Robins School of Business hosts "Women in Finance" talk

The Robins School of Business will host a panel led by women to discuss job options and how to balance work and life in the field of finance.

The event, "Women in Finance Panel: Lenses on Successful Careers in the Financial Services Industry," will be held in Queally Hall's Ukrop Auditorium from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3.

The talk will feature four female panelists, each of whom were chosen by Nancy Bagranoff, dean of the Robins School of Business.

"I'll moderate, and they'll each tell their story to start with and then answer different questions depending on their business," Bagranoff said. "We want to run it more like a conversation among those women."

Two of the four panelists, Chelsea Babcock and Amanda Montgomery, are alumnae of the University of Richmond. Babcock, who graduated in 2011, now works at Morgan Stanley, and Montgomery, class of 1986, is currently employed at UBS Investment Bank.

The other two panelists, Katherine Busser and Palmer Garson, work at Capital One and Cary Street Partners, respectively.

"Three of the women speaking have children and families," Bagranoff said, "and they had interesting careers that didn't always follow a straight path, and I think that's interesting to hear, too. Anytime you hear really successful people talk, you learn something."

Senior Eliza Sherman, who is majoring in business administration and concentrating in finance, said, "Talking about a healthy balance between work and life will help me in my finance job after graduation, but it'll also help me before then, to balance school work."

The talk is open to the public, and although the panelists will focus on women interested in finance careers, men are encouraged to attend as well. At the university, finance panels have usually focused on males, so a more female-oriented panel seemed appropriate, Bagranoff said.

"Well, one of the things that we notice is that we don't have as many females that study finance as they do other majors," she said. "We're not sure why, but we do want them to know that there are some incredibly successful women in the industry."

Sherman has recognized the gender gap within the major, as well. "In my classes, I'm one of about six or so girls, and the rest are all boys," she said, "but maybe this talk will encourage more girls to study finance."

Contact reporter Jamie Edelen at jamie.edelen@richmond.edu