Events

Career Freedom – Let’s get REAL

Our careers are not just boxes checked and endless emails sent, they are real life, dynamic experiences with challenges, twists and turns, unexpected circumstances, and joyful successes. This year the Professional Development Committee will focus on reinventing the traditional perception of networking, reflect on how to maximize career opportunities, and explore how to rejuvenate and recharge our careers. Across all of these topics, we will get real and share our actual stories, drawing inspiration from our collective experiences.

Rejuvenate and Recharge Your Career

What year is it again? Between the pandemic, work-from-home and countless other hurdles thrown at us on the daily, we all need a little R and R – rejuvenate and recharge. This session will focus on sharing stories around how to pivot when you do or don’t want to, reinventing yourself in an unforeseen career challenge, and navigating a change in careers.

Moderator

Kristen Doyle, CFA
Head of U.S. Institutional Market Strategy
Lord Abbett

Kristen Doyle is focused on market  strategy for the Lord Abbett Institutional business, including the development of views of investor needs by channel and the implementation of those views. In strong collaboration with the Head of U.S. Institutional, she is responsible for developing and adapting the go-to-market strategy for investment products in different client, channel, and market segments. This includes developing a messaging strategy and optimizing current products as well as identifying new opportunities to meet investor demands. Additionally, she works closely with the Product Strategy team and Chief Operating Officer for Client Services in order to form and implement these strategic initiatives.

Ms. Doyle joined Lord Abbett in 2022. Her previous experience includes serving in various roles at Aon Investments (global investment consulting firm) including Partner & Global COO, Public Sector Solutions Leader, Lead Investment Consultant on some of the largest and most sophisticated institutional investment programs, and Lead of Trust Services Research Team. She has worked in the financial services industry since 2001.

She earned a BA in economics from Denison University and is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation.

Panelists

Jessica Fox, CRPS
Head of Strategic Accounts
Nuveen Retirement Investing

Jessica is the Head of Strategic Accounts for Nuveen Retirement Investing. She leads a team of dedicated retirement investment professionals focused on meeting the growing demand for Nuveen investment and TIAA Lifetime Income Solutions in the defined contribution marketplace.

Jessica has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, and over a decade of experience in defined contribution, defined benefit, and nonqualified executive benefits, contributing to thought leadership and industry publications while frequently speaking at industry events. Prior to joining Nuveen, she was Vice President of Strategic Relations at Prudential Retirement responsible for broadening and strengthening partnerships with key intermediary firms across the country. Previously she held various business development and funding analytic roles at MullinTBG, a leading provider of executive benefit solutions and financing strategies. Jessica began her career in the mortgage industry at Citigroup.

Jessica graduated with a B.A. in Communications and B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and holds the FINRA Series 7 registration, a CRPS designation, as well as life insurance and annuity licenses. Jessica also serves a Co-Chair for the Chicago Chapter of WiPN (We Inspire, Promote, Network) and as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ambassador and committee member for the organization.

Cara Esser, CFA
Managing Director, Research & Portfolio Management | Retirement Advisory Services
Mesirow Retirement Advisory Services

Cara Esser is a Managing Director, Research and Portfolio Management and an Investment Committee Member in Mesirow Retirement Advisory Services. Her quantitative and qualitative due diligence skills combined with her investment consulting expertise, helps qualified plan sponsors build and maintain a sound fiduciary process.

Cara has 19 years of financial services experience. Prior to rejoining Mesirow in 2020, she served as the Director of Investments and Retirement for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, where she led manager due diligence for $15 billion in assets across multiple defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Prior to that, she was the Director of Research at Mesirow Retirement Advisory Services, following her work as Associate Director of Fixed Income Manager Research at Morningstar, Inc. Before that, she served as a Financial Analyst at the American Association of Individual Investors.

Cara is a member of the Mesirow Speakers Bureau. These recognized subject area experts provide perspective on the markets and what is top of mind for institutional and individual investors.

Cara holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Chicago. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Finance from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Neetika Singh
Managing Director
BlackRock

Neetika Singh, Managing Director, is Co-Head of BlackRock’s Global Consultant Relations Business and Head of Platform and Scaled Distribution for the Americas Institutional Business. In these roles, she leads business growth through teams that build partnerships with investment consultants, develop relationships with institutional clients and set strategy with BlackRock’s investment teams. Neetika also serves as Head of the Chicago office for BlackRock. She is a member of the firm’s Global Operating Committee and the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee and also serves on the Americas Institutional Leadership Committee and the Americas Office Leadership Committee.

Prior to taking on her current roles, Neetika’s responsibility was in leading BlackRock’s Consultant Relations business for North America with coverage for several investment consultant firm relationships, some of which she still maintains. Since joining BlackRock in 2002, Neetika has led various relationships while also assisting in the firm’s marketing and new business development efforts. She has been based in both the New York and Chicago offices for the firm during this time.

Earlier in her career, Neetika was at The Rohatyn Group, an asset management firm focused on investments in the emerging markets, where she worked closely with the founding partners on the firm’s business plan and financial model. Prior to this, Neetika worked within LabMorgan, the venture capital group within JP Morgan and began her career in the investment banking business at JP Morgan within Public Finance, working closely with corporate and healthcare clients.

Neetika serves as a member of the Chicago Chamber Board of Directors and the Chicago Children’s Museum Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Women’s Investment Professionals (WIP) organization in Chicago. Neetika earned a B.S. degree in Finance, with a concentration in Spanish, from Babson College.

The Trailblazer Dinner is a high point of WIP’s annual calendar of events. Each year we focus on women who inspire us in achieving personal and professional excellence.

Keynote Speaker

Amy O’Brien
Global Head of Responsible Investing (RI)
Nuveen, LLC

Amy leads a 30+ member team accountable for creating a holistic RI vision, strategy, and unified framework across Nuveen and TIAA, partnering with internal stakeholders on implementation in day-to-day business activities. The framework establishes the firm’s overall RI philosophy and guidelines for systematically incorporating RI disciplines in investment decisions, new product development, and other value-add capabilities for clients. Amy is a member of the Nuveen Executive Leadership Team and Global Investment Committee. Throughout her 25-year career in responsible investing, she has worked on a wide range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and impact investing initiatives. In 2018, Amy was identified by Barron’s as one of the most influential people in ESG investing and was named ESG Investment Manager of the Year in 2021 by Women in Asset Management.

Prior to joining TIAA in 2005, she served as director of corporate social responsibility at the Pension Boards – United Church of Christ, where she developed and implemented socially responsible investment strategies. Previously, she was research manager at the Council on Economic Priorities, the non-profit research firm that pioneered the field of corporate social and environmental responsibility ratings for investors and consumers. From 1998-2001, Amy served as an Inaugural Steering Committee member of the Global Reporting Initiative and from 2011-2015, served as a Board Member of the United States Social Investment Forum (USSIF). In 2008, Amy joined the Board of Directors of The Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute for Corporate Responsibility and served in this role until 2018. From 2011-2015, she served as a Steering Committee Member of the Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (GISR) and from 2014-2017, Amy served on the Principles for Responsible Investment’s (PRI’s) Reporting & Assessment Steering Committee. Since 2018, Amy has served as a Strategy Group member for the Global Investors for Sustainable Development (GISD) Alliance.

Amy graduated with a B.S. in Biology from Boston College and an M.S. in Environmental Management and Policy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Distinguished Investment Professional Award Recipient

Nickol R. Hackett
Chief Investment Officer, Treasurer
The Joyce Foundation

Nickol Hackett is Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer at the Joyce Foundation, a private foundation advancing policy in the areas of education, democracy, environment, and journalism. Ms. Hackett is part of the executive leadership team and manages the endowment in support of the foundation’s strategy and grantmaking.

Prior to joining Joyce, Ms. Hackett served as Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of the $14 billion Cook County Pension Fund. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, she was charged with directing strategy and policies for the governance and administration of the fund. Before becoming Executive Director, Ms. Hackett served as the fund’s founding Chief Investment Officer establishing its first investment office in 2008. Under her leadership, the pension fund was recognized as small public plan of the year by Institutional Investor and was featured as part of the Harvard Business School Case Collection.

Ms. Hackett has over 20 years of expertise in investment management and capital markets, previously as Vice President at Bear Stearns and Oppenheimer Capital.  An avid supporter of civic and cultural engagement, she serves as Vice Chair of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and is a member of the investment committee.  She also serves on the board of the University of Chicago Medical Center and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.  She’s been recognized by Institutional Investor with the Impact Award in Private Equity as well as Chicago United as a Business Leader of Color, among others.

Ms. Hackett earned her M.B.A. in finance and economics from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and earned her B.A. in History from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Joanne Hickman Dodd Award Recipient

Michelle Stephens
Manager, US Account Management
LGIM America

Michelle Stephens is the Manager of the US Account Management team at LGIM America. In her role, she serves as an advocate for the firm’s clients and focuses on the delivery of the firm’s client propositions. She collaborates across teams to execute on the implementation of new client mandates and updates. She is responsible for overseeing meeting preparation and custom client reporting. Michelle joined LGIM America in 2018 as a Client Service Analyst prior to joining the Account Management team in 2021. Prior to this, Michelle was a Hedge Fund Services Senior Analyst at Northern Trust.

Michelle is the current chair of LGIM America’s Women’s Collective which aims to engage, educate, and encourage the women of the firm to pursue their career objectives, promote the professional advancement of the women at LGIM America, and champion the firm’s vision and values. Michelle is passionate about promoting diversity and equity within the financial industry.

Michelle volunteers with One Million Degrees, Year Up, Spark, PAWS Chicago, and Nourishing Hope.

Michelle earned a BA in Economics with a minor in Political Science from Northwestern University.