Whitman Welcomes and Encourages Women in Finance

Women are widely underrepresented in the finance industry on many levels. According to a 2017 report by Preqin, less than 17% of senior leaders in investment banking are women and only 9% of senior executives in private equity are women. Men making up the majority of these roles. However, Syracuse University‘s Martin J. Whitman School of Management aims to close this gap by providing educational experiences that encourage women to pursue careers in finance, as well as provide a holistic view of working as a woman in finance. As part of this mission, the Whitman School Career Services Center organized and hosted their annual Women in Finance Day, which included a luncheon for the female Whitman School graduating students enrolled in the finance programs, and a panel featuring industry experts. The panel was open to all female Whitman School students.

The panel was moderated by Fatma Sonmez-Leopold, assistant professor of finance at the Whitman School, and featured female Whitman School alumni in different finance roles across the industry.

The 2019 Women in Finance panelists were:

  • Lisa Fontenelli ’86 (WHIT/NEW), chair of the Whitman Advisory Council, former deputy head of global investment research and head of securities research at Goldman Sachs;
  • Hillary Tucker ’14, associate for consultant relations in the investment management division at Goldman Sachs;
  • Elizabeth Enthrup ’14, associate for institutional equity sales at Jefferies;
  • Oriana Fuentes ’12, co-founder and chief operating officer at Emptor; and
  • Katherine Caminero ’15, chief of staff for the group managing director and global head of human resources for the global wealth management business at UBS.

Personal networking, career mobility, opportunities outside of your major, mentorship, and connecting the dots within big organizations were all discussed by the panelists. In addition, students had the opportunity to ask their own questions to the panelists, which allowed them to get life advice from working professionals.

Paige Koss, a Whitman School sophomore finance major, was thrilled at the opportunity to attend. Afterward, she said, “the panel was so helpful and empowering, especially to see women succeeding in a historically male-dominated field.”

Kristin Mascolo
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