Jon Fee moderated the panel “Women in ETFs: Careers beyond ETFs.” The panel featured Life + Liberty Index’s Perth Tolle, Fidelity’s Anna Lester, and Banrion Capital’s Brittany Mason. “The ETF industry is better because of the organizations WE: Women in ETFs,” Fee said early in the panel.
Origin Stories
When asked what she was doing prior to finance, Mason said she worked in production in Ireland. “Very different than what I’m doing now.” Bonrian works on all things alts, according to Mason. As a Vegas local, she shared that Vegas is competitive on several fronts.
“I’ve always been a quant,” Lester joked that being onstage at Exchange is potentially the most glamorous thing she has ever done. “I’m here at this conference, like many of you, to learn.”
Tolle shared information about her Freedom 100 Index, which weights investments based on the freedom of the countries they are in. Prior to her work today, she was at Fidelity, where she noticed clients who would frequently want to avoid investing in countries and regions that limit freedom. “My first ETF conference was in 2014 in Miami.”
WE Helps Women Find Opportunities in ETFs
“A lot of time, as a woman in the industry, you want to be careful with women’s organizations,” Tolle noted. Many times, these organizations can pigeonhole women. “Women in ETFs has been the opposite.” Tolle share that they have provided concrete opportunities and helped her develop her network.
Lester shared that she got introduced to WE by attending one of their conferences. She learned a lot about ETFs through the organization. “I had colleagues at Fidelity introduce me to members at WE who were more than willing to spend an hour on the phone with me answering questions. Lester continued, “Without these resources, I would be clueless about the whole ecosystem of ETF.”
Mason sang WE’s praises, echoing that she has learned much about ETFs and the ETF space through the organization. She shared that she is relatively new to the ETF world. The pandemic turned her world around, and she had self-imposed critical beliefs that made her feel like she couldn’t have a career in finance. “Getting over those self-limiting beliefs was a huge part of my journey.”
Having Nothing to Lose
Mason and Tolle offered that having nothing to lose and taking chances can be a powerful asset. Tolle said, “Go annoy people; talk to as many people as you can.” If you haven’t annoyed someone at a conference, you probably have more people to talk to, according to Tolle.
Lester shared that she made many mistakes in her career, but looking back on it, she opined, “None of the mistakes were as bad as I thought they were at the time.” Asked by Fee to offer a pro-tip, she quipped, “Listen to Perth.” She reiterated the importance of talking to as many people as you can. Mason added that follow ups are also important.
Looking at the Next Phase of Careers for Women
Fee asked everyone what other industries they could see themselves in for the next career stage. Tolle joked, “I’m going to be like Tom Lydon — industry commentator, but still comes to hang out with all of you.” She said finding the right project has to give her purpose. “Before I started this fund, there was no way to invest in emerging markets without funding autocracies.”
“I am open to what the future holds,” Mason said, adding, “never a victim, always an alchemist.”
Lester said she doesn’t like the common advice of doing what you are passionate about for your career. “How can you know everything you are passionate about if you don’t know everything?” She said she never would have gone near ETFs if she had followed that advice.
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