Tag Archive for: Mover and Shaker

Mover and Shaker: Carey Ryan, Director, Citi

carey ryanBy Cathie Ericson

Hard work is a key component, but just one of many that will lead to success, finds Citi’s Carey Ryan.

She says she put her head down and produced for years, which worked well until she moved into more senior roles and had an instance that reframed her thinking: She had thought she had hit one project out of the park only to find out she had completely missed the mark.

“After I got over the shell shock, I analyzed what I’d missed, and part of it was that I hadn’t put the time and effort into thoroughly understanding my audience and their motivation and what was driving them,” she says, noting that when she looks at other similar moments when she didn’t do as well as she’d hoped it almost always leads back to a need to think more critically about the audience.

That has led to one of her favorite mottos that she picked up at a sales training years ago: “So what?” Ryan believes you have to ask that question every day from the perspective of your audience and the people you’re interacting with to successfully meet their needs.

She also believes a little luck is necessary, but it’s difficult to come by without the hard work. She echoes that success needs that hard work, but also includes understanding your audience; identifying where you can bring true value; and realizing that it’s ok to fear change but it’s important to always find the opportunity in any situation.

A Career Built on Adaptation

Learning to adapt has been the cornerstone of her path upward from the beginning, with her first job at a small software company in Portland, Ore., as a technical writer. She was hired after she sent a blind resume and letter; they mentioned the available writing job and she said “Sure, I can do that!”

As someone who sees life with a “glass-half-full perspective,” Ryan found that while she didn’t love the exact position, being part of the small software company gave her the opportunity to do a little bit of everything – such as going on client implementations and testing software — whatever was needed when and where it was needed.

“During this first phase of my career I learned to experience entrepreneurial thinking and the impact each individual has on revenue and expense — how everything is connected to drive success.”

The firm was acquired by a larger software company that spent a period of time trying to figure out the right place for the division, which meant she had to learn to adapt to various management styles and goals. She moved into product management and experienced working in a bigger environment where change was a constant.

Through one of the reorganizations, she and a few of her colleagues moved to the company’s headquarters in New Jersey. Two years later, she came with a sponsor to Citi, where she again learned to adapt to a larger environment — 350,000 people at the time.

She’s been at Citi 11 years now, and is currently part of the Chief Operating Office that serves the global Institutional Clients Group (ICG) Operations and Technology organization. One of her team’s responsibilities is to increase the focus on program management for the organization.

“It’s the kind of challenge that is exciting to me, to find ways to create an impact across the global organization,” she says.

“I am proud of the path I’ve taken and the collection of achievements that have allowed me to navigate the various changing roles I’ve held and the teams I’ve served.”

Those roles have reinforced that you don’t have to know “what you want to be when you grow up.”

“I always thought you had to know and since that wasn’t my bent, it caused me a lot of stress at first,” she says, adding that she considers herself an ambitious person so it took her a while to realize how those two qualities can blend. “My strength is in my utility, that I can play the role that is needed at the time,” she says, noting that the vision of a career as a jungle gym, not a ladder, is an apt description for hers.

In fact, she says that if you had asked her five years ago if this is what she would be doing, she would have said no. “But the organization had a need, and my team views it as an opportunity to set the path going forward to achieve our goals and drive value for the organization.”

The Power of Relationships in Success

Ryan notes that before she headed to Citi, her sponsor advocated for her for a position in a business about which she truly didn’t know much; yet he was certain she had the skill sets he needed. “He put me forward in a situation where I would not have been successful without that support,” she says.

Over the years she has been fortunate to have role models like him and others who she describes as fearless individuals who tackle challenges with poise; strategic thinkers who can see the path forward and connect the dots before others do; straight shooters who tell it like it is; and individuals who always put the good of the team and the organization first. “All of these strong leaders have demonstrated skills to emulate.”

Ryan became involved with Citi’s Women’s Leadership Council a few years ago when she was invited to a training on executive presence and personal brand. The people she met there spurred her to get more involved and she has since found the group has provided value through skill development, networking and peer coaching.

She is also actively involved in Citi’s diversity initiatives, focused on driving not only women but other diverse groups forward for the good of the business.

Ryan is now in her third year co-chairing the Emerging Talent Program, a group composed of Vice President and Senior Vice President-level women who have graduated from the Developing Talent Program and want to continue building their network and skills to move their careers forward.

Finally, the relationship that powers her the most is her “amazing family.” She says that her husband and parents are her partners in making her life work and keeping things moving – from the big things, to the more mundane, like making sure her four-year-old daughter has clean socks to wear.
She also counts her friends as a key support system. “It’s not just the family you’re given but the family you choose, and I am lucky that both of these families are incredible.”

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Mover and Shaker: Susan Nicholson, Director of Product and Marketing, WEX Australia

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 By Cathie Ericson
Susan Nicholson says she always assumed that her degree coupled with hard work would equal success. “Those elements are your ticket to play, but hard work is not enough,” she found.Susan
In addition, she says, “You have to demonstrate mastery, but also align yourself to deliver on key outcomes and be a well-rounded leader. If you don’t work well with others, your ability to move up in the organization is hampered.”
She herself has found that a key to success is always delivering on what she has promised, which creates trust and respect in your network.
 
Growing Her Career and Her Team
 
After earning her graduate degree, she got her start in the buying office for Myer department stores (at the time part of the Coles Myer/WESFARMERS retail group). Over a 13 year career at WESFARMERS, Nicholson worked across their business units from department stores to supermarkets and then focusing much of her time on getting the organization to unlock the insights from their rich data through POS, scheme, shareholder and loyalty programs. She participated in the launch of a Coles Supermarket scheme card they worked on with GE, and after that worked with GE for five years, before joining WEX four years ago where she is currently in the role of Director of Product & Marketing for the Asia Pacific region.
Seeking to emulate the qualities of leaders she has admired over the years, Nicholson says the professional achievement she is most proud of so far is her growth as a leader. She particularly appreciates any chance to instill confidence in women who haven’t yet developed it. “I love to empower them to understand their potential to have a great career,” she says. “When you see your team grow and their accomplishments be recognized it is a commendation of your own role.”
 
“I’ve been able to build a diverse, highly accountable team. While the skills of the team are very different, the values are shared. That’s one of the reasons we all enjoy continuing to push, challenge and improve on what we are doing”
 
“The work we have been doing over the past couple of years in the innovation and digital space has created a great energy across the team and the broader business, and WEX Australia has earned recognition by being named one of the top 50 most innovative companies in Australia for 2016.”
 
In terms of career advice, Nicholson would also encourage others to continue to keep their skill set current. “What are you doing to develop yourself? How are you externally focused? Do you understand your customer needs and pain points? What could be the disrupters to the way you do business?” she challenges.
 

Right now she is looking forward to an imminent fuel card program launch which will bring one of the missing ingredients they’ve been looking for in their existing product sets. “I am excited for the potential for that launch and a big focus on expanding in Asia, which will be a positive challenge for our team.”

 

Career Lessons Learned

While she notes that mistakes will always happen, the most crucial component is how you deal with them; for example by exuding a calmness and having the ability to logically work out next steps to arrive at a solution. Your take away should be what you have learned from the experience and building on that.
 
“Seeing how someone mitigates failure is one of the most telling aspects of their character”
 
In addition she recommends always being ready to jump in to any project and give it your best. “If someone gives you an opportunity, put your hand up so that you can be involved in the newest and most interesting things, which is where you are bound to learn the most,” she advises.
 
“In today’s environment you need to create a culture and be a willing participant in a culture that isn’t afraid of failure, brave enough to try something new and figuring out new paths for organizational growth. Working with companies such as WEX with the freedom to explore, build and grow is really important to me in terms of career satisfaction,” she says.
 
That attitude has led Nicholson to be active in many groups, both internal and external. She was involved in the GE Women’s Network and now at WEX has been active in the Women in Payments Australian Symposiums. WEX is one of the first sponsors of that group in Australia, which fosters a network for women in the payments industry.
 
WEX is currently planning its third sponsorship of the event, which has been a positive way to raise the company’s profile, as well as leverage the network and introduce others to the fact that there is an exciting career path in payments.
 
WEX has a robust leadership program that has given her a lesson she is happy to bring home. “I want to make sure I am giving my two young children the time they need to watch them grow,” she says, a life balance encouraged by WEX.
 
This holistic view has also inspired her to find time to squeeze in fitness and other pursuits. “I am happier and more productive when I achieve a healthy balance in all parts of my life.”  
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Mover and Shaker: Peggy Watson, Vice President, Product Management, North American Fleet for WEX

peggy watsonBy Cathie Ericson

Peggy Watson believes that respect and relationships are the cornerstone for success. She has found that it’s vital to take the time to know what matters to people: Whether you’re trying to close a deal or get the best from an employee, if you know what makes them tick and address it in a genuine way, you will be successful.

“Being genuine and having respect will allow you to build relationships that will help you move forward together,” she says.

A Successful Career at WEX – With One Detour

Watson has spent the majority of her 30-year career in marketing, starting with a position in high school doing management and marketing for a pizza chain. It not only sparked her love for food, she jokes, but also gave her the business bug and an enduring curiosity for how businesses tick and promote themselves.

She joined WEX in 1998 where she has held various roles for the past 18 years with only one brief departure.

“I loved my job and got a lot of energy and satisfaction from it, but at one point after I had reached a director level position, I had the opportunity to try something totally different which I thought was my calling – that would allow me to combine my love of business with my love of food,” she says. She joined a small catering business, working with the owner to expand its reach; although she wasn’t sure it would be the right fit, she told herself to be bold and take a chance because if she didn’t try it she would always wonder what might have been.

The wonder ceased soon after she joined as she realized that she was better suited to corporate marketing. “I have always enjoyed cooking and entertaining, but I realized my joy comes from doing it for people whom I love, and the job took me away from that.”

Her boss at WEX had encouraged her to return if her other opportunity didn’t work out so soon she was back, feeling more confident and bolder in her career after the learning experience. “It was an amazing experience, from which I learned a lot, and have no regrets.”

After she returned to WEX she eventually moved into a role where she was overseeing both product and marketing and supervising a large team. “That’s one of the benefits I’ve experienced while working at WEX. There’s always a new challenge.”

Overseeing the Challenges of the Future

Backed by a company always looking to increase the speed with which it moves and innovates, Watson enjoys building teams and is now relishing the challenge of building a repeatable and scalable process for taking customer insights and turning them into valuable products solutions for customer.

One important industry innovation she is tracking is the intersection of payments, mobile technology and the connected car, which has the potential to have a major impact on their business model going forward. “I believe that the concept of a driverless car will be a reality within my career,” she says.

Realities of the Corporate World

When reflecting on what she expected in the business world, Watson shares a vision common among young professionals – the glamour of corporate travel. While she appreciates the opportunities she has had to go interesting places and meet people, she soon found out, as many do, that on the whole travel takes its toll.

Mentors Helped Her Achieve

Over the years Watson has had a number of advocates who have helped with both visibility and building confidence. Along with multiple positive role models, she had one in particular who showed her what not to do — a boss early in her career who seemed to enjoy working in a chaotic environment and would create fire drills to watch the staff respond. Watson quickly learned that when there is actual deadline stress, you want the team to take it seriously and be at their best, rather than having it be a regular occurrence.

On the other hand, she mentions a boss who offers two traits Watson tries to emulate. “She was the smartest person I’ve ever known, but she used her knowledge to be inclusive rather than exclusive. She was the smartest person in the room, but she never made anyone feel less so. “Her knowledge was deep and wide, and she was generous with it, rather than imperious.” Watson says that she learned that sharing information leads to strong, trusting relationships that will positively impact your career.

Watson also appreciated the team perspective her mentor offered, understanding what each person brought to the table and how it fulfilled the whole picture.

“She brought me on the team to fill a gap. She herself was a very talented writer, and once when I struggled for days trying to write a piece she stopped me and said, ‘Don’t struggle with that, as I can do it easily. Instead, I need you to manage the production of the publication because I’m dreadful at that.’” That’s when Watson says she learned to look for complementary skills rather than clones when pulling a team together.

Watson appreciates the educational opportunities she’s been offered at WEX, including an integrated leadership development program of which a significant component was working with an executive coach. “That relationship has been enormously helpful in developing my career and refining my future goals and how to achieve them.” Watson notes that she’s often been tapped for a positon even when she wasn’t certain she was ready, but the rapport she’d developed with the coach allowed her to see the possibilities and embrace the challenges by taking the risk and putting herself out there.

In one instance, she put her hat in the running for a bigger job that she wouldn’t have considered without her coach’s encouragement. Though she didn’t end up in the position, the process was extremely empowering and built a feeling of confidence for the next opportunity.

A Love of Cooking Permeates All Aspects of Her Life

When not working, Watson continues to indulge her love of cooking and entertaining; in fact she says it’s not unusual for her and her husband to have dinner guests two or even three times a week. “I learned a lot in the short time I switched careers, and now I can whip up a dinner party for 20 in two hours,” she says with a laugh.

And although her catering venture wasn’t a good career fit, she continues to help friends with special occasions. Using cooking as a creative outlet has threaded throughout her career, even to her philanthropic pursuits, where she delights in helping in soup kitchens and food drives.

Career Lessons

There are two important lessons I’ve learned over the course of my career, she says. “First, take risks – you always learn something from them, and the more you do it the less scary they are. And second, respect people: Understand where they are coming from and understand what they do well and give them the opportunity to use those skills.”

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Mover and Shaker: Chenelle Manley, Manager at National Professional Services, PwC US

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chenelle manleyBy Cathie Ericson

Sometimes the best career advice is the most enduring, finds Chenelle Manley, who took to heart basic lessons gleaned from her parents and grandparents that are simple yet effective. While you can learn all the client and technical knowledge you need, there are some lessons that can’t be taught – being punctual, and having a positive, can-do attitude, for example.

“Have a good work ethic; but don’t feel obligated to tell people you’re working hard because it should be apparent,” she says. Those enduring lessons have been the cornerstone of a successful career at PwC.

A Successful Career at PwC

“If I was talking to my 21-year-old self I would tell her that time goes by fast,” says Manley, noting how fast her tenure at PwC has flown.
She began as an intern in the Detroit office after her sophomore year of college at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, as part of a diversity and inclusion program known then as PwC eXceed. She was one of the fortunate ones to receive both a scholarship and internship, which she counts as one of her best learning experiences where she could get to know everyone at PwC without the pressure of juggling client work.
She completed two more client service internships, and for the third, begged her recruiter to let her try out the Private Company Services group in New York. It ended up being the perfect fit and she joined in 2009, spending seven years there until this fall when she transitioned to the National Professional Services Group.
While she was previously primarily working on audits, now she will split time between two groups, since the National Professional Services Group supports engagement teams and helps with thought leadership on financial accounting standard setting. “I’m excited not only to meet new people, but also to increase my technical expertise. You don’t always have the chance to flex specific muscles unless a client has those needs.”

Rising With the Support of Others

When Manley first joined the workforce, she thought that as a black woman she might have to work harder, but never felt that pressure at PwC. In addition, she worried that in such a big firm, she might just be a number but over the years she’s found that not to be true at all. “I feel I have always been supported both personally and in my career growth,” she says, noting that her recent transfer came about because of robust partner support that allowed her to look into different opportunities.

Through this move she has learned that the partners truly are a resource. Initially hesitant to mention leaving her group since she admired her partners and clients and had great working relationships, she notes that the partners have been supportive of her path. “It’s scary to raise your hand and want to make a change when you’re doing well, but having those conversations with partners empowered me to take the leap – they were so much more helpful than I had envisioned. It was the first time I had activated that specific network.”

As she realized, her partners would rather see someone make a great career move within the firm than leave. She says the bonds extend to the personal side as well; when she was looking for a new house, her partners offered her help and advice. “You expect that from friends and family but when it’s from a relationship at work, it’s surprising and appreciated.”

Over the years she has been involved in a number of internal mentoring programs, including the Vanguard program that was particularly helpful when she joined it within her first month at PwC. She has seen the power that sponsorship can have, noting that it doesn’t have to be loud but often moves in silence, when you have no idea that someone knows your work product or even your name.

“The mentor prepares you for your next role, but the sponsor champions you in areas that are out of your hands,” she says. “I’ve had people help me land on the right engagements and take advantage of the right programs, which has furthered my development. That support is crucial to elevating your career.”

When Manley first interned in New York, there was only one black female in her group in the metro office, a senior associate who had become a manager by the time Manley joined full-time. “She was a hard worker, highly regarded by partners and staff, with high integrity,” Manley says. “Although we didn’t frequently work together, she made a point of furthering our connection by sending emails to check in and see how I was doing. She was that person who was always there and offered her experience, and to me that is the best definition of a role model.”

Currently pregnant with her first child, Manley looks forward to accessing PwC’s working moms’ groups, such as Mentor Moms, which is PwC’s effort to match women returning from maternity leave with experienced mothers who are successfully juggling family and careers. She has seen the value that PwC puts in its working moms by providing support and resources that didn’t exist even 10 years ago. “It used to be that in order to succeed at work, you had to have a crazy schedule that might infringe on family time, but that’s no longer the case,” she says.

Traveling, Volunteering and Spending Time with Family

With days about to be even fuller once her baby arrives, Manley appreciates the support she receives from her family. Avid travelers, she and her husband head out whenever they spot a great travel deal, and have recently visited Dubai, Italy and Costa Rica, among other locales. As Manley notes, PwC’s policies make it very possible to take vacations. Manley is also an active volunteer and has fun assisting her husband, a civil engineer by day and a photographer by night, who often taps her as an “unofficial model.”

“It takes me out of my comfort zone and is so different from my normal job,” she says.

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Mover and Shaker: Kristin Manning, Equity Analyst at Voya Investment Management

Kristin ManningBy Cathie Ericson

“It’s crucial in this business to stay humble and truthful with yourself,” says Kristin Manning, equity analyst at Voya Investment Management. Over the years she’s seen much success, which she credits in part to being able to maintain a level clarity, especially during difficult times. “Recognizing when something has changed and avoiding compounding one bad decision with another is key,” she says. “Learning from mistakes is a huge part of anyone’s growth in this industry, including my own.”

Building a Career by Capitalizing on Opportunities

Manning began her career in a rotational program with Strong Capital Management, with the ultimate goal to move to the investment department. When one of Strong’s top portfolio managers had an opening for an administrative assistant, she applied, knowing he had a history of promoting his assistants. She took that leap of faith to get her foot in the door and within six months was promoted to an open analyst position.

In 2006 she joined ING (now Voya) as a financial analyst and progressed through several roles, ending as assistant portfolio manager of a midcap fund in 2012. At that time, she decided to relocate with her young family to be near her Midwest roots. She accepted a position as an analyst at Waddell and Reed in Kansas City, where she stayed until her former boss at Voya reached out and asked if she would consider returning to his team working remotely. She agreed, and is now a senior consumer analyst on Voya’s growth team. She spends one week a month in New York City and the rest in a small Voya sales office in Kansas City – an arrangement that works very well for her as a working mother.

The industry continues to fascinate her, including the current interplay between technology and consumer industries. “When you think of retail and e-commerce, media and the emergence of online video options, or mobile ordering at restaurants, there’s virtually no area of the consumer industry untouched by technology, which is exciting and challenging at the same time.”

Relationships Contribute to Success

The professional achievement she is most proud of so far is a basic one: breaking into the industry at all, given that she had what she calls a relatively unremarkable background with no connections to the finance world. “I had to prove myself, and I am fortunate there were people at Strong who believed in me and gave me opportunities.”

When she first started in the industry, she hoped her hard work would be rewarded and is proud to have worked in firms that reward professionals based on merit, rather than their ability to play politics.

Over the years, her career has been elevated through the relationships she has built, including one with the manager who ran the rotational program at Strong, who was instrumental in securing that first assistant position. “That was critical to my success,” she notes, as was the assistance she received from her current manager Jeff Bianchi, who invited her back to Voya after relocating. .

In addition, she mentions role models such as Ann Miletti, now lead portfolio manager at Wells Capital (formerly Strong), who mentored Manning early in her investment career. Manning notes that Miletti also came to the investment industry from a non-traditional avenue, and has had great success in the industry, all while remaining down-to-earth and juggling the dual demands of career and family.

Finding the Balance

Manning acknowledges Voya’s role in allowing her to succeed as both a professional and mother, mentioning the firm has always been supportive of women.. “It’s paid off in terms of attracting and retaining top talent,” she says.

Now the mom of two daughters, ages 2 and 5, she believes it’s important to be a role model for them and the next generation of women. Manning loves to travel and has started introducing her girls to new places in order to expand their perspectives of the world, with recent trips to Germany and St. Lucia.

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Mover and Shaker: Sara Donaldson, Vice President, Proxy Voting at Voya Investment Management

sara-donaldsonBy Cathie Ericson

“That’s not my job’ is something I would never say,” asserts Voya’s Sara Donaldson. “If something needs to get done, with the support of the individual ultimately responsible for it, I will take responsibility for it to make sure it gets done.”

Part of that value includes following up when needed. “It’s ok to say you don’t know something, but you should also work toward a resolution by asking questions and putting that knowledge to work,” she says, a strategy much better than making something up or not following through with an answer.

Proud to be a Corporate Governance Professional

Donaldson began her career at a real estate advisory firm, overseeing investor relations, marketing and legal support and regulatory compliance. She became interested in equities and in 1997 accepted a position as a paralegal at a global equity advisory firm, believing that once she proved herself she could expand her responsibilities.

In that role, she oversaw U.S. compliance, mutual fund administration and global proxy voting. Some of the firm’s institutional clients compelled the firm to take a more active oversight role in the companies in which they were investing. Chairing the global proxy committee, and working closely with the investment team and corporate governance committee during this time, prompted her interest in corporate governance. In 2014 she joined Voya to concentrate on that field.

“Voya Investment Management and the Voya mutual fund board are committed to voting proxies in our clients’ best interest,” she says. “One of the Voya mutual fund board members described my role as an advocate for our mutual fund shareholders, and I take great pride in that. I also take pride in representing Voya when I engage with the public companies in which we are invested.”

Through her years in corporate governance, she has been impressed by the power that shareholders have to influence the companies in which they are invested. “I have become much more interested in how companies and shareholders address environmental, social and governance issues. It is fascinating that shareholders could materially influence how companies approach some of these issues,” she says, noting such topics as the “old boy’s network in the board room,” CEO pay, environmental risk and others. “Additionally, investment advisers are looking at more than just financial statements; they are also considering these issues when evaluating companies.”

Right now she is involved in transforming the proxy voting process she had inherited upon joining the division. Currently, they process and vote at more than 8,000 meetings annually. Historically, the analysis and all of the documentation for every meeting has been printed. In order to gain efficiencies, promote sustainability and reduce costs, they are moving to an electronic process.

Through her many years, she has built numerous skills, and one she recommends refining is public speaking. “When I give a presentation, I make sure I have rehearsed so I can interact with the audience rather than reading from a slide deck or paper,” she says. “Having your talking points well prepared allows you to relax and perform better.”

Networking Inside the Company and Industry

Donaldson participates in a few of the networking programs at Voya, but also finds great value in a group of women in corporate governance who meet at industry conferences. She considers the other members to be role models and appreciates the candid conversations they can have about similar issues they face when making decisions on how to vote on behalf of shareholders.

“Corporate governance is always evolving, so it is advantageous to have this network as a resource,” she says.

She also believes in bolstering other women’s talents. When she first joined the financial services industry, she saw that the layers of middle management were male dominated, as historically this had been true.

“Back then, I saw some of my female peers not being able to achieve the same level of success as men, even if they were equally qualified or more accomplished,” she says, noting that women are making great strides but this is still the case in some areas of the financial services industry.

Enjoying Her New Desert Lifestyle

Donaldson moved to Arizona from San Francisco when she accepted her current position. As empty nesters with three grown children, she and her husband were excited to pack up their two dogs and move to Scottsdale to enjoy new adventures.

They have embraced the beautiful weather. As avid cyclists, they enjoy riding with local clubs. “I especially enjoy walking my dogs early in the morning and watching the sunrise and then enjoying the sunset while we eat outside,” Donaldson says.

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Mover and Shaker: Ann Gaboriault, Senior Manager, Accenture Technology

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Ann Gaboriault“I joined Accenture in 2000 after getting a master’s in management information systems. 15 years later, I’m still here.”

Ann Gaboriault started as a consultant on Oracle products and quickly specialized in financial systems within the Natural Resources industry, working on different projects across Canada and the U.S., and eventually for two years in Switzerland. When she returned home to Montréal, she took on a new position in Accenture’s Application Outsourcing Practice. “Seven years later, I’m now leading the practice in Montréal, with teams here in Canada, USA, Europe and Asia, currently working on the next generation of Application Outsourcing with few of our global clients. This is an exciting time for us – we’re delivering Application Outsourcing As-a-Service on the Cloud for our clients, helping them become agile, digital businesses.”

When Gaboriault started at Accenture, she believed people pursued short careers in consulting, primarily due to the nature of the work – client services that most times demanded constant travel and the perceived difficulty in finding a work-life balance. “That has proven itself untrue. Over a decade-and-a-half, I’ve realized that needs change over time. Work-life balance is not the same from year to year, but you can always make it work when you have support of leadership that sees your potential.”

Mentoring has been beneficial for Gaboriault who says she’s had different mentors at every stage of her career. “I have a tendency of finding people who are very different than myself, so I get a different perspective on my work and my career path. Mentors have pushed me to do the best I can and to take control of my career. One of my mentors once told me, “Your career can happen to you if you do not take ownership”. Gaboriault has found sponsorship to be very useful specifically when going for a promotion, noting that, “people will sponsor you if they know you and know your work,” and that networking is key to finding the right sponsors.

Finding a balance

Gaboriault believes that “we can have it all, but not all at the same time.” She quickly climbed the ladder to senior manager and then decided a few years ago to pursue, temporarily, a “horizontal career” so she could work locally and concentrate on starting a family. “I thought, my partner can work the crazy hours for a while – she had just started her career as a critical care physician. My goal is to enjoy what I do, grow in what I do, but be home with our toddlers every night.”

As Gaboriault mentions, there are many programs at Accenture that have helped advance her career and spend more time with her family. She notes, “We have a variety of different mentoring programs, learning and professional development courses, training for “High performing women,” flexible work programs. For working parents like myself, we have one year parental leave policy in Canada, which is offered to any parent, and Accenture also offers the opportunity to work locally for one year following return from the birth or adoption of a child.” Gaboriault is on a flexible schedule, currently working around 30 hours a week, which she describes as “a win for myself, my family and my work with clients.”

Taking the lead with the Canada LGBT Employee Resource Group (ERG)

Gaboriault has been involved with the Canada LGBT ERG since its founding in 2007 and strongly believes the ERG is a necessary step toward helping all employees feel comfortable and accepted at work. “Being me 100% of the time, at Accenture but also with my clients, enables me to speak openly about my family and other personal matters. Being out at work has also helped my colleagues and clients feel more comfortable sharing their personal stories, worries, fears, helping our day-to-day business communications feel more human.”

Gaboriault transitioned into leading the ERG when she realized they could have a global impact– helping and encouraging employees from around the world to join the company’s Global LGBT Network, which spans more than 40 countries, and supporting other ERGs in locations where there are unique laws affecting the LGBT community.

“Our goals globally focus on four pillars – training, policies, benefits, and professional development. We train to build awareness and understanding of the LGBT community, create policies to ensure equal treatment of employees regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression, strive to provide benefits that are equal for same-sex and opposite-sex partners, and professionally develop our people to facilitate career growth and encourage networking and mentoring.”

Gaboriault describes the way Accenture is achieving these goals: “Through best-practice programs like our LGBT Ally Program, which allows anyone within Accenture to identify as an advocate for the LGBT community; a dedicated focus on raising awareness and education; and with a strong commitment from leadership to building an inclusive environment.” According to Gaboriault, having support from leadership is crucial. “I think it’s very encouraging when our senior leaders who are LGBT are also out themselves. They’re role models that help us envision ourselves reaching new heights in our careers.”

A strong commitment to inclusion & diversity

Having a diverse workforce of people with different capabilities, cultures, perspectives, abilities and experiences is inherent to the unique way Accenture operates. “Our workforce is a reflection of the clients we serve and our local communities. A commitment to inclusion & diversity is simply how we do things,” says Gaboriault. For Accenture, this commitment is an integral part of living by the company’s core values. “In essence, it’s what makes us “greater than” in all that we do.”

Time with the family

Outside of work, Gaboriault is an avid skier. “I ski thirty plus days per year, great exercise and your mind is off work when going down the slopes at 40km/hour, though I now spend hours on the magic carpet with the kids.”

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Mover and Shaker Sylvia Favretto, Counsel, Financial Institutions Advisory & Financial Regulatory Group, Shearman & Sterling LLP

Sylvia Favretto“To be successful, you must present yourself as a reliable, responsive and knowledgeable member of the team,” says Shearman & Sterling’s Sylvia Favretto. “No matter how intelligent you are, or your level of expertise in your field, it will be difficult to advance in your legal career if you can’t project to your clients and colleagues self-assuredness and confidence in your abilities.” She adds that team members and clients alike need to know that they can depend on you for timely, accurate advice.

Finding the Right Fit Straight Out of Law School

After completing her undergraduate degree at Duke University, Favretto attended law school at the University of Michigan during which she served as a summer associate for Shearman, splitting time between the firm’s London and New York offices. In the fall of 2006 she started in the New York office in the leveraged finance practice group, ultimately transitioning to her current position in the financial advisory regulatory group. There, she finds she is constantly learning something new due to the dynamic nature of the group and its subject matter. “There is often not a large body of precedent for complying with new rules and regulations, so helping financial institutions adapt to the changing regulatory environment is both challenging and stimulating,” she says.

During law school Favretto had heard the common lore that the hours at big firms are intense and that associates would be living at the office with their whole lives revolving around work. “I had heard so many stories and warnings, that my expectation was that I would put my head down and work hard and that would be the primary way that I could add value and advance in my career,” she says. However, she found that while part of that is true, she soon learned that there is much more to being a successful lawyer — the key was not only to work hard and produce great results but also to network and market oneself both internally and externally.

Throughout her tenure at Shearman & Sterling she has been involved in its women’s network and has found it to be valuable not only for the internal training and mentoring but for the client and alumni events they organize and participate in. These events provide the opportunity for Favretto to meaningfully engage with successful women in law and industry with whom she wouldn’t necessarily otherwise interact.

Finding Meaning in Mentoring

Along the way, Favretto says she has been fortunate to have fantastic female mentors at Shearman, both informal and formal. “What was most valuable — and surprising to me — was that my mentors truly cared about my success and advancement,” she says. “They were generous with their time and had a genuine desire to invest in the careers of their mentees, rather than just doing so in order to check a mentoring ‘box.’ It really made a strong impression.” Favretto was surprised to discover just how meaningful mentoring relationships could be, and strives to serve in a similar capacity to associates in her firm.

Balancing Work and Life

Favretto’s two-year-old son, whom she calls “the light of her life,” has made her more efficient in her work. She’s learned to take a broader view of the concept of “work-life balance” by assessing what she achieves over the span of a week or month, rather than looking at any one single day. She says that when her son was first born, she wasn’t sure how she would be able to handle it all, but that it’s something she’s learned by doing.

“It’s tricky when you have a job you want to return to and excel at, yet you don’t want to neglect other, equally important aspects of your life. It’s difficult to plot out in advance how precisely you’ll achieve balance between your professional and personal life, but every person’s situation is different, and I believe everyone can find a balanced path forward that works for them.”

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Mover and Shaker: Christine Molloy, Manager, Accenture Consulting

Christine MolloyMolloy began her career with Accenture in 2009 as a summer intern, and joined Accenture full-time in 2010 after graduating from Southern Methodist University with a Masters degree in Information Engineering. Since joining, she has worked with several large utility companies to help them implement complex systems and specializes in customer care solutions for energy providers nationwide.

Molloy understands what it takes to continue to raise through the ranks in her career as she comments,

“Many of my assumptions entering the corporate world were around work-life balance. In the beginning of my career, I believed the more I worked, the faster I would stand out and get ahead. I quickly realized this was old thinking – working smart and taking time to focus on your own well-being are extremely important to creating a successful career path.”

When asked about professional achievements so far, she replied,

“I am proud of several professional achievements I have had throughout my career. The ones that stand out most are when I have brought teams together to deliver great outcomes and, subsequently, when clients have been the most satisfied. I think it is about adding value.”

She goes on to give an example of having been a member of a team across geographies that was working across multiple US states, as well as Canada and India. The team had been working to solve a complex problem for a client and the team was struggling to integrate together around the task. Molloy comments,

“I guided the group to come together as a team, realize common ground and deliver a solution that was agreeable to all and beneficial to the client – and that felt like I added a lot of value.”

She also talks about a recent project that she has just completed, which consisted of a SAP Customer Information System and business intelligence implementation project for a large utility project. She states,

“This was such an exciting project because I got to work on it from the early stages through to a successful go-live. I was responsible for consolidating two systems into a single solution to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer experience. The nature of the work was complex and rewarding since my client was an early adopter of the technology.”

Molloy repeatedly cites her strong team and a good company as a key element in her success and also mentions sponsorship as playing a significant role in her career. She states,

“I would not be where I am today if it was not for the mentors and sponsors who have helped guide me. Everyone needs a strong team of support but, in many cases, you will have to seek out and identify mentors and sponsors that will be there for you along the way. “

Equally she recognized that it is important to take the time to support and mentor others,

“My father, now retired, taught me what it means to be a leader, to work hard and also to put family first. I owe my leadership skills to him and I know that as I continue to learn, build my network and give back to those around me, I too will be successful.”

Molloy states that she has learned the most from working with a diverse array of people, on her own teams at Accenture, with clients and with other people she interacts with daily. She enjoys working with people who have different ways of working, who expect the highest performance and people in different geographies with cultural nuances. She states,

“Working alongside people with a variety of differences can be difficult but, ultimately, it improved my listening skills, increased my flexibility and taught me how to better apply my own social style.”

Accenture has numerous programs and initiatives across the company to support women in succeeding and advancing and personally Molloy is involved with the Miami Women’s Enterprise Resource Group. She comments,

“We have a strong network of women within the company and in our local community. As a part of this, I lead several local women’s groups at different client sites to encourage our women to collaborate and learn from one another in the communities that we work in while traveling.”

Molloy is also the corporate citizenship lead for Accenture’s Miami office and is currently working with a nonprofit partner called Covenant House Florida on several exciting initiatives. Covenant House is a homeless shelter for youth that served more than 51,000 youth last year across 6 countries and 21 cities in North America, providing nearly 700,000 nights of shelter.

She excitedly shared that in a few months, Accenture volunteers will be helping them roll out a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) awareness program. “I currently lead a mock interview initiative where we bring Accenture volunteers to the nonprofit to work one-on-one with disadvantaged youth to prepare them for job interviews and the working world.”

She lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL with her husband and enjoys paddle boarding, traveling and spending time at the beach.

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Mover and Shaker: Mary-Kate Ryan, Manager, Advisory Consulting, PwC Ireland

Mary-Kate Ryan, Pwc“People are like tea bags. You don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.”

This advice from one of her role models, Eleanor Roosevelt, has always resonated with Mary-Kate Ryan.

“This wisdom is still up-to-date as a great analogy of how women must challenge ourselves in the workplace. Men are more apt to claim they are the right person for any given task, while women often feel ‘imposter syndrome,’ where they’re not sure they have the capability they need. But we all know that if you put tea in cold water it’s not very good, but put it in the thick of things, in the ‘hot water,’ and you see how well it works.”

Ryan’s career has been a series of hot water scenarios that she has willingly put herself in and come out stronger. After studying economics and finance in university, she and two of her sisters opened a successful fashion boutique in Dublin which she managed for eight years, attracting a devoted clientele – think Beyoncé caliber!

She says that looking after the business and seeing the fruits of her labor in a niche market was a wonderful training ground throughout her 20s where she had to learn to be adaptable and willing to take on any role; then as she built a team, acquire a comfort level to let go and allow the team to develop as well.

After a brief stint in another business with one sister, she noticed a curiosity about the corporate sector, specifically management consulting, as she approached her 30s. Deciding to act on that gut instinct, she took a career break to go back to university and earn a master’s degree in Management Consultancy at UCD Smurfit in Dublin, something she said feels even more important at that point in your life, because you are more committed and yet able to fully appreciate the freedom of being a full-time student. She made the most of her time there, building up her network and even playing on a touch rugby team that went to the MBA Rugby World Cup in North Carolina.

Learning the Ropes in a Corporate Environment

Earning top honors in her class, Ryan felt confident that she could parlay that success into the skills needed for management consulting and joined PwC Ireland. Some people were confused by her move, expressing that she had been living the dream with her own company, but she enjoyed the leap to the corporate environment. “One of my key skills is my adaptability. I am good at jumping into new situations so I put my head down and figured out the culture.”

Since then she has enjoyed her work on long-term projects in complex environments, overcoming challenges and working with high-performing teams.

She credits her robust support network with helping her along the way. “Sometimes you just need a few conversations that remind you how capable you are and that it’s fine to not know everything because you will learn what you need to,” she says.

Her projects helping organizations integrate after a merger can be quite intense. “The change management and personnel aspect is very interesting, as each situation entails complexity and ambiguity,” she says. “There’s no magic formula and that’s what keeps it exciting.”

When she first started at PwC, she assumed it was going to be a dog-eat-dog environment but was pleasantly surprised at her experience. “Business is always going to be competitive, but I soon learned that high-performing people are also very nice and accessible.” She found that building relationships with clients worked in the same way. “As I got to know them, I found that they were more supportive than you would imagine. We all are just trying to do the job well.” And she adds, PwC offers a diversity of backgrounds that allows its employees to nourish all the aspects that make each person individual.

Along the way, she was able to acquire mentors and sponsors, which she says came about naturally because she showed she was interested, curious and enthusiastic. “Bringing those aspects to the table didn’t have immediate rewards but they put me on people’s radar. A year or so later, someone would think of me and present me with an amazing opportunity,” she says.

For example, even while working offsite, she kept in touch and because of her initiative was offered a project in Dubai with a client with whom she really wanted to work. “It came about because I maintained a network and let people know what I was interested in. If you share the views of what you want to do and have the right conversations, it will naturally happen.”

Multicultural Assignments Feed Her Work/Life Balance

In addition to her work in Dubai, she has enjoyed other international assignments because of what she’s learned about global and multicultural issues. “When I was working in Ireland, there were mostly similarities in terms of approaches, but the international assignments have shown me I can build a team of people with different backgrounds and still be able to see the commonalities,” she says. “You learn not to make assumptions, but instead to really listen and understand people’s motives and objectives.” For example, if someone is being resistant in a meeting, it could be because they don’t agree, but it also could be because they don’t understand and you have to draw them out.

She says that has made her more open-minded and perform better in cross-functional teams, as well as making her gravitate toward more global assignments with an eye to what else she can learn.
Her love of travel extends to her personal life, where she spends as much time as she can trekking and traveling, exploring her interest in different languages, cuisine and cultures.

“As Eleanor Roosevelt said, ‘Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.’ I believe that approaching life with a curious mind keeps you invigorated and allows me to bring that level of enthusiasm to my work.”

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