Career Growth, Opportunities and New Challenges at BlackRock

Catherine Franey, a Vice President based in our Wilmington office.

In her 13 years at the firm, Catherine Franey, Vice President in our Solutions Investment Account Group, has chosen to stay in the same group. Why? It’s “due to the tremendous amount of growth opportunities that have been presented to me,” explains Catherine.

Catherine grew rapidly within accounting, ultimately becoming the leader of her own international accounting team. Over the course of her career, the firm has helped Catherine advance her client communication skills, providing her with constant opportunities for visibility and practice in conveying messages clearly, concisely and accurately. She was also pulled in frequently to share her expertise with the Service Delivery Team, which manages the firm’s accounting client relationships. BlackRock’s encouragement and focus on helping employees grow their skills is a top reason Catherine loves working here.

She also shares that “you never lose visibility within BlackRock. As a leader within my team, visibility to my leaders, peers and clients is key to building trust and ensuring accountability and safety. People believe in what they can see. My clients and fellow employees need to observe that they are in a safe and transparent place, and that they are being fully supported with their expectations met.”

In the video below, Catherine tells us more about why she loves working at the firm. Scroll down to read excerpts from Catherine’s video interview with Fairygodboss.

Tell us what you find most exciting about your work.

In my day-to-day role, I coordinate and manage client projects and handle escalation resolution and communication. I’m also responsible for process improvement and technology to advance the client experience.

I’m currently involved in leading helping to lead the largest-ever client implementation in the Accounting and Investment “Book of Records.” It involves both Aladdin and our accounting system; it began in 2022 and will go live in 2024. This effort has me working across many different teams within BlackRock, which is a great opportunity to meet new people, find out about their experiences and see how we can work together in the future.

This opportunity is also challenging because it’s going to cross many different kinds of asset classes: fixed income, equities, alternatives, derivatives and mortgages. So this will help me strengthen my understanding of each of those sectors in the marketplace.

How would you describe the culture at BlackRock?

The culture is diverse and fast-paced, and lends itself to opportunities for career growth and new challenges. On my team specifically, we span many different sectors, so it provides a path to really grow within the team.

BlackRock also encourages employees to be constant “Students of the Market” by keeping themselves apprised of financial market activity, competitive landscapes and global industry trends. Personally, I need to continue to be a Student of the Market by staying up to date on my clients’ industry standards. I stay closely aligned to what is happening in the economy and how it may directly impact the clients my team and I work with. BlackRock is always helping me strengthen my skills and understanding of the market, especially as our firm continues to expand within the industry.

How does BlackRock support you?

The first thing that comes to mind is all of the networking and social groups within BlackRock. Of special importance to me is our Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN), which helps women advance at the firm. WIN ensures we can come together and hear from other women – both within and outside of the firm – on how their individual career journeys have progressed. I find that every time I attend a WIN event, I leave inspired and more educated on approaching things within my career.

Along with that, there are all kinds of different BlackRock Academies that offer classes for us to take at our convenience. We can take them after hours, or we can put some time aside in our calendars to do that. The Academies bring in educators to help us stay constant with changes in the marketplace, depending on what your expertise may be within your department at BlackRock.

What advice do you have for other women looking to work at BlackRock?

Come as soon as you’re ready! Support and growth opportunities for women are inherent parts of the culture here.

Something I want to call out – once you’re here – is that new joiners at BlackRock receive a buddy. This person is someone who stays with you as you’re being onboarded. You can ask as many questions as you’d like, so I would tell people to use this relationship to its full capacity. I’d also encourage you, as you expand your career within BlackRock, to seek out a mentor, whether that mentor is within or outside of your team.