Sarah Vail

I would attribute my success to the people around me who have never made me feel judged. We always deal with imposter syndrome when we're stepping into roles that we're not comfortable with, or being our next level, or stretching our skills and learning. I was raised by folks who continuously encouraged me to do that. And then I was supported throughout my career by people who are open and never made me feel inadequate. Having that kind of support system, where people encourage you to stretch and grow without making you feel like you don't belong, has been absolutely critical to my success.

The best career advice I've ever received is to treat people not the way that I would want to be treated, but the way that I would want my family or someone I care about to be treated. It's about going beyond the golden rule and thinking about how you'd want the people you love most to be treated, and then extending that same care and respect to everyone you work with. That perspective has really shaped how I show up as a leader and how I interact with others throughout my career.

I would say just follow your gut, be curious, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Really, it comes down to your gut, because this is an investigative field. A lot of what we do is based on following our instincts and the information we're collecting over time. So trust yourself, stay curious about what you're learning, and never hesitate to ask questions when something doesn't make sense. Those three things will serve you well in this field.

The constant challenge is trying to stay in the game against bad actors. But more broadly, as the financial industry, a big challenge is around adopting existing processes, products, and services to this new digital and automated platform. While it's a challenge, it's also an opportunity to rethink how we're working, how we're showing up, and supporting our community. This shift to digital and automation is forcing us to reimagine our approach, which can ultimately make us more effective and better serve the people we're here to protect.

I just went through a values exercise and narrowed them down. The values most important to me are trust, growth, and leadership. These three values guide how I show up both professionally and personally, and they're the foundation of how I make decisions and interact with others.