Aarthi Vempati

I attribute my success to the fact that I'm always ready to put myself out there and ask questions, even when I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Since I have no finance background, every time I start or take on a new project, I always start at a point where I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. But I don't assume that someone's going to think I'm being dumb. From a day-to-day perspective, showing up like that and putting myself out there is a big achievement for me, looking back where I started to now. I've also had amazing advisors and managers who've always told me to keep growing and keep looking for opportunities to make things better. And personally, my mother and grandmother have been such a big influence on my life. They are strong women with strong voices, and irrespective of how everyone around them or the circumstances around them has made them feel that this is somehow not right for a woman to have or take up space, they've always stayed resilient and kept continuing through in their own way. That's a big takeaway for me - that a woman can absolutely take up space. There's nothing wrong about it, there's nothing against nature or tradition.

The best career advice I've received came from my managers when I told them I was going to have a baby. I wasn't sure what kind of reaction to expect, but the first thing all of them said was that this is the most important event in my life, that family time is going to be important, and being present is going to be important. They told me that if a company is not there to support you, this isn't the right place for you - not the other way around. That really shaped my perspective on work-life balance and helped me understand that I don't need to apologize for having interests and things to do outside of working hours. I am entitled to that time.

Right off the bat, work-life balance is non-negotiable and expected. Don't let anyone tell you that is not the standard, because I had to unlearn quite a bit from when I started. I do not need to apologize for having interests and things to do outside of working hours. I am entitled to that. So that's what I tell them - do not apologize for having your own time, be entitled to your time. The second thing is that everyone, even at an MD level, will ask you a very commonly known question. I just come from a different background and wouldn't exactly know what that is. Everyone in the room has questions. There's no such thing as dumb questions. Don't assume that someone's going to think you're being dumb. Ask questions and put yourself out there.