Diversity & InclusionThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
April 27, 2023

Finding Career Success: Embrace Change, Understand Yourself

PwC principal Kristen Michaud discusses her career path from biology to finance, and what she’s learned along the way.In the latest episode of NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab podcast, Kristen Michaud, a principal in PwC’s Finance Transformation group, joins NeuGroup’s Julie Zawacki-Lucci to discuss what they’ve learned from decades in finance—and advice they wish they’d received earlier in their journeys. In the podcast, which you can listen to now on Apple and Spotify, Ms. Michaud discusses her career path, beginning with a biology degree and possible plans for medical…
Diversity & Inclusion
March 23, 2023

Seeking Out Mentors Who Balance Advocacy With Frank Feedback

The best advocates are also willing to give honest appraisals of where there is room for improvement. Mentorship and sponsorship are recurring themes at sessions of Women in NeuGroup where women in finance discuss the benefits of having supporters who help sharpen their skills, guide their careers and stand up for them. In a video you can watch by hitting the play button below, Kristen Michaud, a principal in PwC’s Finance Transformation group, talks about the support of colleagues who have stepped in and…
Diversity & InclusionThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
March 16, 2023

Nurturing a Finance Career and a Family: One Woman’s Journey

How Emily Backstrom of General Mills navigates career and family, and how the company supports women in finance.In this Strategic Finance Lab podcast marking Women’s History Month, Emily Backstrom, vice president for corporate finance at General Mills, shares with NeuGroup’s Nilly Essaides how she has successfully managed a 21-year career at the company, rising to her current position overseeing enterprise FP&A among other responsibilities. Ms. Backstrom also discusses the value of deciding to lean into your career at certain times and,…
Capital MarketsDiversity & Inclusion
March 9, 2023

Win-win: Prioritizing D&I Firms for Share Repurchase Programs

Many NeuGroup members say diverse-owned firms excel at open market share repurchases. A long-simmering debate over share repurchases is heating up, generating headlines featuring President Biden and Warren Buffett. But there is no debating that stock buybacks remain a hugely significant tool for corporate capital allocation: they’re projected to exceed $1 trillion in 2023. Bigger insight: Comments about buybacks by NeuGroup members at recent meetings also reveal growing agreement that diverse-owned banks and brokerage firms are distinguishing themselves on share repurchases, providing treasury teams with top-rate…
Diversity & InclusionFP&AThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
March 2, 2023

A Finance Leader Balances Work, Family and Helping Other Women

In two video clips, General Mills’ Emily Backstrom shares her experience juggling work and family and describes General Mills’ Women Across Finance program. March is Women’s History Month and NeuGroup is recognizing the achievements, challenges and experiences of successful women in finance. Below you’ll find two video clips with insights from Emily Backstrom, vice president for corporate finance at General Mills. She has worked at the company for more than two decades; today, she oversees enterprise FP&A, financial capabilities and systems,…
Capital MarketsCash InvestmentsDiversity & InclusionThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
February 23, 2023

Empowering Diversity in Finance: Views From Two Women Bank Execs

Loop Capital’s Sidney Dillard and Sobani Warner of Siebert Williams Shank discuss their careers, working at Black-owned firms, the role of D&I coordinators and more. Many multinational corporations in recent years have increased their commitment to hiring banks, brokerage firms and asset managers that are owned by members of minority groups—so-called diverse-owned firms. NeuGroup is committed to learning and sharing more about these firms, the people who run them and the value they bring to corporates in capital markets transactions…
Diversity & InclusionThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
February 16, 2023

Treasury’s DEI Opportunity: Partnering with Diverse-Owned Firms

Insights from Loop Capital’s Sidney Dillard and Siebert Williams Shank’s Sobani Warner. NeuGroup’s Strategic Finance Lab Podcast—available on Apple and Spotify—will bring you an interview next week about the progress made by diverse-owned banks, brokers and asset managers. It features Sidney Dillard, partner and head of corporate investment banking at Loop Capital, and Sobani Warner, co-head of corporate finance at Siebert Williams Shank (SWS). The two firms are among the top Black-owned financial institutions in America. Hit the play button below to watch a video…