As a woman in finance, I’ve found that humor is one of the most effective tools at your disposal! Tired of being asked “who’s looking after your kids?” and the judgmental looks I received when I answered that they were with a nanny or their father, I started to get a bit more creative with my answers…
As a part of our series about “Women Leading The Finance Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lana Callahan.
Lana Callahan is the Managing Director of Investor Relations with Context365 by Apex. She is a Senior Finance Leader with more than 19 years of experience in the Alternatives space. She was responsible for the strategic growth and expansion of multiple businesses with global banks and asset managers. Lana attained her Master’s Degree from Northwestern University in one year. She currently serves on multiple financial and philanthropic boards.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the finance field?
I didn’t start my career in finance — after completing my Masters in Journalism at Northwestern University I began my working life as an on-air political correspondent in Washington DC — believe me, that job prepared me for anything!
I then transitioned into business development and client relationship roles with various international banks based in Chicago. Since then, I’ve held senior roles in banking, insurance and asset management. I joined Apex Group in 2021 and currently hold the role of Managing Director — Investor Relations and have helped drive the launch of Apex Invest, a new brand to encompass all of our capital raising and advisory solutions for clients, including series of in-person events as well as supporting digital engagement through our proprietary apexinvest.io platform.
Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away you took out of that story?
As a woman in finance, I’ve found that humor is one of the most effective tools at your disposal! Tired of being asked “who’s looking after your kids?” and the judgmental looks I received when I answered that they were with a nanny or their father, I started to get a bit more creative with my answers… Some of my favorites are: ”They’re 1 and 3 years old, plenty old enough to be left home alone!” or “The family dog is babysitting them for me!”
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help your clients?
As mentioned, I’ve been involved in the launch of a new business line, Apex Invest, earlier this year. I have been working to expand our Apex Invest conference series beyond the US, with our first event in London happening in October. Apex Invest London 2023 will bring together professionals from across alternative and traditional investment universe to build on the success of the established US events series, which has hosted 25 large scale events and facilitated over 250,000 meetings between investors from more than 25 countries.
The combination of Apex Invest’s technology platform and in-person events series offers a powerful solution to enable and enhance manager and allocator relationships. Our inaugural Apex Invest London event addresses the growing appetite for high quality in-person events which will enable more intentional and value-additive conversations.
The combined digital matching and in-person connection solution that Apex Invest offers allows managers and allocators to schedule purposeful meetings with those who align with their investment criteria and strategy, enabling them to be more targeted and efficient at our events.
We’re set on world domination! I’m working with the team to further expand the Apex Invest conference series to the Middle East, Europe and Asia over the coming years. Watch this space!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Apex Group wants to do things differently and it is clear that the business walks the walk when it comes to driving positive and sustainable change in the environments and societies we operate in, so that we can leave a legacy that we are proud of.
Although we have plenty of women entering our business, they were not moving through the firm in the same way as their male peers. So, we took an honest look at our firm and as a result, we launched our Women’s Accelerator Program, which addresses the widening gender gap at each rung of the corporate ladder by supporting our female talent in progressing equitably.
Our inaugural program welcomed over 50 high-performing women across the business creating a supporting community, offering additional training, learning and development, and opportunities to hear from female speakers — ultimately with a goal of accelerating their progression. The program is not about quotas or promoting women over men; it’s about nurturing our existing female talent and driving equity in progression for long-term sustainable change.
This year we also launched an external Women’s Accelerator Network — an inclusive initiative for women of all ages roles and professions within the financial services industry. I’m so excited to be a founding member and steering committee member for our US chapter. Through idea exchange, partnership, learning, mentoring and community, The Women’s Accelerator Network is bringing together generations of women to instigate a movement for change.
Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Wall Street and Finance used to be an “all white boys club”. This has changed a lot recently. In your opinion, what caused this change?
A lot has changed, but unfortunately — a lot has stayed the same! For me, change isn’t happening fast enough, especially when it comes to gender pay gaps. With new regulations and a spotlight on equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion, firms are picking up the pace to enhance employer brand and drive positive change for a more inclusive future. As corporate citizens, senior leaders, particularly women, must pick up the baton to accelerate change.
One thing which has shifted over the course of my career is allyship, both from male colleagues and other women. Women at the start of their careers need to hear from other women who are further along on their career journey.
This is why, as a senior leader, I’m passionate about using my time to explain the benefits of having a career in financial services to young women, improve financial literacy and show them the multiple routes to entry in the financial services industries. It’s vital that we do not pull up the ladder behind us — and instead pass on our learnings to the next generation to show them that there is a place for women in financial services.
Of course, despite the progress, we still have a lot more work to do to achieve parity. According to this report in CNBC, less than 17 percent of senior positions in investment banks are held by women. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society to support this movement going forward?
The financial services industry trails other sectors when it comes to gender diversity, and with increasing pressure on transparency, companies often look to try to fix the issue by focusing on the most visible problem, the C-suite. This doesn’t address the core reasons for there being fewer women at the top, which is ultimately a fundamental issue with mobility and progression.
Let’s now turn to a slightly new topic. According to this report in Fortune, nearly two-thirds of Americans can’t pass a basic test of financial literacy. In your opinion or experience, what is the cause of these unfortunate numbers? If you had the power to make a change, what 3 things would you recommend to improve these numbers?
In case you haven’t noticed, I am a huge advocate for empowering women and so my main recommendation is to focus on females! I feel like if we were able to give more women, of all walks of life and in all fields, basic financial education it would make a huge difference. And women tend to pass these lessons down to future generations. So, it’s an investment for the future, as well as the present.
You are a “finance insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non-intuitive things one should do to become more financially literate, what would you say? Can you please give a story or example for each?
The amazing thing about financial literacy is that you can start from a young age! From putting pennies in a jar to balancing a checkbook or investing millions, once you understand the core concepts you can develop and hone them based on your interests. My children are already investing through mobile apps.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Without question, Tom Anderson who was the Chief Clearing Officer at ABN Amro when he hired me in 2012. I learned so much from him including his management style, leadership skills, personality, and ability to change the energy in a room. Watching how he worked was the best career skillset and something one could never learn in a book. He also created the most amazing camaraderie and our team loved going into work every single day and the team keeps in touch 20 years later. Tom didn’t micromanage and he told me if I was sitting at my desk, I wasn’t doing my job and he wanted me out speaking with people. I think the most important part was he believed in me — I remember I messed up at work once and he was so calm and helped me remedy the solution and I felt that I could count on him to support me.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have over 500 quotes in an album on my phone and I read them often. I read them in different situations — sometimes I need inspiration and sometimes I need a good laugh. Every life experiences the lows and highs. I always remind myself “this too shall pass” during the low times and I remember to take in the moments during the highs. Some of my favorites:
“Some people are so poor, all they have is money.”
“Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
“Here is to strong women, may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.”
“It’s not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.”
“And if I asked you to name all the things that you love, how long would it take for you to name yourself?”
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Each year in the United States, about 240,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer with 42,000 women dying each year from the disease. As a breast cancer survivor, I’d love to be able to help other women to secure the care, education, and treatment they need.
I have no doubt that my background as a woman in finance helped me to beat breast cancer — with the traits and skillsets that I’ve used in my career being crucial as I navigated the overwhelming world of treatments and medicine. To name a few: tenacity and not taking no for an answer, an ability to advocate for myself, research skills and the ability to synthesize and use information to make fast decisions under pressure were all essential.
Thank you for the time you spent on this interview. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Empowered Investor. Jason has been involved in several thousand real estate transactions and has owned income properties in 11 states and 17 cities. Empowered Investor helps people achieve The American Dream of financial freedom by purchasing income property in prudent markets nationwide. Jason’s Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ is a comprehensive system providing real estate investors with education, research, resources and technology to deal with all areas of their income property investment needs. Through Jason’s podcasts, educational events, referrals, mentoring and software to track your investments, investors can easily locate, finance and purchase properties in these exceptional markets with confidence and peace of mind.
Starting with very little, Jason, while still in college at the age of 19, embarked on a career in real estate. While brokering properties for clients, he was investing in his own portfolio along the way. Through creativity, persistence and hard work, he earned a number of prestigious industry awards and became a young multi-millionaire. Jason purchased a California real estate brokerage firm that was later acquired by Coldwell Banker. He combined his dedication and business talents to become a successful entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and media personality. Over the years he developed his Complete Solution for Real Estate Investors™ where his innovative firm educates and assists investors in acquiring prudent investments nationwide for their portfolio. Jason’s sought after educational events, speaking engagements, and his popular “Creating Wealth Podcast” inspire and empower hundreds of thousands of people in 189 countries worldwide.
While running his successful real estate and media businesses, Jason also believes that giving back to the community plays an important role in building strong personal relationships. He established The Jason Hartman Foundation in 2005 to provide financial literacy education to young adults providing the all-important real world skills not taught in school which are the key to the financial stability and success of future generations. We’re in a global monetary crisis caused by decades of misguided policies and the cycle of financial dependence has to be broken, literacy and self-reliance are a good start. Visit JasonHartman.com for free materials and resources.
