We Talk Careers

Head of ETFs with Leah Wald and Greg Friedman

We are diving into Wall Street careers, specifically in the exciting space of Exchange-Traded Funds. Today, we are starting at the top. What is it to be the Head of ETFs? How do you oversee all the aspects of your firm’s fund business and what does it take to get there and be successful? We have Greg Friedman and Leah Wald with us today.
Leah Wald is the CEO at Valkyrie Investments, bridging the gap between traditional finance and the rapidly evolving digital asset industry. Leah is a contributing writer for Forbes and co-authored the book Hyperwave Theory: The Rogue Waves of Financial Markets. Leah has a BA in International Political Economy and a MSc in Management specialized in International Business from IE Business School. Leah lives in Nashville, TN where she enjoys horse racing, beekeeping, and hiking. 
Greg Friedman is head of ETF Management and Strategy at Fidelity Investments. In this role, Greg is responsible for the development and execution of a firm-wide comprehensive ETF strategy, including product development, management, and positioning.  Prior to joining Fidelity, Greg was chief operation officer and head of Global ETF Product at Russell Investments. Greg earned his bachelor of arts degree from the University of California at Davis. He loves spending time with his family, golfing, skiing and will always be a Parrot Head. 
Kristine Delano guides the conversation into the importance of rigorous decision-making, team dynamics, and time spent on industry news. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
In partnership with https://www.etfcentral.com/
Book recommendations: 
24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid by Willie Mays and John Shea
The Every by Dave Eggers

ETF Careers Kick-Off with Mo Sparks and Rob Jaeger

We are kicking off a new season of We Talk Careers Podcast. We're diving into Wall Street careers, specifically in the exciting space of Exchange-Traded Funds. We’ve seen unprecedented growth and innovation and we are excited to unveil the careers that make that happen. 
Today we have Mo Sparks and Robert Jaeger joining us. 
Mo Sparks leads the New York Stock Exchange’s strategic initiatives and related activities for asset managers engaged in the development of ETFs. Prior to joining the NYSE, he spent nearly a decade at
The Vanguard Group. Mo received his undergraduate degree from Clemson University and is a holder of the Certified ETF Advisor (CETF®) designation. Mo and his wife have two young boys ages 3 and 1 and when not talking ETFs he can be found traveling, enjoying sports (particularly basketball + golf) or enjoying the great outdoors.
 
Robert Jaeger is a seasoned fin tech entrepreneur. Currently VP at Trackinsight, he drives product strategy and business development. His career began at Goldman Sachs, and he holds a degree in Finance and International Business from Washington University. Outside work, he resides with his wife and two daughters in Roslyn, NY, enjoying family time, tending to his succulents, tennis, and cycling.
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about the importance of providing transparency into the careers guiding the ETF industry. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
In partnership with https://www.etfcentral.com/
Book recommendations: 
Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
Oh crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki
Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy (Podcast)

Sustainable Career with Lauren Smart

In this episode we’re talking about your Sustainable Career with Lauren Smart.  How do you keep thriving in your career, year after year? 
Lauren Smart is the Chief Commercial Officer of S&P GLOBAL Sustainable1. Over the last 20 years, she has been a key figure in the ESG market and is a respected industry speaker at events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos. Lauren is passionate about entrepreneurship for impact and was instrumental in growing Trucost to its market leading position and was part of the board team that sold  it to S&P Global. She is married with two daughters and lives in the countryside outside of London. In April she ran the London Marathon for the Sumatran Orangutan Society of which she is a trustee.
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about how to thrive on your path to success and how to apply sustainability to your career. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See Business and Life by Gillian Tett

Understand Your Moment with Randi Roberts

Do you trust your intuition? What happens when career paths diminish or diverge? What can the snooze button tell you? 
In this episode, we’re talking about identifying and understanding your moment—those times when your perspective changes and your career pivots, right along with it.  
Randi Roberts is an Executive Career-Life Coach. After more than 30 years in Pharmaceuticals and working with many talented executive coaches, she chose coaching as her second career. She calls herself a hippie with an Ivy League education. She earned a BA in Sociology from San Diego State University, and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and is certified by The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching and accredited by the International Coaching Federation. She’s been married for 32 years and loves to hike, kayak, and explore.
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about how to navigate the most impactful moments in your career. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Global Communication with Karrie Meehan

How often do you feel like no one is listening? We don’t want that. We’re talking about getting your particular message out to the right people at the right time and then being able to gauge the success. 
In this episode we’re talking about global communication with Karrie Meehan.  
Karrie Meehan is a vice president of Enterprise HR Communications at Fidelity Investments. She leads a global team responsible for developing the strategy and communications to all of Fidelity’s (70k+) global associates. Karrie has over 20 years of experience in financial services marketing. She earned her bachelors in English, with honors, from Colby College. She holds the FINRA Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses and spent two years serving as the Global Co-Head, Marketing and Communications, of Women in ETFs. She lives in Webster, Massachusetts, with her husband Brendan, two kids, and pug Rocco.
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about how to effectively convey your thoughts on a diverse stage, through global communication. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth
Watch Out for Her by Samantha Bailey

Indexing Your Career with Joy Yang

How do you index your career? We know index-based investing can be more efficient, easier to access, and can help you maintain an edge. But how do those principles apply to your career and why would you want them to? 
In this episode we’re talking about how to index your career with Joy Yang.  
Joy Yang is the Head of Index Product Management and Marketing at MarketVector Indexes. Joy has more than 25 years of investment experience, having led teams delivering index and quantitative-active investment solutions. Joy has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and a BS in Electrical Engineering. Joy was born to Chinese parents in Taiwan, and currently lives in NYC. 
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about how index-based investing principles can be applied to your career. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller

Work Life Teams with Bobbi Ivanova

You’ve heard about work/life balance; but what about work/life teams? Creating a team is essential to help navigate your work/life balance. Learn how to set goals and roles for the team, but be prepared, because over time everything will change for everyone.  
In this episode, we’re talking about creating work life teams with Bobbi Ivanova. 
Bobbi Ivanova is a managing director and investment strategist at Simplify. Simplify is an Asset Manager of ETF option-based strategies. Bobbi and her husband are from Bulgaria and currently live with their two boys in Park City, Utah.
Kristine Delano guides the conversation about work/life balance and creating a team to help maintain that balance.
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendation: Meditations by Marcus Aruelius 

100 Conversations with Amrita Nandakumar

We’ve talked about the importance of building a trusted community; do you have one? How do you have conversations to cultivate a career-impacting community? 
In this episode we’re talking about the power of 100 conversations with Amrita Nandakumar. 
Amrita Nandakumar is the President of Vident. She oversees the sub-advisory business, as well as sales and marketing firm-wide. In 2013, Amrita joined Van Eck as a Senior ETF Product Manager and later transitioned to Director of Corporate Strategy and Development. Prior to joining Van Eck, she spent several years at Vanguard as a Senior Investment Consultant. Amrita holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from The George Washington University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Amrita lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. 
Kristine Delano guides the discussion about the power of 100 conversations and the impact it could have on your career.
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
The French Revolution by Ian Davidson
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Building Expertise with Kim Tilley

Have you wondered how to build your expertise and advance your career? Do you want to get ahead and stand out? It’s not enough to simply follow the crowd. Table stakes are showing up and hard work. 
In this episode we’re talking about the importance of building an expertise with Kim Tilley. Kim is a Director and Portfolio Manager on the Dynamic Portfolio Solutions platform and oversees Lazard’s ETF investment strategies and due diligence. Prior to joining Lazard in 2002, Kim worked on the Institutional Equity Sales & Trading Desk at Wachovia Securities, Inc. She has a BS in Finance and a minor in Economics from Miami University and holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMAÒ) designation.  Kim is the former co-chair of the Lazard Women’s Leadership Network steering committee and was a founding member of the Lazard Global Inclusion Task Force. Kim lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband (who is a writer) and 2 children, Caroline  and Charlie.
Kristine Delano guides the discussion on cultivating tools to build your expertise and share it.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform. We Talk Careers Podcast.
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendation: 
Invisible Child by Andrea Eliot

Opportunistic Entrepreneur with Kathryn Schwartz

Have you dreamed of starting up your own thing? Have you wondered about how to take the first steps into Entrepreneurship? Spoiler alert: it’s before you think you’re ready. 
In this episode we’re talking about becoming an opportunistic entrepreneur with Kathryn Schwartz. She is the founder of Pawleys Investment Advisors. She holds a Master’s Certificate in Six Sigma Process Improvement from Villanova University and a BA from Columbia University. She has over 25 years of investment experience and for 13 years, Kathryn has volunteered in Winter Park, CO with the National Sports Center for the Disabled teaching blind skiers and skiers with various physical and cognitive challenges.
Kristine Delano guides the discussion on making the most of opportunities to become a successful entrepreneur. 
Follow on Instagram kristine.delano.writer 
Visit www.womeninetfs.com to find additional support in the ETF industry. 
Go to www.kristinedelano.com for your Thrive Guide: a compilation of the most requested and insightful advice from our guests on Leadership and Advancement.
Book recommendations: 
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho