14 | CAREER PERSPECTIVES View from the top: Secrets to success from female senior executives The female financial services executives we interviewed have successfully navigated many of the challenges described in this report. They are passion- ate about the advancement of women in the field, and their perspectives pro- vide insights into how entry-level women can move up the ladder. The interviewees consistently highlighted three fundamental building blocks to success for women in financial services: sponsorship, risk-taking, and know- ing and communicating one’s value. Build a strong network of sponsors The female senior executives we interviewed consistently cited sponsorship as a critical suc- cess factor. This view was reinforced by our data, and is unique to senior-level women in finan- cial services, as compared to their male peers, younger counterparts, and senior-level women in other fields. Senior-level women in financial services are also more likely to see “political savvy”—that is, knowing how to navigate office politics—as an important driver of success than their male peers. When I was in my twenties, I had what I call a ‘first believer,’ a man who said, ‘Why don’t you apply for this principalship?’ I had excluded myself in the typical way: ‘I’m too young. I haven’t done this before. I only hit seven and a half of the ten requirements.’ Having had that sponsorship, particularly by a man, was profound for me. Jacqueline Molnar, Western Union I’m a huge proponent of sponsorship. I can track the times when my career accelerated due to male sponsorship—mostly white male sponsorship— early in my career. I happened to meet the gentleman who was the head of corporate banking early in my career. He stayed with me as I moved through my career, and that made a huge difference. Stalls in my career have been due to the absence of sponsorship or not having the right one. Beverly Anderson, Wells Fargo Everybody has something to teach you. My approach has always been to be candid with myself about my own gaps and seek out people who were great at those things who I could learn from. That’s also how I build teams—it’s all about complementary skills. Céline Dufétel, T. Rowe Price