Tell us about your role.

I’m responsible for shaping and executing our firm’s counterparty strategy. I partner with our Trading and Treasury teams to allocate our firm’s wallet, set up new prime brokerage and execution relationships, manage the advisory resources we receive from the sell-side – corporate access, sales and analyst coverage – and negotiate commission levels.

Where are you from, and how did you end up in finance?

I’m from a small town in Connecticut, about 15 minutes from New Haven. Finance wasn’t on my radar growing up, but in sixth grade, a stock-picking competition in my math class completely hooked me.

I went to UConn to study finance when the financial crisis hit, which made jobs in the industry scarce. I quickly pivoted to accounting, thinking that if I can understand a balance sheet and PnL, I can hopefully make the transition into finance.

I spent two years at KPMG in Stamford, where my clients were predominantly private equity and hedge funds, while also getting my CPA license. I was able to parlay that into an accounting job at a multi-strategy hedge fund.

How did your career evolve from there?

After a couple of years in accounting at my previous firm, I moved into the Broker Relations function there. I had an early mentor who really shaped how I think about the job — the idea that hard quantitative skills combined with strong relationship-building is a lethal combination. I’ve tried to model my career on that ever since.

From there, I moved into the firm’s data strategy and acquisition function. The industry was going all-in on alternative data, and I thought if I could understand both the sell-side and the data world, that would be a differentiated skill set. I spent a few years in that space before relocating to London to launch the data business in Europe.

When I was ready to come back to the States, the timing aligned with an opening at Schonfeld in the trading business. The rest is history.

What drew you to Schonfeld specifically?

The feedback from the Street was consistent — Schonfeld is a meritocracy – results matter more than tenure. That resonated with me. I’ve since had probably four or five different roles here, which I think tells its own story about the opportunities that exist at Schonfeld for people willing to lean in.

How has your career evolved at Schonfeld?

I was brought onto the team to strategically evaluate how we partner with the sell-side – identifying efficiencies and strengthening those relationships.

From there, I was asked to lead the counterparty onboarding function, which allowed us to launch businesses like Discretionary Macro & Fixed Income and Delta One, as well as new funds, in a timely manner. After that, I was asked to take over the Broker Relations function, and eventually, I stepped into my current role.

What do you think Schonfeld does well as a firm?

I’ve never seen an institution that can get so many functions to row the boat in the same direction, for a common purpose, with such efficiency. Everybody here walks through the door in the morning with one purpose, and that’s to make this place better and unlock potential opportunities for our investors.

What advice would you give someone trying to break into this space?

Don’t let your upbringing, your school or your early career define you. You have a choice every day as to the type of professional you’ll be and how hard you will work. If you want something, outwork everyone in your path.

The other thing I’d say — and this is the best advice I have ever received — is to be the person that other people want to see win.