In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Co-Founder Melissa Campanelli interviews Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital-first, mission-driven investment platform for women. Listen in as they discuss her career journey from Wall Street to Ellevest, why it’s important for women to better manage their money, and why the current “by men, for men” investing industry has historically kept women from achieving their financial goals. Krawcheck discusses the types of investments available on Ellevest, why a digital-first offering makes the investment world more accessible to the everyday woman, and her Fast Company article, “Just Buy The F***ing Latte,” that went viral for addressing the often patronizing budgeting tips aimed at women. She shares a few key points from her book, “Own It: The Power of Women at Work,” including the lies women are told about advancement in the workplace and why women need a close-knit “squad” of female professionals to lean on during their life. Krawcheck ends the interview with the best advice she’s ever received and one goal she’s working on for the year ahead.

Sallie Krawcheck’s professional mission is to help women reach their financial and professional goals (or, put more bluntly, to get more money into the hands of women), thus enabling them to live better lives and unleashing a positive ripple effect for our families, our communities and our economy. Ellevest is one of the fastest growing digital investment platforms, and was named No. 24 on CNBC’s top 50 “Disruptor” list, No. 14 on LinkedIn’s “50 Most Sought-After Startups” (and No. 2 in New York), and one of Entrepreneur magazine’s Top 100 Brilliant Ideas. Krawcheck is also chair of the Ellevate Network, a 135,000-strong global professional women’s network; chair of the Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Leadership Fund, a fund that invests in the top-rated companies for advancing women; and is the best-selling author of “Own It: The Power of Women at Work.”

Krawcheck, one of few executives to find success in large complex companies and as a startup CEO, is widely recognized as one of the most influential women in business. She has been recognized by Inc. as a “Top Female Founder,” called “The Last Honest Analyst” by Fortune magazine, was named the seventh most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, was No. 9 on Fast Company’s list of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” Krawcheck has been called one of the “top 10 up-and-coming entrepreneurs to watch” by Entrepreneur magazine, and has landed on Vanity Fair’s “2018 New Establishment List.”

Before launching Ellevest, Krawcheck built a successful career on Wall Street. She was the CEO of Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, US Trust, the Citi Private Bank, and Sanford C. Bernstein. She was also CFO for Citigroup. Prior to that, Krawcheck was a top-ranked research analyst covering the securities industry.

Krawcheck received a BA summa cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a MBA with honors from Columbia Business School. She has two children and two cats.

Date: August 20, 2019