We asked six leaders from BNY Investments and Wealth about the individuals who have profoundly influenced their careers. Although each woman’s journey is unique, one constant is that mentorship has played a crucial role.
This Women’s History Month, we hope they inspire each of us to consider the power of mentorship.
The key benefit of mentorship is the open invitation given by the mentee to the mentor to provide sometimes difficult-to-hear messages. Having a mentor who can objectively see successes, hurdles or roadblocks provides the opportunity for valuable and candid observations and guidance.
I have mentored both internally at BNY and externally, most recently with Empowering Women as Leaders (EWL), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds to achieve their highest potential through scholarships, mentoring and networking. Many of these women have never had exposure to guidance and leadership when it comes to their professional or personal life. The opportunity to mentor is a true gift and I have felt honored to serve as one."
JUDY BARTON
Senior Client Strategist, BNY Wealth
I feel incredibly fortunate as I have had several mentors, both women and men, who took a genuine interest in my professional development early on in my career. The mentors in my first decade of work were my managers who became good friends, and we still exchange holiday cards after almost 30 years.
One senior colleague made an indelible mark on my career as she was both my mentor and my sponsor. She was (and still is) a masterful communicator and strategic thinker with spot-on gut instincts. She led by example and had me join her in internal and external client meetings so I could watch and learn.
She was my strongest advocate but also my toughest critic. I learned a lot from her and am grateful to her every day. She made me a more confident communicator and stronger individual in and out of the office."
EUNICE H. KIM
Market President, BNY Wealth
I view mentoring through three lenses: personal, professional and peers. For personal, I’ve benefitted greatly from the many strong women in my family, which gave me examples of personal determination and hard work.
For professional, I’ve had several managers whom I’ve respected and have helped me move ahead in my career. Lastly, peer mentorship is sometimes overlooked, but I’ve had positive experiences throughout my career.
I have lifelong friends from my first job who I leaned on for career advice as I moved across the country. Additionally, a fellow senior wealth manager in the San Francisco office started as an associate at the same time as me and we’ve leaned on each other quite a bit in the last nine years. Having peer support through the joys and pitfalls of career growth is invaluable."
JENNIFER NELSON
Senior Wealth Manager, BNY Wealth
Mentorship can provide the guidance, support and insights needed to achieve personal and professional goals and can help build confidence and self-esteem. It can also help individuals recognize talents and skills they may not have realized they had.
In my opinion, there are four main benefits to mentorship. It can empower personal development, identify career goals and areas of professional growth and increase self-esteem.
I had the opportunity to meet mentors quite late in my career, so I had a lot of “learning by doing” experiences. Mentorship has allowed me to always look at feedback and areas of improvement with courage and perseverance."
STEFANIA PAOLO
Country Head, Italy and Greece, BNY Investments
Early in my career, I found myself reporting to a great professional who had an amazing book of clients as she was covering hedge funds in London. She took me under her wing and supervised my training.
She was sometimes tough on me, but I learned so much from her, both on the technical aspects but also in terms of relationship building with clients.
To my younger self, I would say be as curious as possible and always remain flexible as the industry is changing fast. In fact, you may have very different careers over the course of your life. Even if you have benefited from a good education, remain humble and ready to contribute as much as possible."
VIOLAINE DE SERRANT
Country Head, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Israel, BNY Investments
Paying it forward is very important to me. I want to provide others with the same opportunities my mentors gave to me by taking a chance on motivated, curious individuals looking to grow their career in finance. My goal is to build the next generation of leaders.
Within my team, I pair junior team members with a seasoned team leader so they can learn by doing. I also volunteer my time for the BNY internship program, which provides undergraduate students with incredible hands-on experience and the opportunity to learn the index management business firsthand.
When interns or new team members from other departments within BNY ask to meet, I make time to answer their questions about index portfolio management or about my career. Our people are our greatest assets, and I want to help build that asset for the future."
MARLENE WALKER SMITH
Head of Equity Index Portfolio Management, BNY Investments
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