Sheri Wright, Senior Vice President of Wealth Management and Branch Manager of the Red Bank, N.J. office, came to the Firm in 1998 after she made a career change from the cosmetics industry. She enrolled with the Firm's Financial Advisor Training Program, and now -- as a Branch Manager in Red Bank, N.J., -- speaks passionately about opportunities for women in management

How did you get interested in the financial business?
I spent 15 years in the cosmetics industry and then took a couple years off when my children were born. When they were one and three years old, I needed to go back to work full-time, but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. There were two parents at my local daycare who worked at what was then Smith Barney, so I took down their phone numbers and called them both. That led me to an interview for the Firm's financial advisor training program in the Lutherville, MD office.

How did you learn the industry?
The training program helped me get a foothold on the basics, and while working in the branch, I learned how to take what the Firm has to offer and turn it into solutions for clients. Coaches and other Financial Advisors like my colleague Marie Van Deusen were invaluable in helping me learn the business.

How has the business changed for women?
I think there's always been opportunities for women. It's finding the women who are up for the challenge. I think some women look at the financial services industry and think they can't do it because it's all about markets and analysis, and they're not thinking of it as a relationships business - which it is.

How did you build your business?
I spent seven years as a Financial Advisor, and instead of talking about stocks, bonds, markets and asset allocation in my marketing efforts, I was asking clients, "Money is a tool to accomplish the things you want in life. What do you want to accomplish?" I asked them questions that traditional Financial Advisers weren't asking at the time. If this past decade has taught us anything, it's that clients don't want to hear the same thing. You need to think outside the box and give a different message.

How did your approach work?
I attracted a lot of new clients in those early years by having a different approach and a different story. I think that's what helped me be successful in my career.

What other advice did you give to clients?
I advised them to always have a back-up plan.

Why?
We can't predict what is going to happen to us, whether it's an accident or putting a parent in a nursing home. Get yourself organized -- that is the best advice I could give to anyone. You want to be able to act instead of scramble when life hits you with that curveball.

Why did you want to become a Branch Manager?
I wasn't completely satisfied working just with clients, and I wanted to see more women in management. I discussed the idea with my branch manager, and we agreed that my point of view could be valuable to the organization. I have been doing it now for six years. It's been challenging, but I love it.

Now that you're in management, what is your focus?
Financial empowerment for women is a primary mission of mine, as is attracting more diverse people to my branch. If you look around, we're obviously a white, male-dominated industry, but people want to do business with people who look like them and with those they can relate to. Everyone has a place at our table. We just have to find them.

What kinds of programs do you participate in to spearhead diversity?
For employees, you have to lead by example, so I joined all the firm’s employee networks. You've got to be very in tune to promote awareness and inclusion, and I try and bring that to our branch every day. Our employees have made cards for wounded soldiers with the Veterans network and folded origami cranes for Tsunami Relief with the Asian Employee Networking Group . Some of us have travelled to events in New York to hear Venus Williams and Carla Harris speak for the Black Employee Networking Group. As an Ally in the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Networking Group, I am a voluntary advocate for fairness, dignity and respect in the workplace. Promoting awareness of all our different programs is the key to fostering diversity.

Is the Firm flexible in helping with work-life balance?
I am a single mother, and I practically raised my children at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. I had all the flexibility I needed to be able to do that. There is opportunity for anyone who really wants to apply themselves and apply that balance. The support of management and the community and resources that Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) offers makes that possible.

What kinds of resources are available?
Besides the employee networks, there is an MSSB Cares program. I attended a live meeting on the internet that was targeted toward employees who had sophomores and juniors in high school. It was very valuable to me because my daughter is a junior getting ready to take SATs and begin her college search. There was another program that dealt with parenting kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which I attended because my son has ADHD. The Firm provides resources I normally wouldn't find on my own that are convenient and specialized.

What's the best career advice someone has given you?
Embrace change. That's the theme of my life, both personally and professionally.

How so?
When the company merged, I moved from Maryland to New Jersey to keep my job. I had to make a decision, so I decided to embrace change and reinvent myself.

That must have been hard.
Well, if you stand still and think you've got it all figured out, you won't go anywhere!

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