2019 - 2021 FMA Magazine

FMA Leadership Summit
Three executives from separate business
disciplines discussed how oil in Saudi
Arabia might impact the stock market, the
growing impact of women in the C-suite,
and taking chances with new, aggressive
product lines, among other topics.
However, 2019 Summit panelists - David
Andrews, Senior Managing Director at
Evercore, John Murphy, EVP and CFO at
Coca-Cola, and Kristin Kallergis, Head
of Alternatives at J.P. Morgan, shared a
common theme during a 90-minute panel
session – advice for young professionals.
Three takeaways: be receptive to
feedback, recruit mentors, and don’t take
yourself too seriously.
The event, held in Lowder and packed
to standing room only with students in
business attire, was held in conjunction
with the annual Financial Management
Association Leadership Summit.
“When I look back at my career, the
major inflection points have been
directly related to either a sponsor
whom thought I was worth sponsoring
or a mentor who was there to give good
advice,” said Murphy, who has held
numerous management, finance and
strategic planning roles in his 31 years
at the soft drink powerhouse. “It’s often
28 FMA 2019-2021 MAGAZINE
intimidating to think – particularly if
you’re looking for more senior people and
believe that they won’t help – but in fact,
I think it’s quite the opposite. People are
often too willing to share back what they
have received. Actively recruit mentors
from the get-go.”
Andrews, who earned a degree in
mechanical engineering at Auburn in
1991, spent 11 years in the U.S. Navy and
has worked in the oil industry since 2012.
“In my stage of my career, I’ve found
that people who seem the happiest are
the people who don’t take themselves
too seriously,” he told students. “I know
that you are sitting here all dressed up in
a suit and tie and you’re anxious about
starting your careers, and I’ll tell you that
you’ll spend the first 20 to 30 years of
your career just trying to make sure that
people are taking you seriously. That’s
good. Strive to make sure that other
people take you seriously – but don’t take
yourself too seriously.”
Kallergis spent five years as Alternative
Investments Specialist and Head of
Alternative Investments at J.P. Morgan
in London, England, before moving back
to her hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
“Always be open to feedback, because it’s
the only way you are going to grow,” she
said. “If people think that you are not
good at receiving feedback, then they will
stop giving it to you. One of the things
that I’ve always done in my career is I go
to a team member and ask, ‘What’s one
thing you would have done differently?’
When you ask it that way, it’s a nice way
to pull the answer out of them.”
Murphy added that a special emphasis on
communication skills is vital for success
in the business world. “If I was to give
myself some advice, I would have invested
more time earlier in communication.
There is nothing more important as you
progress through your life and career as
having the ability to communicate in a
compelling way so that you have others
who will want to listen to you and want to
connect with you.”
The question-and-answer style forum was
moderated by Harbert College of Business
alumnus Steven Aldridge, Managing
Director at Cantor Fitzgerald. A favorite
of the students, and FMA Board Member,
Steve has been a part of the Summit since
it started 3 years ago. He moved into the
role of moderator in years two and three
after serving on the inaugural Summit
panel in 2017.