2020 may have been a challenging year, but Women Investment Professionals (WIP) is stronger than ever. Despite the twin crises of a global pandemic and civic unrest, which continue to test all of us, we were able to accomplish a number of key initiatives. Read more here.
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In these difficult times, we are reminded how valuable it is to have the support of a strong community like WIP. Although we've had to cancel upcoming in-person events, we are just as committed to providing you virtual opportunities for professional education and networking.
February 11, 2021
11:30a CT -12:45p CT
We invite you to join our Annual Economic Forum to learn what experts have to say about the 2021 Economic Outlook.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES PART 3 - ENERGIZING YOUR NETWORK
Coming in March, 2021
Networking, important in the most normal of times, is even more critical (and challenging) in the current environment. How do you network successfully, in a virtual world, while still seeming authentic and sincere? How you do you build your network while managing other responsibilities? We invite you to join us as we dispel the common myths associated with networking (yes, we’re talking about the awkward, uncomfortable, sometimes paralyzing feeling networking can sometimes bring!) and offer a new perspective: approachability. You’ll learn easy strategies to effectively form alliances, strengthen relationships, and make the process fun and rewarding. As they say, timing is everything. The best time to build your network is now – so don’t miss this great program packed with helpful ideas, and perhaps the opportunity to walk away with another connection or two in your network!
While the 2020 Professional Development Series focused on Leadership Skills, 2021 programming will focus on Career Development: Being Bold, Courageous, and Authentic. More to come in our Q2 2021 newsletter!
WHAT'S IMPORTANT NOW (WIN) SERIES
This series explored the impact of artificial intelligence and technology on the industry in 2020. Stay tuned for our three-part series focused on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) in 2021!
Missed a past event? Check out the WIP event takeaways!
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WIP welcomes our newest members! These 14 women joined us in 4Q2020 and we’re excited they’re a part of our organization!
Madeline Warholic
Nora Walsh
Annie Maresca
Michelle Spooner
Jennifer Wiley
Kiera Thielen
Vanessa Galvan
Wendy Orozco
Nicole Robertson
Kristin Finney-Cooke
Ruthzar Casseus
Alexandria Chatt
Alina Ford
Stase Masionis
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Have You Updated Your Member Profile Lately? |
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In order for WIP to provide the most relevant content and make it easy for members to connect, it is important that you keep your Member Profile up to date. We recently modernized the Member Profile to allow for ethnic/racial identity, personal goals, and greater granularity of careers. It's easy to update your profile:
2. Click on Profile (upper right)
3. Update Basic Member Information and Additional Member Data
We appreciate you taking the time to update your profile so we can better serve you in the New Year!
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WIP Member Spotlight: Sue Walton
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WIP celebrates generous, inspiring members who get involved in our community. Our goal is to continue to provide you with broad networking opportunities, both professional and personal. We thank Sue for her philanthropic efforts and hope you will get to know her better!
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Long time WIP member, Sue Walton, is a senior retirement strategist at Capital Group. Sue volunteers for Open Heart Magic (OHM), a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening hospitalized children through humor and the therapeutic power of magic. Sue has been involved in several capacities since OHM’s 2004 inception – as trained hospital magician, event photographer, Chicago Marathon charity team organizer, and Board of Directors member. She shared some highlights with us:
1. How does Open Heart Magic serve the community?
Open Heart Magic partners with 15 Midwest hospitals to provide sick children with personalized one-on-one interactions with magicians designed to inspire joy and smiles. The magic, which is adapted to each child’s physical and developmental ability, happens in the child's hands – not the magician’s – and each interaction ends with the child learning a magic trick of his or her own.
2. What do you enjoy most about your experience with this organization?
I have seen firsthand the power that magic has to transform a sick child. Hospitalized children are often scared, lonely, and confused about their medical situation. The pure joy, surprise, and wonder that magic provides allows a hospitalized child to JUST BE A KID for a moment. This is why I believe in magic.
3. What have you learned from your time volunteering for this organization?
As a volunteer magician, I found myself staying in the moment, being present, and completely centered on each interaction. Volunteering also taught me to be resilient and adaptable. You never know what you will encounter when you knock on a patient’s door. I became much more confident to handle difficult situations.
3. How has the organization had to adapt due to COVID?
After an initial pause during high infection rate periods, OHM magicians have returned to hospitals with new training to meet COVID-19 protocols. OHM is also currently developing a new program, “Magic Deliveries,” in partnership with Lego, notably to provide a bedside experience when the OHM magicians can’t reach the children directly.
4. Can others get involved?
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Take advantage of the full range of benefits available:
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Send Us Your Job Posting(s)!
There is no charge for posting a job on the WIP job board. Employment listings are posted for 30 days and can be re-submitted for an additional 30-day posting. You can submit a job posting by sending an e-mail to info@wipchicago.org. |
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Interview with a Gold Sponsor:
PPM America
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Sau Mui, Portfolio Manager, shares her journey and advice with us: |
1. Can you tell us about the evolution of your career? What factors inspired you to become a portfolio manager, and how does your organization and/or team support you in your career goals?
My entire career before portfolio management was in credit research. I started in high yield credit research, working as an associate covering the healthcare and telecommunications sectors alongside a senior analyst. After I gained the skill set to evaluate credits, I became a generalist in credit research. I enjoyed being a generalist because it allowed to me look at different sectors. It was during my time as a generalist that I knew I wanted to become a portfolio manager. As a sector specialist, you have names that you cover, and your ideas will come from those names. As a generalist, anything is fair game, so the investable universe becomes much larger. I like looking for investment ideas across sectors, across capital structures and across ratings.
PPM America, Inc. (PPM), where I currently work as a portfolio manager, is a great organization in that we have a team-based approach. I work with portfolio manager Mike Kennedy on our core plus fixed income and credit strategies. We look at every investment decision together, from macro themes down to individual securities. Mike is a great mentor and I appreciate learning from his track record throughout many cycles in his 30+ years of managing money. My goal is to have a successful career in portfolio management, and I cannot think of a better person to learn from.
For more information about the PPM America Core Plus Fixed Income strategy, click here.
2. What do you enjoy most about your day to day work?
It is rewarding to see the impact I have on the portfolios. I like the challenge of investing with imperfect information. Investors rarely have all the information they need to make decisions, but we do the best we can with the available information and trust that we have the right framework and process in place. It requires a lot of discipline and is very intellectually stimulating.
3. Can you describe the most challenging moment of 2020 and how you overcame it?
2020 had many challenging moments. Adjusting to work from home, trying to stay safe and navigating through market turmoil were not easy. Even though we started the year with lower risks in our portfolios, we found ourselves underperforming when the selloff happened. It was my first major selloff as a portfolio manager. When you underperform, your confidence can begin to waver, and you re-evaluate your investment decisions. Mike and I managed through it by sticking to our process and analyzing fundamentals to see if companies can withstand a deep recession. We ended up adding risk to the portfolios because we saw solid companies issuing debt at very attractive yields, and we believe our clients were rewarded for that decision.
4. Who has influenced you the most throughout your career, and what advice do you have for young women professionals?
Warren Buffett has had the biggest influence in the way I think about investments. There are many ways to generate alpha, but my core investment philosophy is value investing. I think the price an investor pays for an asset and having the right temperament are incredibly important. Sometimes the market can overshoot and get misaligned with fundamentals, and we need to have the right temperament to capture those opportunities.
My advice to young women professionals is to work hard and dream big. It’s good to be ambitious and to have high expectations. Due to the lack of female role models in many senior positions, we must dream big to make it happen. Just because there aren’t a lot of women in senior positions now does not mean it won’t happen in the future. At the same time, we have to put in the hard work and do the best in every task we are given.
5. Tell us about your hobbies. What book(s) are you presently reading or plan to read in 2021?
My hobbies include traveling, playing tennis and baking.
I am currently reading The Courage to Act by Ben Bernanke. I am about halfway through the book and I am enjoying it a lot. Younger investment professionals haven’t lived through a financial crisis in their careers and I think it’s important to understand the past in order to minimize the same errors. The Fed has been a powerful force in our markets to say the least and we live in an unprecedented low rate environment. This book provides an excellent inside view of the Fed. Bernanke has been a proponent of increased transparency from the beginning, before he was appointed Chairman. I am grateful he wrote this memoir to let us see what was in his mind as he navigated through the global financial crisis.
Another book I am reading is The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova. I recently listened to a podcast interview with her where she talked about the role of chance in life, and how we should have less certainty and more inquiry. It’s a great interview and I would recommend it as a preview for the book. The book is a fun read and it contains lessons from her journey of never having played poker to becoming a professional poker player. Of course, she had a great mentor and poker player to teach her. It’s a good story about learning, decision making, and chance. The podcast can be found here.
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The one word I'd use to describe 2021 is...
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Another 2020/Unpredictable
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Thank You to Our Platinum Sponsors
We would like to thank our generous sponsors for their support of Women Investment Professionals. Visit our sponsorship page to learn more about all of our valued sponsors and sponsorship opportunities.
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Women Investment Professionals
847.254.9136
info@wipchicago.org
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