Women to Watch in Investment Banking

It’s not really relevant whether you are a man or a woman in investment banking. You are one of the team from the beginning.

said Lorraine Connell, UK investment banking at Barclays.

Men and women face very similar challenges; all employees have to evolve and make a successful transition from an analyst to being able to sell and generate money. It’s the same for men and women in that respect.

Many women think that there is a preconception that investment banking is a male industry and you need male-type qualities and act like men to succeed but it is not true.

Of course you shouldn't wear womens loungewear on meetings while your men collegues wear suits. Ultimately, you will need to be able to find a way to be confident and assertive that reflects your character.

In this article we, at DealRoom, take a look at ten talented women in investment banking who are changing the industry and whom worth following and learn from if you want to succeed.

1. Anu Aiygenar. Global Co-Head of M&A at JP Morgan

Anu Alygenar deserves her place at the head of any list of women in investment banking, not just because of her position, but because of what she overcame to get there. At an interview with a Wall Street investment bank early on in her career, she was told:

‘wrong gender, wrong color, wrong country’.

She now possesses over twenty years of senior investment banking experience at JP Morgan and is often cited as a potential successor to Jamie Dimon.

2. Catherine Bessant. Chief Operations and Technology Officer at Bank of America

At a time when the lines between technology and investment banking are increasingly blurred, Catherine Bessant’s role is ever more important. The roles that she has held at BOA in her forty years at the bank are testament to her versatility.

Since 1982, Bessant has been president of global corporate banking, president of global product solutions and global treasury services, and president of consumer real estate. 

3. Joyce Chang. Managing Director of Global Research at JP Morgan

JP Morgan employs nearly 1,000 research professionals covering virtually every specialization in modern finance, and they all answer to Joyce Chang. As well as being the investment bank’s global head of research, Chang is a member of its management committee.

She is particularly highly regarded in fixed income research, where her research work has been an ever present for the past decade, earning her an induction to the Fixed Income Analyst Society Hall of Fame.

4. Dawn Fitzpatrick, CIO at Soros Fund Management

The appointment of Dawn Fitzpatrick to the chief investment officer at Soros Fund Management received relatively little coverage when it happened in 2017, but she has made waves ever since.

To put the appointment in context, Fitzpatrick was taking over the investment reins at a company with $26 billion under management. As soon as Fitzpatrick was in the door, she began implementing a new strategic plan for the trading behemoth. 

5. Susan Huang, Co-Head of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley

Susan Huang joined Morgan Stanley in the early eighties as a financial analyst with a bachelor's degree in history in 1984, and has been with the company ever since.

Upon moving into the bank’s M&A division in 1990, she quickly moved into some of the most significant deals of the last three decades, including the combination of GE’s oil and gas business with Baker Hughes, Mars’ acquisition of VCA and Kind, and Wyeth’s sale to Pfizer.

6. Kim Posnett, Co-Head of One Goldman Sachs

Kim Posnett was named as Co-Head of One Goldman Sachs in April 2021. As part of her new role, Posnett will be expected to integrate the bank’s business divisions and improve how it services its biggest clients.

As part of her new role, she will continue in her existing role as head of investment banking services, where she was responsible for the investment bank’s network of advisory relationships.

7. Katia Bouazza, Vice Chair of Capital Markets, HSBC Americas

Under a restructuring in 2016, HSBC combined its corporate finance division with mergers and acquisitions advisory. Katia Bouazza took over the bank’s Latin America office In 2019, she was made Vice Chair of Capital Markets, where she was charged with expanding the bank’s transaction advisory services.

Since then, her impact has included making HSBC a pioneer in green bond financing, where it has issued green bonds for the Chilean government and Marfrig.

8. Miranda Zhao, Head of M&A APAC Region at Natixis Partners

Before moving to Natixis Partners in 2020, Miranda Zhao was Global Head of M&A at China Everbright Capital Limited, one of the Chinese government’s investment vehicles, so it’s safe to say that this woman is not afraid of stiff competition.

Her track record also includes spells in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and RBS. Her focus at Natixis will be cross-border M&A in the APAC region.

9. Heather Mitchell, Global Counsel for Investments, Carlyle Group

Heather Mitchell is one of very few women at the managing director level at Carlyle Group. Upon joining the private equity giant in 2019, she was quickly involved in all of its biggest deals, working on over 70 deals in her first 12 months.

Her responsibilities at the PE firm include everything from legal due diligence, valuations and deal structuring to 100-day plans. As if this wasn’t enough, she also heads up the company’s EMEA operations, leading 300 employees.

10. Celeste Mellet Brown, CFO at Evercore Partners

Celeste Mellet Brown became the first female to occupy the chief financial officer position at Evercore Partners, when she took over the position in May 2021. Mellet Brown has over twenty years of experience in a series of senior positions in Fannie Mae and Morgan Stanley.

Evercore Partners is one of the world’s fastest growing independent investment banks.