Investment pros share expertise at Women in Investing »
	What it Takes to Succeed in an Investment Management Career »
	Putting together a solid pitch»
	Investing in Emerging Markets: Opportunities, Risks, and Outlook »

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Lakshmi Bhojraj with WIN 2011 Student Leader Committee members and Johnson’s stock pitch showcase participants (left to right) Chloe Shin, MBA ’13, Carolina Carvalho, MBA ’12 Rahmila Nadi, MBA ’12, Mary Foukleva, MBA ’12, Lakshmi Bhojraj, Sarah Sherman, MBA ’12, Catherine Mugeria, MBA ’13, and Sheryl Zhou, MBA ’13. (Names in bold indicate students participating in the stock pitch showcase.)


Caroline Randall, vice president and investment analyst at Capital Research Global Investors, responding to work/life balance concerns student participants expressed in the MBA career survey administered in advance of the conference during Thursday’s After-Eight Session.


Johnson’s stock pitch showcase participants present their case to the judges and audience for investing in Tyson Foods: (left to right) Mary Foukleva, MBA ’12, Chloe Shin, MBA ’13, Catherine Mugeria, MBA ’13, and Sheryl Zhou, MBA ’13

Women in Investing conference 2011

Investment pros share expertise at Women in Investing

More than 75 women from twelve top MBA programs had an opportunity to mingle with peers, network with firm representatives, showcase their stock pitch skills, and learn from investment professionals at Johnson’s second annual Women in Investing (WIN) conference, held in Boston, November 17-18, 2011. Lakshmi Bhojraj, director, Parker Center for Investment Research and the founder of WIN, noted that educating women about the rewarding career opportunities available to them in the field of investment management was a key objective of the conference.

The conference kicked off with a career fair, during which women MBA students and recruiters from participating firms had a chance to exchange information and interact informally. At the networking reception that followed, many attendees expressed their appreciation for this unique conference, and admiration for Johnson and Cornell for hosting it. As an industry that claims only 10 percent female, investment management is eager to attract more women to the field. That’s why access to a “pre-sorted” set of high-performing, accomplished women MBA students who are interested in investment management is a great boon for recruiters. By the same token, access to women investment professionals, who are both role models and valuable professional contacts, is fabulous for MBA students. As several said, “No one else, none of the other b-schools, is doing anything like this. It’s just fantastic that Cornell is.”

Women MBAs who have a clear interest in investing, and who play active roles in investing clubs on campus, are at the top the list in what recruiters say they look for in MBA applicants. They seek “doers, not just listeners” and expect those who aspire to be investment professionals to own stocks and have active portfolios – fantasy portfolios, at the very least, if not real holdings.

Interesting, intellectually stimulating work is one of the prime reasons women MBAs who seek careers in investment management are drawn to it, according to a survey of participants. However, many also expressed concern about what these careers are like in terms of work/life balance. Knowing this, several speakers noted that they have families, and although they often go to work very early (leaving home at 6:30 a.m.) they are home by 6 p.m. Work flexibility allows them to attend children’s activities, and work some days or mornings at home, or get work done in the evenings.

Read about what investment professionals who spoke had to say about what it takes to succeed, initiating coverage on a company and interviewing top management, and investing in emerging markets in the accompanying stories.