Investment and Wealth Management Exec Shares her Insights
Marina Bykova is a very successful entrepreneur. She is the founder and managing partner at Maxima Invest, an investment advisory firm in Russia, and Maxima Solutions, a wealth management firm. Prior to starting her own companies, Marina worked internationally as a banking executive and manager.
Recently Marina sat down with her alma mater, The Fuqua School of Business (GEMBA ‘04), to discuss how she became successful in such a competitive field and what she feels makes a successful leader.
At the very end she gave a great answer to a very common question many of us ask as women in MBA programs:
What kind of challenges do women face in climbing the corporate ladder, and how can they be proactive in addressing them?
The main challenges for women in the corporate world are the same as always — they still need to prove they have a right to a seat at the table. In May, The New York Times published a list highlighting the fact that out of the 200 highest-paid CEOs, only 13 were women. And this is despite being in today’s world where we have a lot of new and emerging work structures where employers are thinking more progressively.
How to address these challenges? My advice would be to become a part of professional women’s community. I like the proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” It is important to be a proactive community member and to offer leadership and mentorship to the younger generation. Create a community of professional power — and make it a diverse group. Find people who are ready, willing and able to help you become the best in your business. Be available to do the same for others. Be positive and do the right thing. Mentorship is one of the best and the most rewarding experiences, in my opinion.
We love that last paragraph, because it outlines exactly what MBA Mama sets out to accomplish. We are here to offer diverse community, encouragement, advice, inspiration and resources for all women looking to pursue their professional business degrees while maintaining a healthy family life. We strive to be “a community of professional power,” and we are grateful for how you as our supporters have contributed to that community.
You can read the full Q&A here.
