Ever have that dream where you’re standing in front of a crowd, nailing a presentation? For the members of BlackRock Speaks, that’s just another Tuesday. This employee-led group offers colleagues a safe space to enhance public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and hone speechwriting and delivery times.
BlackRock Speaks began in March 2012, with just a handful of London-based Women’s Initiative & Allies Network (WIN) members who were inspired to improve their public speaking abilities – and today, it boasts more than 700 members across nine countries.
To achieve their goal, the founders connected with a local Toastmasters chapter and learned how to operate their own chapter within a corporate setting. In just a few months, the inaugural BlackRock Speaks group became a bona fide Toastmasters club.
(ICYDK: Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that’s helped people around the world strengthen their public speaking and leadership skills for the last 100 years.)
To learn more about the group’s draw, we connected with participants Emese Szocs, Jennifer Kelly and Lorelei Paredes. They also shared how it’s impacted their lives – both professionally and personally.
How did you hear about BlackRock Speaks?
Emese: I heard about it from a colleague who attended a demo session. She shared her experience of being pushed out of her comfort zone through a creative exercise incorporating random funny words into an impromptu speech (“Table Topics”) – but it immediately piqued my interest.
Jennifer: In May 2021, I received an email with the subject: “How can we stay in touch and participate in activities virtually? Here are some ideas!” As I scanned through the email, one item jumped out at me: “The Return of BLK Speaks!”
Lorelei: I was introduced to BlackRock Speaks through colleagues who sit with me on the Mindfulness Network Operating Committee. I try to be a good cheerleader to my friends, so I first attended a session to show my support.
What motivated you to join BlackRock Speaks?
Lorelei: I have been trying to improve my communication for a few years now and how to share ideas in a mindful, easy-to-digest way to avoid miscommunication. This is particularly important in project management, where you work with people with skillsets different from your own. Communication is important on a day-to-day basis. And there’s an extra challenge when you’re an immigrant in a new country with a new culture speaking in a non-native language.
Emese: My curiosity guided me to BlackRock Speaks. Also, English is my second language. So, I was looking for a way to improve my grammar and extend my vocabulary while also building a community. BlackRock Speaks ticked all those boxes.
Jennifer: Professionally, I wanted to challenge myself to write 10 five- to seven-minute speeches within a 12- to 15-week period. I’m happy to say I completed these goals at the end of March 2022, and I am now an effective communicator!
Personally, I am introverted and shy, and have major anxiety. But I cope by putting myself out there – even though sometimes I’d rather crawl into bed under the covers.
I joined BlackRock Speaks to prove to myself that I could write awesome speeches within targeted times, and that a challenge like this could be achieved even with my workload and personal life.
What was your first meeting like?
Jennifer: I was very nervous because I didn’t know anyone – but I was also excited! I gave a short speech about myself that was not prepared ahead of time.
Emese: I will never forget the first meeting. It was the last in-person event before lockdown. I was sitting there, quietly amazed by the structure of a club meeting and surprised at how much learning could fit into a one-hour agenda. After hearing the prepared speeches, I thought: ‘Okay, now is the time everyone finds out I don’t speak proper English.’ Everyone seemed so professional, and I felt so tiny and intimidated. Then the evaluators and group members started to share their feedback and thoughts in such a friendly manner, which set the stage for a safe environment. Since then, I’ve felt confident in myself to participate with an open mindset.
Lorelei: I wasn’t planning to speak. The subject was mental health, and a lot of key points started popping up – authenticity of the self, vulnerability in communicating – and the impromptu subject was an elevator pitch to the CEO about mental health. At that time, I hadn’t come out as a transgender woman, but I couldn’t just stand by and let things pass. I raised my (virtual) hand to speak, and I turned on my camera and talked about DEI and political attacks in the media that can have impact on vulnerable people. I would like to say that I remember everything, but I don’t. It was adrenaline. It was fire. It was the moment. This was my first time presenting as a woman with colleagues, and a lot of them were people I didn’t know. What I remember is how I started my second sentence: “As a transgender woman…” And things were sealed in that moment. Every pretense I had about presenting just disappeared. At that moment, I knew what I had to do.
What kind of improvements did you see? When did you start noticing these changes? How long did it take?
Emese: The agenda that Toastmasters built is simply amazing. I’ve noticed the takeaways from each session seamlessly slipping into my daily life. I’m paying closer attention to synonyms, being more thoughtful with grammar and being okay with pausing to find a more suitable expression or skipping a filler word.
I enter meetings or conversations with an altered mindset. I cannot recall the exact time when I started to experience that, but I definitely feel the difference. It’s had a positive impact on my communication in my personal life as well – even when I’m not speaking English.
Jennifer: One of the challenges I had was going over the time limit on my speeches. They seemed to always be just a little over 7 minutes, even though I would practice over and over. I love to tell stories, but I tend to get caught up in the moment. Next thing you know, I’ve finished my speech, but it would still be over the allotted time limit. Listening to feedback and continuing to practice, I was able to get under the time limit. Woo-hoo!
How does it feel to have this support system through the BlackRock Speaks network?
Jennifer: In our group, we’ve said many times that the block of time we have at 12:30 pm is something we look forward to every week. We get a break from work challenges and have a chance to just chill out, tell some stories, laugh, smile and leave feeling ready to continue with the rest of our day. I am so glad that I read that email, attended the information session and signed up for the 10 Speech Challenge! I challenge someone else who may be in the same situation to come join a Speaks group meeting and have a listen. It might just be what you’ve been looking for!
Lorelei: This is a FeBe model: For Employees, By Employees. This is something that we as employees do ourselves to help our colleagues, to create connection and to foster our culture. We’ve also been able to carry over this type of support to other parts of BlackRock’s culture. I’m part of the firm’s Mindfulness Network, where we’ve implemented a Habit Book club to discuss techniques to improve ourselves. And just as BlackRock Speaks does, my co-hosts and I have tried to create a safe space where people can be themselves and openly communicate.
Emese: I feel honored and proud to be part of BlackRock Speaks. There is this expectation that, when you step into the corporate world, you should already have exceptional communication skills, be great with presentations, be confident in sharing thoughts, be ready for impromptu debates. We can all agree that most people aren’t born with those skills. However, in terms of support, what you would get from a random shared service center is a digital course sharing hints and tips on presentation skills. Or you could attend a one-time, facilitator-led communication training to learn about ground rules of transparency, authenticity or assertiveness, then go and practice on your own. With BlackRock Speaks, it is entirely different. This feels like a safe playground to practice what we’ve learned in theory. We know that practice makes masters and grows confidence, and that confidence and self-esteem extend beyond the office walls.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Meet Pravin Goel, a Managing Director and the Country Head for India. Since joining BlackRock in 2012, his tenure at the firm has comprised a wide range of responsibilities and experience in leadership roles, including sitting on several key committees, like the India Executive Committee, APAC (Asia-Pacific) Executive Committee and Global DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) Steering Committee. Read on to learn more about Pravin’s career, passion for innovation and leadership style, as well as the unique One BlackRock culture he fosters in the Mumbai, Gurgaon and Bangalore offices.
Tell us about your career journey, including how you became BlackRock’s Country Head for India.
I have a deep passion for technology and started my career 25 years ago building device drivers for Windows CE applications – which were similar to the mobile phone apps of today! I then moved into tech consulting for business clients in the U.S., U.K. and India, working across various industries until I realized that I wanted to be more involved in finance. I grew up in Delhi and love living here, so when the Royal Bank of Scotland decided to open offices in Gurgaon, it was perfect for me, and I ended up running its investment risk technology in India.
That experience ultimately helped me land a role building and scaling BlackRock’s engineering presence in Gurgaon. I started working closely with the Business Operations team and when the position of Head of Business Operations became available, I raised my hand. I was excited to expand my role and career to include both technology and operations.
Give us a flavor of your role as the Country Head for India.
I would say the role is one of “HCC” – heart, connectivity and caliber.
Heart: I am committed to the One BlackRock culture, which for me includes sponsoring employee networks, embracing diversity of people and perspectives, and valuing the unique community we’ve built. BlackRock India is a massive operation, with more than 2,500 people across three offices in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Bangalore. Many global leaders see my role as being the eyes and ears for their teams here; that fiduciary aspect is probably the biggest component of my job.
Connectivity: I try to foster connection with the rest of the firm – helping my colleagues here in India partner globally, understand functional priorities and connect across different verticals. Through that, we’re able to strengthen the spirit of innovation at the firm. That level of connectivity requires me to cascade down what’s going on globally, and vice versa, bubble-up relevant aspects from India to our partners around the world.
Caliber: My focus on caliber is about maintaining high standards of operations – engaging in operating events that happen in a business of our scale and complexity, ensuring appropriate local and global compliances are met, preparing for contingencies and business continuity, and representing us well in the communities where we operate.
How does the firm support your passion for tech in this broader role?
BlackRock offers its own ‘Academies,’ which provide learning content across a variety of topics created by and for BlackRock employees. Our Tech Academy is particularly amazing, and BlackRock has arguably one of the best teams on the planet when it comes to investment technology. My passion over the last 5 years has been in artificial intelligence (AI), and I have completed many courses related to AI-driven investing, computer vision, natural language processing and advanced Tensorflow, an open-source platform for machine learning.
For someone who grew up as a software engineer, the AI domain can be a challenging shift – from training the machine on every detail to letting it learn itself without making it easy for you to know what it learned!
You are part of many global networks and committees at BlackRock. What has that experience been like?
I’m passionate about mental health advocacy and advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the way I had previously thought about mental health – I realized it is an urgent global issue and became a founding member of BlackRock’s Global Mental Health Steering Committee. Our objective is to normalize the conversation around the topic and reduce the stigma – and it can be particularly impactful when senior leaders are visibly involved. We now have more than 50 mental health ambassadors in our India offices and have been named a Gold employer in the India Workplace Equality Index.
From a DEI perspective, breaking down myths about Asians is an issue that’s really important to me. We have proactively developed tailored programs for our APAC offices, such as our “Listening Circles” and “Courageous Conversations,” which serve as dedicated safe spaces where individuals are encouraged to express themselves openly and honestly. Through these programs, we aim to foster a supportive environment that promotes dialogue, understanding and the sharing of diverse perspectives.
Can you share what BlackRock is doing for communities in India?
Over the years, we have partnered with organizations such as Village Capital, Pyxera, the Center for Digital Financial Inclusion, Generation, the American India Foundation – and so many of our employees have contributed with their financial and technical strengths towards the firm’s mission of helping more and more people experience financial well-being. Our Financial Inclusion Team (FIT), an employee-led impact network at the firm, is specifically focused on this notion. Over time, our dedication and efforts have empowered numerous members of our community to gain a deeper understanding of their financial situations and seize control of their monetary well-being.
The India chapter of BlackRock’s Hallac Scholarship Program has also established a partnership with Lady Shriram College, which has allowed us to expand our outreach to local communities of diverse backgrounds. That involvement has been a personally life-changing experience for many of us.
What is the culture like at BlackRock’s India offices?
Our culture is rooted in our purpose and principles, and the care embedded within these – which requires a lot of intentionality, consistency and ownership. For example, the culture at BlackRock is intentionally not owned by Human Resources alone; the committee that works to enrich the experience of our employees has representation from across functions and geographies, including India.
The entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of our firm and office is fostered through things like BlackRock’s global Hackathon, in which our local colleagues are heavily engaged. In the most recent Hackathon, about 40% of all ideas came from teams in India! And this year the winner of the global Hackathon was the India and Japan Team. We also have a huge focus on learning and sharing information with each other, which we see come to life with the BlackRock Learning League – a self-organized, ground-up effort to gamify learning and link it to real-world problems.
What advice would you give to those starting their careers, especially at BlackRock?
First: No job is too small. Do every job as if it is the most important job in the world because for you, at the time, it really is. As a senior leader in our San Francisco office says: “Own something and do it well.”
Second: Have faith that your career will work out well while working hard to achieve your dreams. Faith is the antidote to the stresses of the increasingly ‘VUCA’ (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
Finally: Take full ownership of your communication – with an emphasis on being a good listener while keeping in mind the importance of speaking up.
Interested in joining Pravin and his colleagues in India? Check out open roles in Mumbai, Gurgaon and Bangalore here.
Written by
Jennifer McGovern is a Managing Director within BlackRock’s Global Product Group (GPG), leading Product Development and Governance for the Americas. GPG’s mission is to catalyze firm growth by delivering for clients on the biggest asset management trends through expertly designed, scalable products and solutions. Jennifer’s team is responsible for new product development, product lifecycle management and product governance. After starting her career as an Analyst at BlackRock, Jennifer left the firm to pursue a new dream: a law degree. Read on to discover what led her back to BlackRock after law school, and how her legal training has helped her grow her role and team at the firm.
Can you tell us about your career journey?
I started as a Program Analyst in a predecessor team to US Wealth Advisory (USWA), working on mutual fund and closed-end fund product development. After five years, I wanted to go to grad school and decided to go to Brooklyn Law School. It felt like the right time, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity.
While I was in law school, I didn’t think I would go back to financial services and had no expectation of returning to BlackRock. I was working in-house at a small firm for about six months when I realized it wasn’t a good fit for me. Having ‘grown up’ at BlackRock, I was used to a high level of engagement and a lot going on. Even in a junior role, I felt like I was having an impact. Coming out of law school, it was strange not only to be at a much smaller firm, but also to feel more isolated from the business day-to-day. I missed the “flatness” of BlackRock’s organizational structure and the networks I had developed.
I was still in touch with people at BlackRock and it was clear from them that a lot of change was happening. I’d left BlackRock in 2004 and since then the Merrill Lynch Investment Management (MLIM) merger had happened, and BlackRock’s Wealth business was transformed, with a growing team and new opportunities. And many of the same people I’d worked with previously were still at the firm.
The growth of BlackRock’s Wealth business and expansion of the product line provided a great opportunity for me to return to the firm and combine my previous knowledge of product development with my new legal training.
When I returned, I focused on USWA’s product structuring and development, which included working closely with the mutual fund boards. After a few years, we combined my team with other product teams that had been in the Institutional Client Business and BlackRock Alternative Investors to form the Americas Product Development function within GPG.
Who has influenced you most during your time at BlackRock?
I’ve had the opportunity to work with many inspiring and talented senior leaders during my time at BlackRock. Barbara Novick (co-founder of BlackRock and current Senior Advisor) was one of the very first people I met at the firm. She actually interviewed me on campus and became a great role model and mentor to me. Anne Ackerley (Managing Director, Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group) was also very influential, providing invaluable advice and guidance, especially as I navigated key career decisions early on in my time at BlackRock. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from the leaders of USWA and GPG, as well as the mutual fund boards and the BlackRock team that manages the board relationship, led by Rob Fairbairn (Vice Chairman and member of BlackRock’s Office of the Chairman) and John Perlowski (Managing Director, President and Director of BlackRock’s US Retail Mutual Funds). I’m regularly inspired by our broader team within GPG, especially by many of our Analysts, Associates and VPs, who are committed to building a strong inclusive culture within the team.
Internal mobility is a key focus at the firm. What does that look like on your team?
We have the benefit of working cross-functionally, as many teams at BlackRock do. We’ve had new joiners from sales, product strategy and operations who have leveraged their subject matter expertise to help us progress many different product initiatives. Because we have a lot of interaction with other teams, Product can also be a great starting point to learn about the business more broadly. After being on the team for a few years, we’ve had team members decide that they want to pursue opportunities in other business functions, like Product Strategy, iShares and Client Businesses, to grow their careers outside of Product, leveraging the knowledge and network they developed while on the team.
How can being part of the alumni community help someone advance their career?
People have left BlackRock for many different reasons, and they represent a huge collection of experiences and knowledge. Bringing this group together to network and share information and roles can benefit everyone.
What is a podcast you are listening to or a book you are reading right now?
I recently finished reading Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a book tracing the lives of two half-sisters in Ghana and then multiple generations afterwards in Ghana and America.
This article was originally published on BlackRock’s Alumni website.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
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.
A version of this article was originally published on Fairygodboss.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Written by
“I was always a tinkerer – even as a child,” says Deval Patel, an engineer within Aladdin Engineering at BlackRock. In the beginning, that tinkering meant building his own games and programming robots. But ultimately, those interests led him to engineering school – where he honed his craft of “enabling people to operate at a higher efficiency.”
He’s been at BlackRock since 2016 and has never stopped innovating – building a career path tailored to his specific interests and skillset within the firm’s broader tech landscape.
Finding your path
Deval’s story is one like many. Coders, engineers, programmers – a large majority of whom don’t have formal backgrounds in financial services, but an undoubted interest in the industry and a drive to make it more resourceful.
Ozen Hussein, for example, is an Engineering Manager on the Aladdin Wealth team who joined in 2013. “BlackRock ran a campus recruitment event at my university,” he says. “What was interesting was how much they cared about technology – and that it was a revenue generator for the firm.”
That technology he’s talking about is Aladdin, BlackRock’s tech platform that unifies the investment process. Aladdin is a powerful toolkit for institutional investors – and it was a critical factor in Ozen deciding to speak with BlackRock senior leaders at the event. Pretty quickly, he found himself hooked.
“They encouraged a deeper understanding of finance and highlighted the opportunity to learn and innovate within the space nonetheless.”
Once he joined, Ozen discovered that, like modern tech innovation, learning never ends. From navigating the industry, to advancing knowledge and leadership skills, BlackRock invests heavily in growing people’s careers and places a strong emphasis on lifelong learning.
Proof: It even says so in our Principles, urging each employee to be a student of technology, the markets and more.
“I truly feel my path to leadership was laid by a constant desire to learn as a student of technology,” says Mike Bowen, a Director within Aladdin Engineering who joined in 2009. “Learn as much as you can about the space you are in while maintaining a constant curiosity of where tech is heading, the trends at play and how they can be applied to solve interesting challenges.”
Paving your path
Fast-forward a decade or so, Ozen and Mike can tell you that much like there is no one career path at BlackRock, there is also no one tech path – even in leadership, which can vary widely for every technologist. To best meet the needs of our technologists, BlackRock offers two different ‘tracks’ to leadership, helping our people capitalize on their strengths and advance their careers on their own terms.
The Technical Track “is more focused on architecture and delivery of technology,” according to Adam Waksman, a Senior Director within Aladdin. “Folks on the Technical Track can range from being pure architects or individual contributors to being team leads who manage people as well as lead technical design.”
The Enterprise Track, Adam adds, “is more focused on organizational impact and driving change through people. Typically, enterprise leaders benefit from having been successful developers or individual contributors at one point and now focus their attention on business needs, the cross-cutting dependencies of the organization and how to make their people successful.”
What does that all mean? Take Ozen: He’s an enterprise leader. His day-to-day entails team planning, delivery, contributing to team culture, technical roadmaps, technical decisions, architecture, code reviews – to name just a few elements.
The Technical Track, on the other hand, is all about being a subject matter expert. “You’re the owner of a particular system or technology,” Ozen says. “Hands-on coding is generally still part of your role, maintaining technical standards on the team and giving technical direction.”
While the two tracks may sound distinct, they can – and often do – intersect. In fact, most tech leaders at BlackRock fall somewhere in between, depending on their vision for their career. Adam is “currently 80-90% toward the Enterprise side. I’ve played the role of Principal Engineer at a past company, and I’ve moved into management twice in my career, once moving back to an IC Architect role in the middle.”
As a technical leader, Deval likes that “you’re not shoehorned into a singular way of working or forced to pick a side. The ability to add to our strategy from a technical perspective, to push the envelope on scale and still be able to progress like a traditional people manager is in certain ways unique to BlackRock.”
The road (slightly) less traveled
The other beauty of being a technologist at BlackRock is that not all roads lead to Aladdin. There’s an overt emphasis on internal mobility, encouraging employees to build a dynamic career where they can work in a variety of different types of roles and areas across our global firm – and exposing them to many other facets of the business in the process.
Which means: Over the course of your career, your trajectory as a technologist can span the entire organization (if you want it to) – from Aladdin Wealth Tech or Analytics & Modeling, working heads down on advanced tools and models for valuation projects, to the Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Index Investments group, solving complex technical challenges for the more finance-related scope of the business.
And to help you build out that distinct career path – Enterprise or Technical, Aladdin-based or otherwise – you have development programs and resources at your disposal.
“BlackRock offers a plethora of tech leadership programs,” says Mike. “On any given day, you’ve got access to mentorships, reverse mentorships, groups, networks and training resources.”
More than words
Simply put: What BlackRock offers its technologists is opportunity. Per Mike, “There’s no shortage of ways to challenge yourself.” The firm employs “some of the best and brightest people” in the industry – folks willing to “share their time and experiences unselfishly.”
It’s a recurring theme here – this tech culture that’s not only innovative and diverse, but also one Ozen calls “friendly, challenging and nurturing.”
And let’s not forget collaborative. Deval believes BlackRock operates more like a smaller startup rather than a large corporation of almost 20,000 global employees. “Everyone is encouraged to seek out subject matter experts to discuss ideas and questions, as well as ask for advice.”
At the end of the day, it’s a One BlackRock experience. How you want to show up, and how you want your career to flow, is up to you.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
It’s no secret that working in finance – especially within investment management – can be a high-stress career. “I’ve always worried about what toll that can take on an individual,” says Gemma Holmes, an equity trader at BlackRock. Leaning into her educational background in human sciences and interest in human behavior, Gemma – along with some fellow colleagues – set out to help address the issue of mental health. During the earlier days of the pandemic, when many people were facing new challenges, they hosted a session about how stress can impact traders. “We were able to get traders to open up and share their experiences,” Gemma recalls. “It received a great response, and people were really engaged and honest.” The session inspired Gemma to join BlackRock’s Mental Health Ambassador program. As she says, “We can all benefit from having a relationship with our mental health.” Here, Gemma talks more about the Mental Health Ambassador program, why acknowledging mental health is crucial in the workplace and how she maintains work-life balance. Tell us about your career journey. What inspired you to pursue a career in finance, specifically in investment management? I kind of fell into it. My first job out of university was in advertising and after 18 months of doing that, a friend suggested I apply for a role at a hedge fund. My knowledge of finance was very limited at the time, but I got a good vibe during the interview so I took the opportunity. What I liked was the relationship side of it; my role required being the bridge between the fund manager and about 500 brokers across many European sell-side institutions. What led to your job at BlackRock, and how did you know it would be a good fit? After trading for two hedge funds – the second being a startup – I was attracted to joining BlackRock to see inside the powerhouse! I was interested in experiencing the difference between executing hedge fund flow, where I would be both buying long and selling short, versus working with long-only funds, with the prospect of handling some very large – and sometimes multi-month – orders. The beauty of BlackRock is that due to its size and breadth of product, I get to trade for both, which requires a mix of skills and keeps it exciting! What are you responsible for in your current role? What do you like most about your job? I predominantly trade for the European Fundamental Equity funds, but also get an opportunity to dip my toe in smallcap U.K. and emerging market funds, so there is always something new to learn. Whatever is happening in the markets, BlackRock is usually involved somehow. Tell us about BlackRock’s Mental Health Ambassador program. How does it work, and how has it impacted you and your colleagues? BlackRock’s Mental Health Ambassador program has about 400 volunteer ambassadors globally, across all functions and levels of seniority, who receive training on how to talk to people who are struggling and help direct them to our professional health resources. Stress is a normal part of most of our lives and, being a trader, I have learned how to handle acute levels on a daily basis and am keen to help others understand what is manageable or when they might need help. Recognizing that some days are going to be better than others and understanding what might trigger us into feeling stressed or anxious is important. Why are mental health and well-being programs important for companies to offer? Being aware of coping mechanisms that we can employ in order to prevent stress from turning into a more serious and prolonged period of negative well-being is essential. Unlike physical health, poor mental health is trickier to spot in others and so it can often go unnoticed by colleagues or managers. It is important for companies to remove the stigma around mental health and provide the right resources for employees to get help easily. We understand you’re also involved in BlackRock’s Women in Investments (WII) Committee. How has it supported you and other colleagues? WII is powered by a small committee of dedicated and passionate women who believe in supporting, and hopefully retaining, female talent in Investments. We offer regular sessions on areas that women may find challenging during their careers. For example, I recently hosted an “ask me anything” session titled “Clarity Around Compensation” with two senior women within Investments. We also run annual listening sessions to collect feedback from our population, and this year we introduced a chat group for women to share investment and market insights in a safe and supportive space. What is your favorite part about working in BlackRock’s London office? What is the culture like? I have never worked somewhere that offers as much of a wide smorgasbord of things to get involved in outside of your day job. I have had the opportunity to volunteer as a reading partner at a local primary school, attend mindfulness sessions, experience a sound bath, and listen to famous and interesting speakers across many industries who have come to address intimate audiences in the office. What advice would you offer to women trying to succeed in a predominantly male-dominated field like finance? Early on in my career, I used to worry that I would struggle in trading because I didn’t act like all the men around me – and back then there were only men. A wise colleague gave me a great piece of advice: nobody was expecting me to behave like a man and I should do it my way. I’ve always held on to that and used it as my strength. I now know that there is never just one way of achieving the same outcome; if you play to your strengths and have confidence in yourself, you are more likely to stand out and be noticed for finding a different route. It’s all about being yourself and standing up for what you believe in. What advice do you have for maintaining a healthy work-life balance? This is the toughest question! I can’t say that I’m striking the right balance since, let’s be honest, it always feels like a juggle. The upside of becoming a working parent is it gives you hard deadlines – you have to leave the office at a certain time because a little human depends on it. For those without children, try and commit to putting work down at a reasonable time in order to get to the gym or keep that date for drinks with friends. Having something to do that switches our brain off from work is super important in order to recharge. Kids are a perfect distraction; they really demand your full attention and although it’s exhausting, as my dad always says, “A change is as good as a break!” This article was originally published on The Muse.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
As BlackRock’s Global Head of Pricing Operations, Ifeoma (Ify) Ezike leads a dynamic team dedicated to ensuring clients can assess how investments align with their goals. Ify began her career with a focus on science, studying medical engineering at Queen Mary University of London. “I always thought I’d end up working in the sciences, but when I graduated, I found it difficult to get a job in that field,” said Ify. “I switched to financial services and started off at American Express, then moved to Fidelity Investments. I joined BlackRock as an Associate in 2011, and since then, I’ve been promoted three times at the firm, most recently to Managing Director.” Accelerating in the financial sector is no easy feat, but Ify’s distinguished career is a testament to her dedication, work ethic and ingenuity. Harnessing lessons from her expansive career, Ify has emerged as a leader welcoming the next generation of Black professionals. What motivated you to decide to pursue a career in finance despite studying medical engineering? After graduating, I struggled to find a role in the industry. This led me to explore roles in other industries. I knew I enjoyed working with numbers and solving problems, so the finance industry seemed like it would be a possible good fit – and it was! I held roles at American Express and Fidelity Investments before moving to BlackRock in 2011 as an Associate. My primary objective upon joining was to establish and build a Pricing Team in Europe. Can you tell us a bit more about your role as Global Head of Pricing Operations at BlackRock? For all the investments BlackRock makes, my team and I are responsible for ensuring they have the right value assigned to them, so that when clients receive their periodic reports, they have a better idea of what their investments are worth. What challenges have you faced in your career, and how did you navigate them to become successful? One big challenge I’ve experienced while working in financial services is not being invited into the rooms where decisions are being made. In that scenario, I look to see if there is someone else in the room I can approach as an ally to help me pull the right strings to get an invitation or be that voice in the room. It’s one of the reasons making connections and cultivating relationships at work is so important. Another challenge I’ve encountered is having to deal with rejections or being told ‘No,’ for one reason or another – including the time I was told I just didn’t have enough gravitas. But every problem has a solution – whether that solution is currently in your control or not. Try to understand how you can work towards that solution and plan for it. Did you receive any support from mentors or senior leadership when you were in a more junior role? I’ve been fortunate to have supportive people throughout my career, but early on, I didn’t have what I would describe as a mentor. That changed about eight years ago, and I’ve benefited greatly from my mentor, who has often served as a sounding board and source of advice for me. Does BlackRock have any strategies to increase representation among senior roles within the firm? Yes, we have some great Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in place, with strategies that address different levels across the organization. In the last couple of years we have run a number of programs including; PROPEL (Professional Preparation for Elevated Leadership), an 18-month program for high-performing Vice Presidents who voluntarily self-identify as Black; and our Career Fiduciary program, which is for Vice Presidents and Directors who self-identify as Black, and aims to help eliminate systemic barriers that Black leaders face, increase internal mobility opportunities, and further deepen our leadership bench, especially for succession planning. We also have dedicated programs for colleagues who are in the earlier stages of their careers, like Amplify, which is a 6-month career development initiative for Administrative Assistants, Analysts, and Associates across EMEA. Amplify provides its cohorts with career growth strategies, networking opportunities, greater access to senior leadership, and valuable insight into showing up more authentically in the workplace. Of course, we have a robust set of employee networks at BlackRock, including our Black Professionals and Allies Network (BPN), where I serve as a mentor. BPN helps foster meaningful opportunities for Black colleagues to develop and advance their careers, share their experiences, and network with members at all levels of the firm. Why do you think it’s important to have Black role model visibility in the workplace? If you’re able to see people who look like you – who are achieving success at the top of their game – it gives you hope that you can do it too. Do you have a personal quote or mantra that you use in your career? I flip between two phrases. The first is, “Nothing worth having is easy.” Whenever you work hard for something, and it’s an effort to obtain it, you cherish it more than if it were handed to you. The second is, “Lead by example” – and for me, that means I don’t start what I can’t finish. This article was originally published on Black Young Professionals.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
You may not always be sure when – or how – to make your next career move, whether that means switching to a different team, advancing beyond your current position, or both. But you do know when it’s time for a change, usually once you’ve outgrown a job. And that’s why your next steps can be crucial to establishing an exciting long-term career.
At a “flat” firm like BlackRock, you can connect with tons of teams and leaders around the globe to figure out what you’d like to do next – even if it’s something incredibly different from your current role. But once you discover that next opportunity, you want to ensure it’s taking you in the right direction. Stephanie Epstein, a Managing Director on the Multi-Assets and Strategies Solutions team and Global Head of BlackRock’s Multi-Manager Platform, suggests asking yourself these three questions: “Does this add something to your portfolio? Is the content something that you’re interested in? And is the manager someone you want to work for? If you have three legs of that stool, it’s a pretty good opportunity. Two out of three? You have to think about it.”
Scroll down for more advice from four other BlackRock leaders who share how they’ve successfully navigated internal mobility to grow their careers at the firm.
Take on a short-term assignment
With numerous opportunities to move internally at BlackRock, it can be challenging deciding where to go next. How do you know if this new business or role is the right fit? KC Moss, a Vice President on the BlackRock Capital Markets team, suggests taking on a short-term assignment with another team – to offer support, gain visibility and get to know the business better. “I made a point to raise my hand and put myself in opportunities with teams that I thought were interesting.”
Build your internal brand
Cameron Skinner, a Director on the Aladdin Solutions Engineering team, recommends developing an “internal brand,” marketing yourself as the go-to colleague with a specific skillset. “Working to be an expert in a certain area or carve out a niche where you are known as ‘that person’ has been extremely helpful to me over the course of my career, and has actually teed me up for the successive roles that I’ve had.” And if you think your current skillset or experience won’t come in handy on another team, think again. You’re an asset, no matter how different your new title – or location – may be. When KC took a new role in a different department, she recognized that she didn’t yet have the same skills as her colleagues, so she capitalized on ones she did have in order to bring value to the team. “Coming from a more internal corporate role at BlackRock, I leaned on my project management skills and on my ability to navigate BlackRock, and I put those to use on my new team, while I got more exposure into capital markets.”
Cultivate relationships
Don’t overlook one of your most powerful tools: networking. From peers to senior leaders, those connections can provide insight and support for your professional growth. “Your network is one of the most valuable resources you can cultivate in your career,” notes Anusha Sriram, a Director on the Corporate Development team. “Your network is not just there to give you opportunities; it’s also there for support and to help you learn.” And with BlackRock’s 15 – and counting! – employee, professional and impact networks, it’s incredibly easy to meet colleagues from other teams, start building relationships and discover different areas of the firm you want to explore. You may even find your next mentor.
Be candid with your manager
Being candid with your manager is paramount to the process: you should aim to be open about your goals and where you see your career going. And once you do start interviewing for a new role, it’s time to have ‘the talk.’ Yes, it may seem daunting, but “it’s important that your manager first hears it from you, instead of somebody else,” says Mark Schissler, a Strategy Director for ETF & Index Investing. “A good manager would want to co-own the process with you and may already have a relationship with the manager you are interviewing with.” Cameron agrees, adding that fostering open communication with your manager creates space to have that frank discussion when you’ve outgrown a job – which is completely normal. “Candor is the biggest thing I think of when it comes to discussing and looking at internal mobility. Be candid about the reasons why you’re taking another role and why things have shifted over time.”
Make a plan
So you’ve officially made the move – congrats! Now let’s talk about some vital next steps. First, be consistent: remember that transitioning out of your current role is just as important as transitioning into your new one. Have a clear plan agreed to by both your incoming and outgoing managers; it will help make for a smoother transition. Second, be proactive: show your team that you’re eager, willing to learn and ready to be involved from day one – even as you’re still growing into the job. Third, be patient: it takes time to settle into a new role, both for you and for your new teammates. This can be true whether you’re moving to a new team or a new continent – just ask Mark, who spent two years in our London office! Either way, give your colleagues the space to get to know you and how your skillset best fits in. Fourth, be gracious: it’s essential to maintain relationships from your previous position, particularly with a manager who supported your move – and you’re likely to work with them again in some capacity. Lastly, be intentional: invite a new colleague for coffee or lunch to learn more about them and the work they do. Find ways to show that you’re genuinely invested.
Want to learn more about internal mobility at BlackRock? Check out this article featuring three BlackRock employees who followed their passions and changed career paths within the firm.
I joined BlackRock three years ago as a temporary contracted worker, and officially became a full-time employee in November 2021. I consider myself very lucky to be part of this firm, but even luckier to be part of the Iberian team. Our little office, our community here in Madrid, has become a second family to me – we share a lot of values, especially around giving back. On International Down Syndrome Day last March, our close-knit team in Madrid volunteered with a local organization called Down Madrid. Down Madrid’s mission is to defend the right to life and dignity of people with Down syndrome and to improve their quality of life overall. As part of BlackRock, we are committed to building a more diverse and inclusive environment – not just within our firm but also within the communities in which we live all around the globe. We participated in a “gymkhana,” connecting with the foundation’s members through several activities such as sports, a memory card game and the foundation’s version of a popular TV game show in Spain known as Pasapalabra (similar to The Alphabet Game in the UK). To show our support, the whole team wore mismatched socks as part of the #LotsofSocks campaign, which aims to raise global awareness of Down syndrome. When we had lunch that day, we noticed the food had been prepared by the foundation’s employees with intellectual disabilities. They took the time to explain all the dishes, and it was apparent how much thought and care had gone into each one. At the end of the meal, they surprised everyone on our team whose birthday had already passed with a special carrot cake. Since then, the foundation has become our cake vendor for every birthday we have in the office. We especially love when the bakers and other staff members from the foundation personally deliver our cakes and join us in singing “Happy Birthday!” Now our team celebrations are even sweeter. Some of their members have even helped us decorate plants for colleagues’ return to the office. “Our goal is not only to spend time volunteering with Down Madrid but also to help the members of the foundation integrate into society by partnering with them as our vendor for aspects of our BlackRock culture,” said Aitor Jauregui, MD and Country Manager for Iberia (Spain, Portugal and Andorra). We recently participated in a race led by Down Madrid, where more than 3,500 runners showed up to run a 2.5K, 5K or 10K, all in an effort to support those with intellectual disabilities. Not only were we part of a fantastic event that allowed us to connect with people who have intellectual disabilities, but we also raised more than $700 for the cause via Benevity, BlackRock’s Matching Rewards platform that donates $25 for each hour of volunteering. Aligned with BlackRock’s culture, we are committed to creating change in society and making a positive impact on people’s lives. We’re excited to continue building this long-term relationship with Down Madrid and help support their goals. And we’re happy that includes eating more birthday cake.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Meet Judit Gerlits, a software engineer within our ETF and Index Investments (EII) business based in Budapest. Hear Judit’s perspective on BlackRock’s different leadership pathways for technologists, and learn how she discovered the best fit for herself. What is your earliest memory of technology, and when did you start developing software? I’ve been around computers since I was a little kid. My mother and my brothers are computer programmers, and my dad is a mathematician, so I was very much headed towards that path from a young age. Back in the eighties, I started working with microcomputers, a ZX Spectrum, at home with my family. What do you do now? I’m a Java and Kotlin programmer at BlackRock. My team and I have been working on five or so business applications for a couple of years now; I was recently working on a cloud native project, where I learned to work with several new technologies, like programming in Kotlin or using Spring Integration framework. What I also love about my role is that I have a hand in building the technologies we use at BlackRock. What compelled you to join BlackRock? What kinds of opportunities did you envision there? I’ve been in the Hungarian fintech industry for a very long time, and what drew me to BlackRock in 2017 were the varying routes to leadership for technologists. In my previous role as a senior developer, I felt an increasing amount of pressure to become a people manager. I felt that was my only career path, but it wasn’t a route I wanted to pursue. At BlackRock, there has been an ongoing effort to help technology professionals who don’t want to be people managers find other leadership positions that better suit them, especially as subject matter experts. There are also other forms of leadership I encounter here every day, like mentoring or team structures where an engineer owns a small piece of the project and determines the tasks for the developers. Leadership happens in lots of small pockets of a project – everyone at BlackRock can and will get a taste of it throughout their career. Can you talk a bit more about that? What is the variety of leadership roles like for technologists at BlackRock? There is a huge variety of options. You can be a software developer, or a lead developer for a project, providing people with technical directives. You can be a strategy manager, who, rather than coding, is determining what the company should do, what direction it should take. We have quite a few senior colleagues who do this. You can go in the project owner direction, where you manage tech professionals from the business side of things. You can also become an expert in a more focused technical area and serve as an internal expert. For example, you can be an authentication manager, and teams at BlackRock will ask you to share your expertise for a specific project they’re working on. BlackRock has created a specialized track to support career paths like mine, and you can switch paths at any time. How can someone figure out which leadership path is best for them? I think it’s worthwhile to try out as many different roles as possible to find out what you like and what you do well. BlackRock has a great internal mobility initiative: if you want to change teams or even functions, your manager can work with you to explore new opportunities and help with that transition. So you can try a lot of different things during your career. A career is rarely a straight shot; oftentimes, your interests and career goals change as you gain more work experience. I’ve had several managers who were previously programmers and weren’t ready to let go of coding, even though they no longer had the time for it. They benefitted most when they were able to streamline their different areas of expertise. The best managers are those who enjoy what they do! What advice do you have for people at the beginning of their career when thinking about self-development? It is very important to step out of your comfort zone on a regular basis. Don’t just do one thing and get stuck there. It’s essential to always be learning new skills. BlackRock provides a great deal of support for many types of learning, including internal trainings, free access to the O’Reilly and Pluralsight platforms, a learning allowance and three days covered for courses and conferences, where you can hear what’s new and stay up to date on trends. It’s also very important to talk to people who are on other projects – not only can it benefit your own project, but it will also likely be useful to you in the future. What is it like being a woman technologist at BlackRock? Are there any specific opportunities or mentorship programs available to women in coding at the firm? There are a lot of women here at BlackRock, and they’re in a huge variety of roles across the firm. BlackRock believes that when a team is made up of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, we produce much better ideas and solutions to problems. And we’re not just talking about men and women or colleagues from different continents, but also about representing different social classes and cultural differences within countries. My team is 50% gender diverse, and many teams across the firm have similar breakdowns, which is above the general benchmark for this industry in Hungary. BlackRock is committed to supporting women, and even during the hiring process, the firm takes the initiative to have female interviewers when screening women candidates. It gives us the chance to discuss things we can more specifically relate to. We have a firmwide employee network called the Women’s Initiative & Allies Network, as well as a smaller group in the Budapest office called the Women in IT Budapest group. We work with several organizations like Skool and NATE to show girls and young women what a programmer does and why programming is fun. We also interview and mentor high school students, participate in charity donations for women and create study groups to help our own members further develop their skills and careers.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
Learn about this entrepreneur's BlackRock career journey from Program Analyst to Associate.
Spoiler alert! It was a great success.
Learn how Simone White, a BlackRock Administrative Professional, is working to evolve the preconception of APs at the firm and everywhere.
Learn how Nenad, a software engineer based in BlackRock's Belgrade office, champions financial education in his community.
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