Her Story
About Roselyn
I entered finance by chance in 2001 after studying criminology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where I graduated in 2004. Through networking, I was offered an opportunity to join a small firm in finance. I took a leap of faith and took the risk to go into something very unknown that I had no inclination to go to. I started in compliance and regulatory work at a finance institution, which aligned with my studies of research and investigations. I did that for over 15 years. In the latter part, the last 5 years, almost 6, I moved more towards the business side on territory management and corporate banking. For my current management role, I oversee the day-to-day operations for the U.S. activities for our Belgian bank in the U.S. My responsibilities include portfolio management, overseeing funding for that portfolio, managing service agreements, and handling the governance of the branch. I value authenticity, transparency, and good communication in everything I do. Being very open and transparent about what I want career-wise and what I need to get my job done has always helped me to get things done and be very result-oriented.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Roselyn
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think being authentic, authenticity is number one, being transparent on everything you do, and having good communication. That's really what has helped me, being very open and transparent about what I want career-wise and also what I need to get my job done. It has always helped me to get things done and, you know, being very result-oriented.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Initially, I mean 20 years ago, it was a very male-dominated field. So sometimes I felt like I didn't belong because I was typically one of the few women in the room. But that has changed so much over the years, and I think we have seen a lot of progress in that sense. It was more of an uncomfortable feeling and kind of a bit of doubt if you belong, not fully feeling like you belong because of the industry being so male-dominated. Now, men are the majority, but it's not dominated. I wouldn't say that it's dominated by men. There's a lot more women in finance and across all levels. I'm not going to say that it's 50-50, but I think we're getting close to that 50-50% split between men and women. There's a lot of men that are super allies of women and are very championing for that equality. Things have changed from 20 years ago to present time, it's day and night. I would say that I have worked in woman-owned businesses, and even then, 20 years ago, it didn't feel as an equitable work environment as it is now.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think being authentic, authenticity is number one, being transparent on everything you do, and having good communication. That's really what has helped me, being very open and transparent about what I want career-wise and also what I need to get my job done. It has always helped me to get things done and being very result-oriented.
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