From Growing Your Unique Professional Skills to Making a Career Pivot — Top Advice From a CFO

Discovering your unique skills is a key part of taking charge of your career. But how can you determine your own professional strengths? For answers, we turned to Renee LaRoche-Morris, who suggests asking yourself what you’re already skilled at, as well as what skills you’re interested in developing next.

And, for people who are hoping to make a change in their careers because they feel stuck in their current role, remember that you can learn new skills and adapt or adjust existing ones to demonstrate versatility and take advantage of mobility opportunities, shares LaRoche-Morris. To do so, you will need to assess your current skill set and sharpen those that are transferable as well as identify new skills that you will need to develop. This is a critical step to finding a role you’ll enjoy and where you can succeed. 

Another tip for managing your career journey? Make yourself visible to others, listen to their feedback, take it on, and do not give up,” emphasizes LaRoche-Morris. Earlier in her career, LaRoche-Morris recalls not receiving a promotion after underestimating the need for visibility in a previous company. Now, she’s helping others avoid this situation by coaching colleagues on how to understand who the key decision-makers are and how to ensure that they’re consciously cultivating relationships and future advocates. 

Curious to learn more? In this article, LaRoche-Morris dives into her own career pivots, her role as CFO, and how DTCC supports her and her unique set of superpowers!

Exploring my journey to a CFO role.

LaRoche-Morris’ multifaceted career journey began in a retail training program at a bank. From there, she held roles in data and product management before transitioning to consulting. She eventually returned to the world of banking, where she took on assignments in strategy and operations before following her interest in Finance-related functions by serving as CFO of Wealth Management and CFO of Investment Management. She pivoted again several years later as she pursued opportunities as COO of Investment Management and Chief of Staff roles.

In 2023, LaRoche-Morris’ career took an unexpected turn when Frank La Salla, President, CEO and Director of DTCC, a critical market infrastructure serving the global financial markets, asked her to join the firm as CFO. LaRoche-Morris had worked with La Salla in different capacities throughout their careers, and she was excited to take on a new challenge and leverage the skills she had spent many years developing. Looking back on her journey to this point, LaRoche-Morris emphasizes how her many previous experiences in financial services have proven invaluable as she learns DTCC’s complex businesses and begins formulating strategies to advance the company’s vision and mission. 

LaRoche-Morris’ passion for professional development has been a key factor in helping her adapt to her new role. In her four months as CFO, she is “making enterprise-level decisions as a member of the firm’s Management Committee, ensuring that its financial reporting is in order, evaluating its Treasury capabilities and identifying ways to drive efficiencies in procurement and other areas.,” LaRoche-Morris explains. Throughout it all, she’s really enjoying working with senior leaders across all DTCC departments, and she is excited to share her insights on investment strategy, advancing innovation and driving process improvements.

An inside look at DTCC’s culture.

As we can see, LaRoche-Morris’ career journey to her current role has not followed a linear path, but rather a series of steps where she prioritized professional development and mobility.  

But, beyond her role, what does she like about DTCC?

One aspect of DTCC that LaRoche-Morris enjoys is the company’s role in protecting market stability and safeguarding the investing public. “DTCC is a purpose-driven organization where employees are empowered to make a positive impact every day,” she explains.  Another key benefit is DTCC’s culture, which she describes as supportive, passionate, and creative. “DTCC employees are experts in their fields, and the environment is collaborative and innovative while also reinforcing the importance of risk management,” LaRoche-Morris tells us.

And, for other women who are hoping to make a change, grow new skills, or advance their careers, DTCC is a fantastic place to do so! They offer a variety of initiatives, including the Advancing Women Leaders and Emerging Women Leaders programs (which are focused on helping women to develop their leadership capabilities), senior leadership exposure, a women’s employee resource group (ERG), and a ReEmerge program to help attract women who have not been employed for a long period of time to re-enter the workplace. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it at DTCC!

Thinking about joining the DTCC team? They’re hiring! Click the following link to browse current job opportunities.