Serving some of the world's largest financial planning firms, Donna admires financial planners, analysts, and advisors. As an executive recruiter for the past 15 years, she has worked with clients at UBS Financial Services, Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown, BNP Paribas, CDC, JP Morgan Chase, Legg Mason, and RBC. She enjoys working with entrepreneurial hedge funds, such as ZEO, and private equity firms. As a Managing Director at A. T. Kearney Executive Search, Donna worked with some of the world's largest financial institutions and asset managers. Beginning her career at Institutional Investor, she understands the inter-connectedness of the world's markets.
In 2010, she published articles on AOL Careers, Luxist, Paw Nation, StyleList, Gadling, Urlesque, Asylum, Daily Finance, BloggingStocks, and others. She wrote a children's book, GrumPlump and has published individual.
She is writing a non-fiction book "How to Reinvent Your Career, At Least Twice".
Experience:
Since 2006, Donna has worked as a senior recruiting consultant for Atlas/RNA. In 2010, she is completing a CFO search for a British insurance company's Latin America division. She regularly advises client firms seeking to create candidate recruiting initiatives for financial advisors (at banks, broker-dealers, financial planners, and asset managers.)
From 2000 to 2005, Donna worked for FSA, a consultant. The firm was later purchased by CMSI, another consulting organization.
From 1996 to 1999, Donna worked as a Managing Director for A. T. Kearney Executive Search. As part of a new Capital Markets effort, the team sold and executed searches for international banks, e.g. Chase, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank in Germany, and Paribas in France.
Prior to executive search, Donna worked for Institutional Investor and witnessed the beginnings of financial globalization. In those days, banks were not allowed to become brokers and brokers were not allowed to become banks. Times have changed.
Education:
Donna graduated with a degree in English from Smith College. She was also a pre-med student. She wrote for the Smith Sophian and covered rousing intellectual discussions and concerts throughout the Five College area for the paper. Spending many hours reading the ancient archival collection that once belonged to Sophia Smith, she gained appreciation of the 19th century dollars spent to build her beautiful alma mater.
Deciding upon a more practical educational course at Virginia Tech in the mid-1990s, she also studied math, psychology, and career development. Donna believes that teachers make outstanding salespeople.
In 2009, she received a certificate course from Bryant University in business negotiation. In 2010, she is studying for the SPHR designation.
From Donna Rodgers:
I have worked as an executive recruiter most of my career, including a Managing Director post at a retainer firm that used to belong to EDS. Part of what attracts me to writing for About.com is a desire to share insights about career development and the broadly defined business of financial planning. Writing about how to approach a career opportunity is based on developing career opportunities for others--and myself--for years.
This is an exciting time. Entering the financial planning profession out of business school or as an second career makes sense. Nobody can predict a market bottom, but the good news is--you don't need to do that! The markets move quickly, but developing client relationships takes time, energy, and patience. The larger training programs particularly appreciate career experience and maturity that comes with it.
Explore the designations, certifications, and opportunities of the financial planning profession. As always, follow your passion. This is a great business.
References:
- AOL Careers
This article humorously recaps how to write a résumé. - Luxist
This article discusses how to profitably purchase antiques. - Gadling
This article expresses a love of seeing the world. - BloggingStocks
Underemployment is accurately explained by Wall Street Journal writer, and heralded by the author.