May 18, 2020
Lauren Harrell
Website: https://www.chathamfinancial.com/
Lauren currently serves as a Head of Commodities for the Financial Institution Group at Chatham Financial, an independent global leader in debt and derivatives advisory. Known for her strategic thinking and vision, she has built and scaled an innovative commodity derivative hedging business line for regional and community banks who lend to oil and gas producers. She brings together people, process, and technology to develop and deliver on strategy, business development, operations, marketing, client relations, and implementation.
Throughout her career, Lauren has had roles in finance, banking, credit, Treasury, auditing, internal controls, risk management and lending. She has been recognized as an industry leader and is a faculty member at the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking hosted by Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania, creating their Derivatives elective course for industry professionals. Lauren has been interviewed by American Banker and Risk Management Association for her subject matter expertise in the areas of risk, derivatives, and energy. She has also been a guest speaker at Villanova, Gordon College, and West Chester University.
Recently, Lauren was named to VISTA.Today’s Millennial Superstar 40 Under 40 List for Chester County. She has also served on over a dozen not for profit and for profit boards. Currently, she serves on the Advisory Board of WSFS Bank (NASDAQ: WSFS), a $12B bank that serves the Delaware Valley region. Additionally, she serves as Chair of the Chester County Food Bank, was appointed to the Chester County Women’s Commission serving as their Vice President, is a Trustee for the Chester County Hospital Foundation serving as their Audit Chair, and serves on the Board of Historic Kennett Square as their Vice Chair.
Lauren holds a CPA license and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. She received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a master’s degree with a concentration in Finance from Gonzaga University. She is also a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and holds a Certificate in Leadership from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the CFA Institute, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).
Lauren lives in Landenberg, PA with her husband and daughter.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to keep your options open in your career
- The importance of mentorship, networking, and building relationships to career advancement
- Investing in yourself to achieve career goals
- The value of having someone advocate for you
- How to reduce or eliminate reactivity in business
- The need for more women in leadership roles
- How women approach decision-making from collaboration
- The future of women in the workplace