(L-R) Intralinks Sales Manager Kelly Jacoutot moderated a Women IN Finance panel in Chicago featuring Catherine Chavez, global franchising director at McDonald’s; Maria Watts, managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co (consumer group); and Chrissane Corbett, managing director at KPMG (industrial markets, U.S.).
Intralinks’ Women IN Finance, a global live event and thought leadership series focusing on professional women working in advisory, mergers and acquisitions, alternative investment, and corporate development, touched down at City Winery in Chicago’s West Loop in June.
After an opening reception the audience sat down to soak in an intimate panel discussion led by Intralinks Sales Manager Kelly Jacoutot, featuring three Windy City finance stalwarts: Chrissane Corbett, managing director at KPMG (industrial markets, U.S.); Catherine Chavez, global franchising director at McDonald’s; and Maria Watts, managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co (consumer group).
The panelists talked about their wide-ranging experiences and shared personal anecdotes, including what motivated them to pursue a career in the finance industry, how they’ve navigated specific challenges in the workplace, how they’ve learned to strike a work-life balance and the importance of mentoring the next generation of young finance professionals.
Chrissane Corbett said during the talk that she believes more opportunities are available now for women than ever before.
“Right now there’s never been a better opportunity for women in finance,” she said. “When I first started out 20 years ago there weren’t groups like [Women IN Finance] and now we have groups of women getting together and supporting each other. I don’t know if there’s a glass ceiling in finance; it might’ve self-imposed where women opt-out. I think there’s a lot of opportunity, and it’s a good time to get in.”
Before the event started we asked Catherine Chavez and Maria Watts about the career advice they’d give to their younger selves. Here’s what they had to say.
You can also watch the full panel discussion below.
