Page 37 - Investment Advisor - Jan/Feb 2021

watch and to help them along the way
from a product technology perspective. Looking Back
I’m also very involved in the Money Here’s a segment of “It’s Lonely at the Top — Why Peer-to-Peer Networking for
Management Institute. I sit on its board Financial Services CEOs Is Critical,” written by April Rudin for The Huffington Post in
of governance and the social justice 2012, just after meeting Cheryl Nash for the first time.
board, and love what they’re doing right
in the industry. It’s much different than While almost entirely comprised of men, there is an unmistakable “leave your
what you would expect, say, a company ego at the door” attitude at Tiburon [CEO Summits]. It’s no wonder that so many
like that to do. They’re coming forward business deals happen here.
with some pretty innovative things. While most of the conference is made of structured meetings, you know that
We’re also partnering with Chip most of the real conversations are happening in hallways, breakrooms, restaurant,
Roame about how to bring more women bar, etc. I can see the appeal for these high-level executives. They need a place
into the Tiburon CEO Summits. I’m to find wisdom and friendship. It’s lonely at the top — where can a CEO turn for
leading this with him. The goal is to get unbiased advice and camaraderie? Other top-shelf execs!
more diversity into the Summits. I would say that many of these industry titans see the value of Tiburon as a
You can get more women and diver- place of comfort and kinship. It’s an opportunity for a true peer-to-peer network-
sity on panels to bring different perspec- ing experience like no other.
tives and share different experiences. For these guys, financial services has been under tremendous scrutiny of late:
We were making good progress with the post-Madoff issues, housing crisis, bank failures and more, which are creating
April 2020 Summit, which got cancelled even more pressure on financial services’ firms. There is new technology and
due to COVID-19. globalism that must be understood and leveraged. It’s no wonder that this year’s
I don’t know [yet] what the April 2021 Tiburon CEO Summit had record attendance. …
Tiburon CEO Summit is going to look How about the women
like. We’ll see a lot more women at the of Tiburon? Who are they?
September 2021 event. As we’ve said, I was able to catch-up with
that’s where April and I first met. It’s Cheryl Nash, president of
come full circle.
Fiserv, a financial services
industry technology firm.
RUDIN: I would echo everything that She remarked, “Tiburon is
Cheryl is saying. A couple other firms a place where I can catch
and people I would think about include up with the same people
Adrienne Penta at Brown Brothers twice a year. Moreover, as
Harriman, who leads the Center for a vendor to many of these
Women & Wealth and focuses on how to firms, I am able to speak
serve women. with my own clients at
They’re not talking about this as if it’s the most senior level.” When I asked Cheryl about the male vs. female ratio, she
a niche [market]. We know that women laughed and said that it’s no different here. I joked with her about the short line at
are not a niche anymore, but they look the ladies room at financial services conferences and meetings!
at some unique needs or challenges that What did I learn at the Tiburon CEO Summit? While it was terrific to listen to
women face. Brown Brothers Harriman the “state of financial services” as reported by Chip [Roame] and meet some
has done a great job with that. interesting and influential people, I learned something really much more valuable.
Jane Schwartzberg at UBS is head of I learned that everyone needs a safety net and a strong, supportive peer network
Strategic Client Segments. People are to go to for advice and conversation.
thinking about how financial services Learning never stops no matter what level you achieve. While counterintuitive,
can accommodate women rather than it’s probably more important as you rise up the corporate ladder and your respon-
one size fits all, which people are used sibilities grow.
to putting out in terms of new products,
services and client experience. You want
to have multiple entry points. scope; it looked at the challenges and opportunities for women
I also chair the Paris Fintech forum, which was able to in fintech programs.
get off the ground last year. That’s a huge initiative to recruit Having the type of economy we have now, with more
female founders to the industry. PwC did a big research report and more of those in the next generation becoming
on female tech founders. It was really interesting and global in entrepreneurs — something like 26% — and this includes

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