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How can women succeed in the harder-edged corners of finance like trading and private equity? finews.asia asks Neuberger Berman's Susan Kasser, one of the most prominent female investors on Wall Street. 

Susan Kasser, what concerns you most about the lack of diversity in the private equity industry?

It feels to me that there's a bit of disconnect between people's perception that it might not be an attractive career path and my personal experience that it is!

A recent study found that less than 10 percent of investing roles in private equity are held by women. How did you flout that?

So all things are a combination of good choices – and also luck. My first piece of luck was being able to interview with a newer Goldman Sachs private equity fund-of-funds business.

«There were parts of Wall Street that frightened me»

I didn't know anything about private equity before I interviewed there. But after two years, I had a good landscape of what private equity was.

You seem to have had good early experiences. What about Wall Street’s harder edges?

I'm not saying that there weren't parts that frightened me. Part of why I was interested in research for my first job is that I found it to be a softer entry point. It's natural to feel uncomfortable. How do you get through the discomfort to try the thing that you want, whether it's a skill or an experience?

What about mentors?

I think this idea of one mentor who takes you under their wing and shows you the way can be a dangerous one. You could wait a long time for something that doesn't materialize.

How would you recommend networking?

A senior woman I worked for talked about people having a personal board of directors. Instead of one person who's opening doors for you, a bunch of people who appear at different times in your career and have various skillsets.

Were your directors predominantly women?

No, and I don't think creating women-only groups is necessarily the best solution.

Why not?

If the vast majority of management positions in private equity companies are held by men, then we need to be networking across genders.

«Small stepping stones, not one magical relationship»

Being open-minded in terms of how do you get people – men and women – into what I call the coalition of the willing.

A coalition for yourself?

If you're trying to get a particular thing done in your community, you might need to pull together, like a coalition, to help you. I think that when people spend too much time looking for this one magical relationship with a mentor, they're missing all the smaller ones that are easier to get ahold of – lots of smaller stepping stones.

What about old boys' clubs and men-only networks – how should women cope with those?

Diversity training talks about overcoming your own biases. Maybe you're both parents, maybe you both like the outdoors. Maybe you both like to read books – find that common ground.