Stephanie Drescher
“In the early days after I joined Apollo, I was participating in a meeting of our investment committee. One of the male senior members of the firm stood up and said, ‘I will circle back on this…but I need to leave now for a parent-teacher conference.’ That was a very strong message to me, early in my career. In an environment like finance, where the demands are high, work ethic has to be very strong. Having the ability to balance work and life is important, and there are certain firms that set that tone and model that behavior. I continue to perpetuate that as a senior manager.”
How to do better: “In this period when we don’t have as many women executives to help with onboarding, development and retention of female professionals throughout their careers, one way that Wall Street can ensure we’re raising awareness is through a discussion around unconscious bias. Having a conversation about how we’re wired to think and how that might impact decision making or interactions is all part of awareness.”
—Stephanie Drescher is global head of business development and investor relationship management at New York–based Apollo Global Management. agm.com
