Earlier this week Diversity in Fund Finance hosted a virtual event for its Boundary Breakers speaker series. The series is aimed at having open conversations with senior leaders to give voice to the unique issues and perspectives diverse professionals face. The inaugural event featured Vicky Du, Global Head of Fund Finance at Standard Chartered, and was moderated by Albert Tan, Partner and Co-Chair of the Fund Finance Practice Group at Haynes and Boone.
The wide-ranging and insightful conversation explored Vicky’s career path and what led to her current leadership role at Standard Chartered. She shared with the audience the challenges she has faced and how she overcame them to achieve her career ambitions. She also imparted the lessons she learned regarding how to thrive in the wake of adversities she faced coming to the United States from China.
Vicky’s advice for diverse professionals: each person should recognize the value they add to their team and embrace that value in order to have the confidence to speak up and contribute in meetings and other forums. She emphasized the importance of developing effective communication skills, regardless of one’s first spoken language, and a willingness to show vulnerability and ask for help or guidance. Vicky also counseled the audience that there are rewards to be had from seeking advice. She said she has always been pleasantly surprised by how much people will want to connect and offer their assistance and advice.
Vicky also advised current and upcoming leaders to consider the cultural differences that might exist on a team. She said that leaders should be cognizant of these differences, and they can and should adapt their communication and leadership styles to embrace all backgrounds and bring everyone to the table to get the most out of their teams.
The discussion also touched on the importance of relationship-building. This can take the form of engaging our colleagues, counterparts, and other constituents to get to know them better on a personal level, and each person should feel confident to be their authentic self and share their interests.
There are many forms of diversity that can exist on our teams, and Vicky noted the importance of embracing them all. In her view, the more we can each do on a personal level to connect with one another, the more that we form more cohesive teams and a more inclusive society.