Finding Success in a Male-Dominated Field: The Career Journey (and Advice!) of a Head of Revenue

Sponsored by White & Case LLP

Danielle Savino

Photo courtesy of White & Case.

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As the Head of Revenue for the Americas at White & Case, Danielle Savino believes in helping colleagues succeed like she did and elevating other women in finance. “My goal is to set an example of how to be both professionally and personally successful,” she says. “It’s important to me to set aside time for one-on-one catch-ups with not just my team but with others in the firm who I’ve built relationships with.”

As part of this, Savino tries ”to remind people to make themselves and their personal goals a priority,” she explains. “I also try to make sure to continually share knowledge, be honest, transparent and highlight others to allow them to shine.”

Want to learn more about Savino’s career journey and how she and her company help women excel in their financial careers? Read on...

Tell us about your job.

My current role is the Head of Revenue for the Americas region at White & Case. I oversee all revenue management activities, which includes heading up our teams of Revenue Managers, Billing Coordinators and Collections Specialists. We work closely with partners and senior management to deliver on revenue and billing targets for the firm. 

My role has evolved over the years since joining White & Case. I joined the firm in 2013, when our new financial system was in the process of being implemented, and I spent the first two years or so focused on the design and build-out of process workflows, global requirement gathering, testing and training programs. 

From there, I started working closely with all of our teams on the ground in local offices and Manila and then with senior management to implement new processes and guidelines related to how the firm manages inventory. I love how legal finance roles have evolved over the past 10 years. The market, requirements and expectations of our clients have changed drastically, and the need for niche expertise and experience with clients, their staff and their systems is critical. It’s exciting since we’re constantly looking at how we deliver service to both our partners and our clients, and every day looks different. 

What’s the one career move you’ve made that you’re most proud of? 

About 10 years ago when I was at my last firm, I got involved in a project that proved to be pivotal for my career. I was the most junior member of the core team at the time, and I started travelling globally to all of our offices to train staff. This allowed me to gain a lot of confidence and really spread my wings to take on new things. That was a real turning point for me.

Being a woman in a male-dominated industry often comes with a set of challenges. What are some of the obstacles you’ve had to overcome?

Finding a balance between work and my personal life. Being a working mom and dealing with “mom guilt” is a very real thing. We want to be able to do and have it all, but it’s impossible to do it all at the same time. 

How does White & Case empower women to “shatter the glass ceiling”?

White & Case has created the New York Women’s Alliance, which sponsors some amazing programs. I think one of the things that separates White & Case’s affinity networks from other law firms is that the business services professionals are included with the lawyers, which really fosters a culture of inclusion. Other firms I’ve worked at have either separated the support staff and/or not offered the same type of support groups to the entire firm. I’ve used these programs to continue to grow my network within the firm, as well as hear different experiences. 

What women inspire you the most? 

Working moms are all heroes to me. In particular, though, I do have one woman I keep close whom I’ve always considered a mentor both professionally and personally. She has always shared her knowledge and has been a constant support and go-to for me through the years.

What’s your No. 1 piece of advice for women who are looking to break into a career in finance?

I think developing and maintaining strong relationships is key in any career, not just finance. Finding the right fit culturally is so important, too.

What are your favorite parts of working at White & Case?

There are a lot of things I love about working at White & Case. For instance, White & Case is the type of place where there are a lot of opportunities if you have a curiosity and interest that may be outside of your remit. There is a lot of cross-functional and cross-departmental collaboration, and, because of that, I’ve gotten to understand parts of the business that I never would have in past roles. It’s truly allowed me to grow tremendously during my time here. 

We also have a market-leading parental-leave policy, which is generous and wonderful. 

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