Meet the Leadership Circle: A Practical Guide to the Current Economic Environment

By Ashia Derksen, Chief Financial Officer, Shorenstein Realty Services, L.P., and active FWSF member involved in the Scholarship Committee

On Thursday, September 29, 2022, over forty attendees gathered at the offices of KPMG to meet and hear from seven members of FWSF’s esteemed Leadership Circle:

• Lisa Daniels, KPMG Global Lead Partner
• Carrie Dolan, Chief Financial Officer, Kraken; 2015 Financial Woman of the Year
• Terri Kallsen, Chief Operating Officer, Wealth Enhancement Group; 2019 Financial Woman of the Year
• Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann, Founding Member, RMK Group, LLC; Author of FitCEO: Be the Leader of Your Life,
  2010 Financial Woman of the Year
• Barbara Morrison, Founder and President, TMC Financing; 2012 Financial Woman of the Year
• Lisa Violet, Chief Auditor, Varo Bank, N.A.
• Ann Winblad, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; 2007 Financial Woman of the Year

The Leadership Circle comprises fifteen distinguished C-level executive women whose mission is to elevate the profile of and be a source of wisdom for the FWSF community. As female and male attendees mingled over appetizers, the energy level was high. For some attendees, this was their first in-person event in over two and a half years, and several “Zoom acquaintances” met face-to-face for the first time. Past FWSF President Kim Pugh facilitated a panel discussion of observations about the state of the economy. The group then broke into smaller sections to engage in direct conversations with panelists. The group reassembled for a lightning round of concluding thoughts.

The overall message from the Leadership Circle was that the economic headwinds we are facing today are not unique in history - some speakers mentioned the double-digit interest rates of the 1980’s - and we will get through it. Other words of experience included:

• “The Fed is late to the party…there will be no soft landing.”
• “Fundamentals matter - at business and [in the] home.”
• “Cash is king,” but “real-time payments and crypto are here to stay.”
• “Slowing down hiring doesn’t mean stopping the pipeline of talent.”
• “It’s all about agility. We have it in us. How do we help people become more agile?”

Finally, remember to rebalance your personal investment portfolio.