Mentor of the Year
Heidi Fischer
Firm: Deutsche Bank
After 10 years running the global program trading business on the sales trading side of Deutsche Bank, Heidi Fischer decided to try something different. So a couple of years ago, she took an opportunity to move into electronic trading. Her timing was interesting. She arrived almost one month before Michael Lewis came out with his book Flash Boys.
Still, it was a new challenge, and as co-head of electronic trading, managing the institutional side, Fischer now runs a larger team than she had previously, and one that is growing.
Ive learned the mechanics behind trading, why market structure is so important and what it all means. As people get more and more electronic in how they do business, it has been a real focal area, Fischer said.
Fischer has also been instrumental in helping others who are looking for new responsibilities. Over the past 10 years, she has had a role in promoting five different people from operational-type roles to client coverage roles.
If people are hungry and smart, hard workers, those are the people you want surrounding you and bringing your business to the next level, she said.
She has also been an organizer of womens networking programs at the bank. As a member of the steering committee of a Deutsche Bank womens network, she has helped organize events such as networking meetings for not only all of Deutsche Banks female bankers but also female clients.
Its helping not only women within Deutsche Bank, but you have clients who get to meet other women at other clients, which they wouldnt normally get to do, Fischer said.
She also co-created a separate womens networking group. What we saw was a lot more interaction, which not only changed the atmosphere but also resulted in good things going on across the business, Fischer said. People got to hear what others were doing and found ways to bridge gaps with clients.
