To recognize the important work and impressive achievements of women in financial services, the STA Women in Finance Committee is pleased to highlight leaders from all areas of the industry who aim to inspire the next generation of women in finance.

For this edition, we're highlighting the career of Lauren Weintraub, Head of High Touch Trading for the Americas and EMEA Regions for Macquarie Asset Management. She currently focuses on trading in the technology and consumer sectors in addition to her management responsibilities. Lauren has been with the MAM Equity Trading desk for the past 16 years and prior to that she worked for hedge funds primarily trading US Healthcare and Japanese & European Equities. She started her career on Wall Street at Perry Capital in research and then trading.

Lauren Weintraub

Head of High Touch Trading, Americas and EMEA Regions

Macquarie Asset Management

Why did you choose a career in the financial services industry? How did you get started?

I always thought I wanted to go into marketing, but during my senior year of college at Georgetown University, a friend of mine asked me to take over his internship at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management while he went on a semester abroad. I fell in love with the fast pace of investing and how each day was shaped by micro and macro news events. Although I could not change my major to finance at that late stage in my college career, I knew that my career ambitions would be to work in the front office or in an investor relations role where I could leverage my marketing background within the finance industry.

Despite securing a few sales and trading interviews, I unfortunately wasn’t selected for any of the investment bank training programs. While this was disappointing, I persevered and applied for as many junior and administrative roles in the financial services industry in New York as I could. Ultimately, what landed me my first job at a small hedge fund was being the only candidate to answer a brain teaser correctly during the interview process. The CIO of the fund hired me on the spot. This hedge fund was incubated within Perry Capital, which subsequently led to a role on the firm’s consumer team, where I gained valuable insight into institutional equity investing and markets. That role led me to my career in equity trading.

How has the industry changed in the time that you've been part of it?

The technological advancements that have occurred during my career have been more than I would have imagined in the early 2000s. When I started in the business, traders often traded on handwritten tickets that were time-stamped by a machine. These tickets were then physically walked to the back office for processing.

The widespread use of order management and execution management systems has revolutionized how orders are handled and the amount of data that is available to traders in real-time without memorizing every Bloomberg code and ticker. Also, the segregation of portfolio management and trading responsibilities has vastly reduced risks and trading errors, allowing traders to spend additional time on the more enjoyable parts of the job like learning about sectors or shopping flow to portfolio managers.

What are you most proud of in your career and why?

I am most proud of being a role model for my daughters, showing them that women can have a career in a high-pressure environment and be promoted while having a fulfilling family life. I especially love that Macquarie has a strong Families@Macquarie network group, where families get to experience our work environment in a fun way. My husband and kids have made some sacrifices to support my career as a working mom, like living in a smaller apartment in Manhattan so my commute to the office is shorter and me missing school field trips during market hours, but I hope they grow up to have thriving careers in a field that interests them with a strong support system around them. 

Do you have any words of wisdom for the next generation of women in finance?

I have two pieces of advice for the next generation of women in finance: have a high EQ and build a network. First, having a high EQ and being nice to people costs you nothing but can go a long way to build your reputation on Wall Street. Building authentic relationships and communicating in a friendly and direct way with colleagues, clients and partners who are in positions above and below you enhances your reputation in a positive way. Never hesitate to reach out to someone with a friendly comment and make connections in the workplace.

Along similar lines, it is important to network with colleagues both at your firm and at competitors to learn and grow in your career. I have also worked with mentors along the way to push my boundaries and change my mindset. Macquarie’s Head of Investment Banking was a mentor of mine for a company-sponsored program, and one piece of advice he gave me really shifted my mindset and helped me understand that you need to take ownership of your own success in your career rather than waiting for it to happen TO you. I wish the next generation of women in finance the best of luck and success.

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