Her Story
About Kristin
Kristin Martin has built a distinguished career over 15 years in mergers and acquisitions, securities, and cross-border transactions, with a primary focus on deals between China and the United States. After earning her Bachelor's in Finance and International Business and Master's in Business Analytics from the University of Central Florida, she worked at Waddell and Reed Consulting, studied in China for a year, took over her father's investment banking firm for five years, and founded Global Strategies, Inc., which she has led for 10 and a half years. She recently launched Vector Advisory Partners, LLC, where she continues her work in business consulting, M&A, securities, and coordinating soft commodity trades, drawing on her global network including an office in Hong Kong. Martin attributes her success to hard work, persistence, and sacrifices, and values not taking things personally while pursuing opportunities relentlessly. She advises young women entering the industry to disregard advice from older men and chart their own course, reflecting her experiences in a competitive field where she has navigated challenges such as rising acquisition costs for NASDAQ companies.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kristin
01What do you attribute your success to?
A lot of hard work and a lot of persistence and a lot of sacrifices.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was from my dad: 'Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.' So essentially, don't be greedy in business.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If one of the older men tries to give you advice, my advice to you is to not take the advice, and to go in the opposite direction. It'll usually get you where you need to go.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now specifically in mergers and acquisitions there's been a very giant uptick in the cost of a NASDAQ company for an acquisition. Over the last six months I've seen them get sold, used to be sold around $5 million, now worth around probably $20 million. So the gap in price has increased, created just absolute madness. So things are even more cutthroat.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
To not take anything personal. And that no one owes you anything. You have to go get it and be persistent with it, even if it makes you annoying.
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