Join the HKSWN in London for a panel discussion on Women in Finance, featuring alumnae talking about their transition into the financial services industry. The group will explore how HKS educational programs helped support their career paths, why so many of our alumnae choose to move into this sector and understand from their perspectives the differences between working in the public and private sectors. 

Please register here if you would like to attend or email Tatiana directly.

Featured speakers:

Andrea Marmolejo is an alternative investments and sustainability expert, founder and Managing Partner at Blue Topaz Capital. She develops bespoke purpose-led financial products for impact investors and DFIs, and advises clients on ESG integration. Throughout her career, Andrea set up and managed thematic investment funds, managed private equity and hedge fund portfolios for funds such as Regency Capital and Caxton Associates, and advised Fortune 500 corporations on aligning their corporate and social innovation strategy with SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Andrea has also advised DFID and the World Bank on their impact investing strategy in South Asia and East Africa. Prior to her investment roles, Andrea was Head of Latin American Utilities Research at Goldman Sachs and a strategy consultant at McKinsey&Co. Andrea is a Harvard MPA, and she serves as board member and Trustee at Frontline Aids and Reall, and as member of the Investment Committee at the Lankelly Chase Foundation.

Joy Adams is a British-American citizen who grew up moving around the world with her father who was in the Marine Corps. Currently, she is a VP in the Chief Security Office (CSO) at Deutsche Bank where she focuses on Identity & Access Technology. She is a member of Women in CSO, Women in Identity and writes an internal blog called “#thejoyoftech”. Her experience also includes being a co-founder in an internal startup created as part of Deutsche Bank’s inaugural Intrapreneur Program cohort. She has worked in a number of areas at Deutsche Bank including Finance, Government & Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance/Legal. Joy Adams started her career after graduating with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard Kennedy School in 2006. Her policy area of expertise at the Kennedy School was political and economic development. Upon graduation, she joined the Leadership Development Program at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. After leaving the Federal Reserve, she spent over three years in Economic Development working for the City of South San Francisco. She also spent two years at Travelers Insurance in London where she led EMEA Communications. In 2018, Joy completed the Oxford University Fintech Program. She has also participated in a number of hackathons outside of work, including the ‘Hack Make the Bank’ Google Campus blockchain hackathon. In her spare time, she is a member of the Europe Leadership Committee for Vital Voices, an organization that supports women leaders, and is a Patron for Children & The Arts, an organization that helps disadvantaged and hospice-bound youth.

Isabel Liu has 20 years’ experience investing private equity in infrastructure in both emerging and developed markets. She has been a key executive in the start-up of four investment businesses and funds, backed by blue-chip financial institutions and corporates. She has been involved in the full cycle of investing in airports, roads, metro stations, and power plants. Currently Isabel looks out for the interests of investors and users of infrastructure as a non-executive member of three boards. Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PiP) was created by UK pension funds to invest in UK infrastructure, and to date has invested £850 million. Transport Focus is the consumer champion for users of UK rail, bus, tram, and highways. The Consumer Challenge Board scrutinises how Heathrow Airport addresses consumer priorities in its business plans, including expanding with a third runway.  An ’83 MPP, Isabel has a BA in Economics from The Ohio State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
 
Monica Mendiratta is a Chartered Business Psychologist with over a decade of experience developing leaders in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining HSBC as Global Change and Learning Manager, Monica worked in consulting working for both government and corporate clients. She also worked for nearly 9 years at Scotland Yard.  In 2010, Monica won a Fulbright Police Scholarship to become a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and joined the Criminal Justice Department. There she carried out research at the FBI, NYPD, LAPD and the Canadian Police. Monica has been invited to speak about her work including at the Embassy of India and at the Distinguished Speaker Series at Goldsmiths College, University of London.  Last year, Monica was interviewed by the BBC and the Sunday Times. Monica recently won the Promising Professional Award at the She Inspires Awards 2019 organised at the British Parliament. 

Deanna Zhang is currently a Senior Associate at L-GAM Advisers, a European private equity investment firm founded in 2013 by former directors at Bain Capital and Investcorp in partnership with the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. At L-GAM, Deanna is responsible for investment due diligence and portfolio management, and has helped lead fundraising efforts to grow assets under management to over €1bn. Previously, she worked in venture capital and impact investing as an Investment Manager at LGT Impact Ventures in Latin America, and was a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in Southeast Asia. She has also worked with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, the United Nations, and various other non-profits in the healthcare, economic development, and education sectors. A US national, Deanna holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an MPA/ID from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University.