Member Profile
Meet Blake Rutledge
Wells Fargo
Senior Consultant
When you were 10 years old, what were your career aspirations?
To be a postman! As a kid, I loved receiving mail and our postie rode around on a little red motorbike – a winning combination in my books!
Tell us a bit about your background and your current job.
I’m a qualified accountant and my career has evolved from consolidation reporting to financial planning and analysis and finance business partnering, which I LOVE. I’ve always worked for big banks and I’m currently working as an external reporting contractor in a great team at Wells Fargo until my ideal job comes up.
Why did you join Financial Women of San Francisco?
Having not lived in America before, I had a very limited professional network here. I grew up in Australia then moved to London for four years. I’ve been involved with some great women’s organizations in Australia, Vietnam and the UK so was delighted to come across FWSF. I attended a Brown Bag lunch and was blown away by the great women I met and how supportive everyone was of each other.
What's your favorite part of your job?
Seeing that “lightbulb” go off in your business partner’s/client’s head when you make a recommendation that positively impacts the outcome of their project or initiative. I find that exceptionally rewarding.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Coaching a disengaged, unfulfilled employee who was planning to resign who then went on to become our firm’s Finance employee of the year. It didn’t happen overnight and required a lot of effort, but the pay-off was more than I could have imagined.
What talent would you most like to have?
I’m so intrigued by those people that don’t require much sleep. I fantasize about all the wonderful things I could accomplish if I only needed to dedicate a few hours a day to sleep as opposed to my optimal seven or more.
What trip or hobby delighted you in the past year?
Immediately prior to moving to San Francisco, my family and I lived in Vietnam for six months while my husband was working on a project. Getting to really see how the locals live their lives was priceless. The Vietnamese are so resilient, spirited and incredibly hard-working – traits which are really deep-rooted in their history. It was an unforgettable, wonderful experience.