Welcome to our MyVestor Spotlight series, where we highlight what makes MyVest so special – our people!
How long have you worked at MyVest?
I just celebrated my 10 year anniversary last October!
Tell us about your role and career path at MyVest.
I work on the Product team as a Senior Director, Product Management, which I love. However, I actually started at MyVest in a hybrid operational role that allowed me to use some of my technical background and pair it with client-facing interactions. When I came onboard at MyVest it was knowing that the product department was where I wanted to grow long term.
My time in operations was a great experience because it allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge about our Strategic Portfolio System (SPS) as a whole. That knowledge is invaluable in my role on the product team, since I oversee the operational side of our platform. What I really like about my role is the chance to problem solve and use creativity to come up with solutions that address our users’ pain points and also advance our platform strategically.
What does your job entail?
My job entails a variety of things, which is a big part of why I like it so much! I work with customers (internal and external) to understand what areas of the platform need to be improved. I spend time understanding business needs/pain points and then thinking through how best to address them. I work closely with my program’s engineering manager, architect, and operations to plan, guide and test the development work.
Apart from the day-to-day work regarding building specific features, there’s also the strategic planning side to my role. This involves maintaining a roadmap for my area of the product and working with stakeholders to maintain consensus on what to focus resources on in the next year. However, I also maintain a backlog of items we want to build and so I have an idea of what we want to accomplish strategically looking forward 3 or even 5 years.
What do you like most about working at MyVest?
I think that a lot of MyVestors would probably provide the same answer—for me the people and the company culture make MyVest a great place to be. Each employee is truly respected and appreciated—I’ve found it to be a very inclusive environment. It’s the first company I’ve worked for where I felt completely comfortable being open about being gay. The environment at MyVest is a privilege that doesn’t exist in a lot of industries. I love the teamwork and mutual respect we all show each other. The fact that I, a hardcore introvert, truly miss seeing my colleagues in person is testament to the fact that MyVest does a fantastic job creating a fun and supportive work environment.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to travel—so it’s been a hard few years with the pandemic! My wife and I went on an amazing New Zealand adventure for our honeymoon in 2018 and we are looking forward to taking another international trip to Scotland and France soon. Traveling is such a great opportunity to immerse yourself in different environments and perspectives and I truly feel that travel makes us better global citizens.
What is your biggest achievement to date – personal or professional?
Early in my career, I took a big leap to resign from my operations position at a private bank in Boston with no defined path forward. It was a risk professionally as well as personally, to leave my job, my friends, and the city I’d called home for 6 years and take a jump into the unknown. But looking back, making that leap was the best decision I’ve ever made. At MyVest I found a sense of community and purpose. I met my wife in the Bay Area, and made so many wonderful friends (MyVestors included). I couldn’t be happier that I took that leap of faith.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
That it’s a waste of your resources to spend time comparing yourself to others. Both personally or professionally. Instead, focus your energy internally and take the time to identify what you want to achieve for yourself. Then work towards those goals and chart your progress against yourself, not others.
What would you do if you weren’t doing this?
If I’d had a little more talent and a lot more dedication—I would possibly pursue a career in music, performing professionally in an orchestra. There was a time when I thought I would go into ensemble performance. The violin and performing was a huge part of my life growing up. There’s something about having so many people playing different instruments and parts but working in unison to create one voice when performing a piece that is just magical. I’ve not ever experienced anything else quite like it.
