2015 Pacesetters Kari Desai

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1 2015 Pacesetters Kari Desai, Corporate Vice President, has honed strong work habits that help her achieve her goals, especially during her five years at New York Life. I'm very list oriented for both my personal and professional life, and I start each day by reviewing my to do list and aligning against priorities. I ask myself, does this still need to be done, should I be doing this task, or can someone else?" This questioning helps me stay focused on the most important tasks and goals. Understanding that leadership has many dimensions, Kari believes that effective leadership requires applying a different style depending on the situation. But, I think in most situations, I tend to be very collaborative. I find that hearing others' points of view allows me to make more informed decisions and allows others to feel more connected and accountable to the final outcome. Even though she s only been in a formal leadership role for a few years, she finds herself growing as a leader on a daily basis. It's not always easy to know if you're being effective as a leader, so I tend to ask for feedback when appropriate. I will ask my manager and peers for feedback when I'm dealing with a difficult situation, and I always ask my team for feedback on my effectiveness as a manager when I am delivering performance reviews. Kari adds that looking back over her 12 years in the financial industry, she s seen a lot of change especially with technology. I started my career as an agent selling life insurance on a 100% commission basis, and we didn't use smart phones or a CRM system or any social media. Now, financial services professionals have access to so much information and technology that the client toadvisor relationship has changed dramatically. Her does she weather the change? My best advice is to be adaptable. Whether change is happening to you, with you, or if you are leading change, you have to be ready for things to NOT go as planned. Being resilient and adaptable are the best qualities for surviving and excelling during change. And when it comes to advice, Kari shared the best piece of advice she had received. You don't get to be perfect." While she never thought of herself as a perfectionist, she shared the story of a career coach who once stopped her in the middle of a conversation and said directly, "You don't get to be perfect." Kari explained: I must have been struggling with a situation where I was trying to determine the perfect approach to a challenge. That statement always stuck with me, and now I try not to worry about the perfect solution and instead trust that I will find the best solution given the circumstances. Outside of work, Kari enjoys spending time with her family. A relative newcomer to FWA, having joined last year, Kari s advice, passion and dedication have clearly helped her set the right pace as part of the FWA Pacesetter Program!

2 Ada Khun, Vice President, credits her 8 years with BNP in Risk Management to persistence. I think persistence is the most important thing I do every day. At the end of the day, I ask myself two questions. Did I make an impact and did I make the day count? This daily self assessment helps characterize Ada s leadership style. I think my signature leadership style is a visionary collaborator. Vision help everyone work toward a common path and it builds value. It helps people understand their role and why their contribution is valuable. Addressing the challenge companies face in developing and advancing women leaders, Ada has some clear suggestions. I think companies can best develop and advance women leaders by creating an environment of equal opportunities and equal pay at all levels and fostering a work culture where a women's contributions and differences are equally valued. Since Ada began her financial career 12 years ago, she has seen the industry enter a new post crisis phase. It's transforming how banks conduct business and maintain profitability is changing. It's a different environment and new regulations are having an impact. Reflecting on her success at navigating the changing tides, Ada s advice to new financial professionals entering the workforce is understand what you want, why you want it and what your definition of happiness and success is. What happiness and success look like could be very different for each individual. Sound advice to share with others coming up the career ladder is a return on the investment from sound advice she received early in her career, when a very senior manager said, No matter where you are in your career, remember to keep your integrity." Ada says that advice made a difference because once you decide who you want to be and who you are, the decisions you make are clear. Many role models have inspired Ada along the way to deciding who she wants to be and who she is. Two of particular significance are CEOs Indira Nooyi of Pepsi and Steve Jobs from Apple. Indira broke many barriers and Ada reflects often on this quote from Nooyi that explains up her vision: "We ought to keep pushing the boundaries to get to flawless execution. Flawless is the ultimate goal. Indira s leadership style focuses on Performance with Purpose," and Ada feels Steve Jobs shared similar messaging on both of these concepts. With a passion for photography and reading, Ada joined FWA in the past year, and looks to the FWA Pacesetter Program to help her keep ahead of the pace of change!

3 Cherreka Montgomery, relies on her principled leadership as her signature style especially in her year with P1 Strategies. Standing for something larger than oneself allows the leader to connect with, inspire, respectfully challenge and provide feedback for growth to his or her team that the leader has responsibility for, she explained. With four years in the financial services industry, Cherreka believe companies can best develop and advance women leaders by focusing on culture and values of a company and ensuring that there are women leaders in the company who will serve as 'ideal' role models to inspire other women and also who will serve as mentors. Men should be actively engaged to help foster a business culture and environment where women and their voices are valued, respected and have a seat at the power table. Cherreka has leveraged the Pacesetter Program to strengthen her own seat at the power table. Pacesetter has provided me with additional skills, insights and mentorship to help shape my career aspirations. Additionally, having the opportunity to engage women leaders from the financial sector and Wall Street has been nothing less than game changing for me. The game isn t the only thing that s changing and Cherreka has great advice for managing change in general. To manage change, focus on the end goal you have in mind, create and follow a plan, be prepared to alter the plan once in execution mode, and expect the unexpected. Remember that at the end of the day, change requires the input and the acceptance of people in your business." On the receiving end of advice, Cherreka remembers these sage words about change shared earlier in her career: "It's a process and not an event." She noted it takes several steps to make lasting change and see its results, i.e. the process. An event just happens once and it's over. Cherreka has chalked up two years with FWA and is setting the pace for many more through her participation in the FWA Pacesetter Program.

4 Shenique Gray reflects on her ten years with Deloitte when identifying the most important thing she does each day that helps her achieve her goals. One key habit that helps me succeed is revisiting this truth often: I have a value that makes me unique (and this is true of each of us). There is a problem that I was born to solve, an invention that I was born to develop, an organization that I was born to establish or lead, and a legacy that I was born to continue or create. This positive energy and attitude continues when Shenique shares her thoughts about how companies can best develop and advance women leaders. I have had the great honor of being surrounded by many exemplary female leaders. Some of the qualities I admire most in them are their humility, their generosity (in giving liberally of their time, wisdom, talent, and resources), and their courage (to stare challenges in the eye). Being exposed to this caliber of female leadership early on in my career, in many ways, enabled me to blaze my own trail. I believe that companies can best advance women leaders by affording them equal opportunities to lead and empowering them to do the same for others. When thinking about leading and empowering others, Shenique has found herself looking to the future. Considering the concept of what it means to begin or continue a legacy, I think the greatest impact I could have on our industry would be to continue its legacy of strong professionals whose careers are marked by a consistent demonstration of their commitment to challenge and empower others to succeed alongside them. When I think about the people whom I admire most and the organizations that I've chosen to be a part of, one common thread they share is their commitment to invest in the next generation. It's a sobering thought to consider that being born in the 80s means that while I do still consider myself quite young, there is a generation of young people who are studying and beginning careers in a world in which they have no need to open an encyclopedia like I did. These are the people that I am most committed to pouring my time and resources into. Focusing on developing others is natural for someone who found mentorship invaluable in her own career. From the very first year I entered the workforce, I was fortunate to have a mentor take an interest in my development, offering himself as an objective counselor and member of my personal board of advisors. From that time, until now, this theme of mentorship has continued: leaders expressing a true desire to do all they could to see me succeed. In no small way has this impressed on me how important it is for me to do the same and impacted my decision to, likewise, seek out and support mentees. Her words of wisdom to share with those she can mentor? Through all the changing scenes of life, take everything you've learned in previous stages and apply it to the newest challenge. Secondly, wisdom gained from the experience of others can be as beneficial as your own seek out this wisdom. And the best advice she s received? Follow your passion to find your purpose, then pour yourself into fulfilling that purpose. With 10 years in the financial industry, Shenique has successfully channeled her professional passion and purpose, and having been a member for a year, she is now picking up this pace with the FWA Pacesetter Program. She also points to her personal passions to keep focused and grounded singing, reading, traveling and heading to the nearest spa!

5 Tara Fagan, BNY Mellon Vice President and Project Manager, points to some fast paced habits that help her stay on track with achieving her goals. Each morning that I can, I start my day with a run. I love to meet up with my running buddy and do our usual sixmile loop. By getting moving in the morning, I start my day alert and mentally prepared to handle whatever may come up. After my run, I turn my attention to the day ahead. I take five minutes to visualize what I want to achieve in my day and week what it looks like to win the day. It might be related to a problem I need to solve, a strategy for a project I m leading, or a skill I want to improve. I find if I can visualize in my mind the steps I need to take to achieve a goal, I feel more confident I can achieve it in reality. I do these two things every morning, and that helps me start the day in a positive way. When asked how she thinks companies can best develop and advance more women leaders, Tara lays out a great track for companies to run on: Companies must start at the top. Today s senior leaders must first agree that diversity and inclusion is a business priority, and then set a smart, strategic plan that focuses on increasing the number of women in senior management roles. We know that what gets measured gets managed, therefore senior leaders must also track and communicate progress to show how many women are advancing as a direct result of those leadership development and recruitment efforts. This transparency will promote accountability and increase effectiveness toward meeting those goals. Tara points to the benefits of the FWA Pacesetter Program as helping to keep her career on the right path. The FWA Pacesetter Program has been one of the most impactful experiences of my career, and it has helped me grow in many facets. The workshops have strengthened my leadership capabilities, and I now routinely use skills taught there in my day to day role and while working with senior management. Having a mentor and executive coach share their insights, experiences, and guidance has been a huge benefit. I leave each conversation with them feeling more confident about my abilities and increasingly excited about my future goals. It s been great to experience all of this together as a small cohort and also to form new connections within the FWA Community. The Pacesetter Program has truly been invaluable! To empower those entering the workforce, Tara offers this guidance to new professionals: Look at your job as an opportunity to learn every day. Be a true student of your industry, look for ways to learn more about your field, and act on them. Take initiative to take on more responsibility. Giving and getting good advice stems from her first hand mentorship experiences. In my career, I had the good fortune of having three great mentors. They have helped me and continue to help me by listening to me talk through new work situations, guiding me in the right direction when I have questions on my career, and directing me with honest feedback. I ve learned to think differently because of their perspectives and to get out of my comfort zone and ask for what I want because of their encouragement. Having good mentors has been extremely valuable, I ve learned a great deal from their wisdom and examples. So, what are the best words of advice Tara received in her career? Do everything with excellence and pay attention to the little things. Giving everything my all, no matter what the task, is a key principle of my life. I've seen how opportunities will come seemingly 'out of the blue' because someone I didn t realize was watching and remembered the effort put in. And the best piece of her own advice she can pass along? Prepare, gather as much information as possible, and ask questions. Then create a plan and communicate, focus on the positives, and keep the big picture in mind. With eight years in financial services, Tara s career plan seems like her running style she s setting the pace for the marathons she s fond of running and the FWA Pacesetter Program is pushing her in the right direction!