Congratulations to Our 2022 Award Winners! |
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WIP is delighted to announce the winner of this year's Distinguished Investment Professional of the Year award: Johara Farhadieh, executive director and chief investment officer of Illinois State Board of Investment (ISBI).
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Also new this year, the Joanne Hickman Dodd award recognizes the next generation of women leaders. The co-winners of this inaugural award are Paulina Ksiazek of Savant Wealth Management and Rebecca Norman of Kabouter Management.
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The winners of both awards will be honored at our annual trailblazer dinner on October 13th. We hope you'll join us to honor these three deserving women. Register below.
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Join Women Investment Professionals to take advantage of member pricing. Membership information can be found here.
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WIP TRAILBLAZER EVENT
Thursday, October 13 at 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM CT
The Trailblazer Dinner is a high point of WIP’s annual calendar of events. Each year we focus on women who inspire us in achieving personal and professional excellence.
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WIP HOLIDAY PARTY
Save the date: Thursday, December 8 at 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM CT
Location: TBD
Join us to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!
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COFFEE ROULETTE IS BACK!
WIPs’ Café @ Zoom is open at 10:00 AM CT the first Friday of each month!
Coffee Roulette provides 20 minutes of randomized, casual, one-on-one networking with other WIP members.
Register once here. Saving this series to your calendar will provide you everything you need to visit the Café as often as you wish. We look forward to seeing your favorite brew and you!
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Introducing the WIP Innovation Committee |
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The WIP Chicago Innovation Committee operates as an independent “innovation hub” to identify unmet member and sponsor needs where WIP might be uniquely positioned to deliver value. The Committee is chaired by Elizabeth Brewer and works closely with the Board of Directors, other WIP committees, and importantly, our members, to enhance the WIP value proposition through creative services and solutions. The team is currently hard at work on two exciting initiatives that will be introduced in 2023.
Feeling inspired? We would love to hear from you! Please submit any new and creative ideas to info@wipchicago.org. This is an open forum – dream big! Anything from speakers, programs, webinars, education, and networking, to longer-term strategic ideas that could shape the direction of WIP for generations to come. The Innovation Committee is also now accepting new members, so please let us know if you are interested in making an even larger impact by joining the team.
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Volunteers Wanted: WIP MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Women Investment Professionals has benefited greatly from the continued support and involvement of a diverse group of women. The Membership Committee is focused on providing a compelling member value proposition via organizational growth and meeting the varied needs of WIP’s members. This is accomplished through a targeted campaign of membership events, input from members by surveys and feedback forms, as well as various quarterly communications. You are invited to join us in helping manage the lifeblood of our organization.
Click here to learn more about the various WIP Committees and get involved.
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Welcome, New and Renewing Members! |
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WIP warmly welcomes members who joined during Q3 2022! |
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- Aron Shelley, Aegon Asset Management
- Buell Samantha, Aegon Asset Management
- Ritter Caitlin, Aegon Asset Management
- Shin Serena, Aegon Asset Management
- Stendebach Hannah, Aegon Asset Management
- Vemuri Geeta, Agent Capital
- Hauke Amy, Amy Hauke
- King Valerie, Ariel Investments
- Martinez Joanna, Ariel Investments
- Scelzo Patrice, Ariel Investments
- Smith Melissa, Ariel Investments
- Wilks Chaunice, Artisan Partners
- Grant Claudette, BlackRock
- Calderon Christine, BNY Mellon Wealth Management
- Edmonson Tabitha, Calamos Wealth Management
- Eldred Katie, CAPTRUST
- Falgiatano Sarah, CAPTRUST
- Martel Ellen, CAPTRUST
- Pennington Allie, CAPTRUST
- Undavia Shereen, CIBC Private Wealth
- MORENO ROSA, DIGITAL ALPHA ADVISORS LLC
- Gasser Jordan, Driehaus Capital Management
- Richards Julie, Fidelity Institutional
- Perez Rosa, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
- Farhadieh Johara, Illinois State Board of Investment
- Oumata Nadia, Illinois State Board of Investment
- Bennett Emily, Jackson National Asset Management LLC
- Borelli Tracy, Jennison Associates
- Caldwell Lauren, Kennedy Capital Management
- Scott Lori, Lafayette Square
- Goodbrand Kara, LGIM America
- Wyatt Katharine, Loyola University
- Floyd Haley, Mercer
- Patel Shivani, Mercer
- Kendagor Joanna, Milliman Financial Risk Management
- Dunlap Margaret, MMD COACHING, LLC
- Obaseki Thomas, Neuberger Berman
- Allison Ashley, Northern Trust Asset Management
- Calderon Nicole, Northwestern University
- Vaughn Julia, Nuveen
- Waters Courtney, Penserra
- Foreman Yolanda, Phocas Financial
- Varvaroi Giorgiana, PPM America
- Skelly Michelle, Schroder Investment Management
- McCoy-Schafer Maureen, Segal Marco Advisors
- Groom Abby, T. Rowe Price
- Shah Pooja, Thrivent Asset Management
- Curry Sean, UBS
- Kim Joyce, UBS
- Wallace Caroline, UBS
- Freeman Ellen, Vaughan Nelson
- McNamara Molly, Voya Investment Management
- Holmes Kelly, Women Investment Professionals
- Breaden, Elizabeth
- Dickey, Rachel
- Kilarski, LeAnn
- Krol, Mariya
- Tyley, Lisa
- Western, Jane
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Take advantage of the full range of benefits available:
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WIP Jobs Board
Did you know that the WIP jobs board currently has over 20 new jobs posted from over 10 organizations? Our LinkedIn series will continue to highlight positions on a weekly basis.
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TARA GIULIANO,
Chief Marketing Officer,
NUVEEN
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I have held marketing leadership roles across several companies in our industry. Today, I am the CMO at Nuveen, but have held roles at UBS Asset Management, Morningstar, Allianz, and Nationwide.
I can unequivocally say that power of networking and mentorship – particularly woman to woman – has been pivotal to each step in my career journey.
WIP is a wonderful resource to help foster influential connections. I first discovered WIP through my female business partners while at UBS Asset Management. I started as many of us do – coming to the flagship events each year. Soon, I started to see familiar faces and have meals and form bonds with other WIP members outside of work. Then, I started to help other WIP members with their career challenges and even spoke about that at a WIP event. All which eventually led to me joining the WIP Communications Committee. I have enjoyed all the new endeavors we have accomplished as a committee, including the creation of this newsletter! In addition to being part of the Communications Committee for WIP, I am also on the Marketing Council for Investment Management Education Alliance, the Marketing Advisory Committee for FUSE, as well as the Marketing Steering Committee for the Money Management Institute. All of these are organizations that provide opportunities to engage outside of our day-to-day and build mutually beneficial relationships with industry peers. Outside of the financial community, I coach my daughter’s cheerleading team and voluntarily run the marketing for her school in Lincoln Park. I am also happy to be one of the newest members of the Chicago Children’s Museum Board.
Please reach out to Tara if you'd like to learn more.
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Interview with A Rising Star |
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Lauren Durfey, Investment Consultant, Aon
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You were selected as Aon’s representative for NICSA’s Diversity Project North America’s 2022 Rising Star Program. What does this mean to you and your organization?
I very much appreciate being selected for this opportunity by Aon. The program provides leadership coaching opportunities for each nominating firm’s representative with the goal of working towards even more diverse and inclusive work environments, which is important to me as a both a people leader and as I further my own career. For Aon, this is symbolic of our commitment to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of the workplace and the community at large, and I’m excited to share what I learn during the program with my colleagues.
Tell us about your career journey and goals. What were some of your most memorable successes and challenges?
I started at Aon as an investment analyst after receiving my bachelors’ and master’s degrees from Loyola University Chicago. I was promoted to investment consultant a few years ago and now interact more closely with our clients. I didn’t always know I wanted to work in finance; my undergraduate degrees are in political science and international studies, and I only pivoted to finance when I began my master’s. I also didn’t know I would enjoy investment consulting as much as I do, and I count myself lucky I found a career I love so early on.
Along the way, some of my most gratifying successes have been related to the services I’ve provided clients as well as helping the careers of the analysts who report to me as well as our analyst group at large. I’ve had the opportunity to develop great relationships with my clients and colleagues, and while COVID-19 created an interesting challenge in terms of how to grow and maintain those relationships, I believe being able to do that in either a remote or in-person environment has helped me expand my soft skills in those areas. Hearing from one of my reports how they served a client and helping our growing analyst population find their footing in their careers is incredibly rewarding for me.
What advice do you have for women in the finance industry?
If you can, find people you admire and borrow the qualities you most want to emulate. I was fortunate enough to attend meetings with well-spoken colleagues early in my career, and the presentation style I’ve developed over time is a compilation of their approaches and tactics.
Any book recommendations?
I actually don’t read a whole lot of finance-related books (so I would love suggestions). I’m a history buff and travel aficionado, and a great book I read that combines the two is Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations by Norman Davies. The book provides an overview of states that existed at one point in time; it is a great example of how fluid cultures can be across modern borders and how much more diverse we all are below the surface.
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Thank You to Our Sponsors! |
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We are grateful for our valued sponsors who support diversity initiatives promoting the advancement, recruitment, and retention of women in the investment industry and related fields. Click here for a list of all WIP sponsors.
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Women Investment Professionals
847.254.9136
info@wipchicago.org
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