After working at Morgan Stanley, I transitioned to Lehman Brothers, where I worked with brokers on the bond side of the business. The opportunity to work with brokers who managed corporate cash allowed me to diversify and build on my skill set. While at Lehman, I worked for a Managing Director, John Schmidt, who had the most significant impact on my investment banking career.
John was the managing director in charge of Lehman's office in San Francisco, and I truly appreciated my time working under his leadership. John was instrumental in expanding Lehman's presence in San Francisco. During my time at Lehman, I gained valuable insights into the business world, particularly in ethics, and I held John in high regard.
After leaving Lehman, John developed and ran the Private Client Services Department for Deutsche Bank in San Francisco. He was recruited by Frank Quattrone, who had earlier joined Deutsche Bank from Morgan Stanley. John later called me and asked if I would be interested in joining the new PCS team he was assembling at Deutsche Bank. Since I knew all the brokers he had already recruited from our time at Lehman, I decided to take the opportunity and join the new adventure.
At Deutsche Bank, the PCS Team was part of the DMG Technology Group—an acronym for Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, the investment banking arm of Deutsche Bank. Internally, we just referred to ourselves as the "Tech Group."
Under John's guidance, I and four other colleagues slowly started building the PCS department for the Tech Group, with Frank at the helm on the investment banking side. I still remember clearly the day that the Tech Group took Amazon public. At the time Amazon only sold books. Frank was a supporter of Jeff Bezos and Amazon and gifted Amazon Gift Cards every Christmas to every member of the Tech Group.
So the whirlwind began. Over the next several years working with the Tech Group, my position would grow and expand from that of being an Associate to the position of Vice President. The only downside was keeping up with the initial public offerings (IPOs). The bankers were so busy bringing in the deals and we wanted to capture all of the business. To say that we worked hard to do that would be the ultimate understatement. I regularly worked 12-15 hours days during this time, and sometimes longer, when the pricing of IPOs was delayed into the night.
During this time, I developed one of my personal philosophies that has continued to serve me well. Every banker I worked with, as well as most of my colleagues in the PCS department, held MBAs from the nation's top schools like Stanford, Wharton, and Harvard. I was not a graduate of these universities, nor would I ever be. However, I appreciated the opportunity that was in front of me and did not want to let anyone down. Despite not attending a top university, I believed I was capable of working at their level and that I had the ability and the desire to excel as far as I could in investment banking.
As I was determined to become an expert in the securities business, I made it my goal to thoroughly learn every rule and regulation. I remember when a colleague told me that I needed to familiarize myself with every detail of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. I received my first NASD Manual, and it became my daily go-to resource. I made it a habit to double and triple-check all of my work to ensure accuracy and compliance with securities regulations. I also sought guidance from top law firms in Silicon Valley and spent hours talking to attorneys to deepen my knowledge.
With John's guidance, I expanded my role over time, and my team eventually grew to a staff of 12. I became a master of compliance and loved it. I worked very long hours for years to ensure my work was accurate, but it paid off. During my time with The Tech Group, I oversaw the implementation of over 50 directed share programs and thousands of restricted stock and option exercises worth millions of dollars. My colleagues and I were right in the middle of some of the top investment banking deals of the day.
The philosophy I've developed to excel at my job involves immersing myself fully in every project or task. Over the last 15 years, I've consistently demonstrated my commitment to delivering high-quality work on time. I'm always eager to learn and take on new challenges, as I believe continuous growth is essential in any job. Surrounding myself with intelligent people and striving to learn and improve are key priorities for me. Ultimately, delivering reliable work is my top priority.