, she says they should be sure that they are still focused on growing, learning and taking on cross-functional roles to avoid being pigeonholed.

Grow Your Network to Grow Your Career

Along the way McCombe has appreciated the opportunity to mentor and grow other professionals throughout the years, both on the consulting and corporate side. “I have been able to create a strong network around the globe that is both professionally and personally rewarding.”

She encourages women to participate in programs at their workplace for both educational and networking benefits. “These are terrific forums for junior women who want to get to know senior women; it’s a way to demystify and humanize these senior leaders. When you build personal relationships, you find out they’re just like anyone else, and I found that very empowering.”

She finds that these connections often lead to informal mentoring relationships, the type that are grounded in commonality. “It’s so helpful to have an off-the-record sounding board, where you can talk about challenges and get input on how to handle them. Mentorship and connectivity is incredibly powerful and will help retain women,” she says.

A Rewarding Personal Life

Married to a hospitality professional who owns three restaurants, McCombe appreciates that it has gotten her connected to the Chicago dining scene and its farm-to-table movement.

And McCombe remains connected to her undergraduate alma mater — serving on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the Questrom School of Management at Boston University — for a very important reason: She was able to attend Boston University thanks to an academic scholarship, and now is committed to paying it forward by sponsoring a scholarship for undergraduate women studying finance and analytics. “It’s very gratifying to be able to give back to an institution that gave me my start, and to support the next generation of women business leaders,” she says.

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