‘I Love My Job’: This Innovator’s Decisions ‘Help to Influence the Entire Financial Industry'

Welcome to I Love My Job, the series where we hear from women who really love their jobs. In this edition, we sat down with Darlene Newman, the Executive Director, Head of Internal IT Innovation & Research at DTCC.

Throughout her entire career, Newman has remained at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. So, it’s no surprise that she found herself at DTCC — one of the first technology innovators in the financial services industry. 

“They're not just a company surviving for themselves,” explains Newman. “DTCC holds up the entire capital market and all of the industry players. Our ability to provide stability and security each and every trading day in an ever-evolving digital ecosystem is truly incredible. So, as an innovator, it doesn't get more exciting. I'm not just innovating for a company — the technology decisions that I make help to influence the entire financial industry.” 

In the video below, Newman tells us more about why she loves working at DTCC. We also provide lightly edited highlights from the video discussion in the following article.

In case you have trouble watching this video, please click here to watch it on YouTube.

Can you tell us about your job and career journey to DTCC?

My team is responsible for working with our internal stakeholders across the organization to research and experiment on new and emerging technologies. Basically, we're here to make sure that we stay technically relevant in this ever-evolving digital world…

I've always considered myself an entrepreneur, so I tend to adapt to new opportunities, which meant I moved around a lot throughout my career. I would say that half of my career has been working with startups to help them launch products in the market and scale them, but the other half has been consulting large organizations, and most recently in roles where I utilize my expertise from working at those startups to help larger organizations compete with them. 

Large organizations are constantly challenged with the fast pace of technical change and need to be able to move more nimbly and innovatively in order to keep up with startups. So that's where my role fits in at DTCC. 

What do you find most exciting about your work?

I'm a technologist at heart, so I love being able to research new technology and try to predict how we work and service our clients in the future. I like to help organizations decide their next move technically and to ensure the relevancy, which is not always certain in this digital era. 

But, what I love most about my job is being able to work with our internal stakeholders to solve some of the most challenging problems through experimenting on emerging technologies to see what works and what doesn't. [This involves] always trying to find new ways to make things more efficient, productive, and improved.

Innovation doesn't work if it's in a silo. So, being able to collaborate with different departments throughout the organization makes me love getting up every morning to do my job. 

How would you describe the culture at DTCC?

Refreshing. I've spent over two decades of my career working in a number of startups and large organizations, so I guess you could say that I’ve seen it all.

For me, culture is the single most important factor in all of my decisions to join a company. Having a collaborative, innovative, and supportive environment is so important for one's ability to thrive in their career. DTCC is one of the few places I've worked at where the culture is absolutely reflective of its core values.

How does DTCC support you?

DTCC has an incredible system full of opportunities for employees at all levels. Whether it's leadership training for our many rising stars or executive training for people like myself, they offer programs that help ensure that we have the opportunity to grow into leadership roles and that we are successful in those roles. DTCC also has a number of groups you can join, such as the Innovation Council that I help lead, which supports innovation at the grassroots level in the organization, and the Women in Tech organization, which works to support our women technologists…

Ingrained in the culture is a sense of mobility. Employees stay at DTCC for so long because the opportunity to move across departments and to try different roles is so great… For me, knowing that I could apply for a new opportunity and be supported in that decision was critical for my growth and my success.

What advice do you have for other women looking to work at DTCC?

Simple. Do it and don't look back… From the culture to the impact DTCC has in the financial industry, you’re in a company that is truly worthwhile. Combine that with the support system for women in the organization to grow and lead, and you'll be able to make an impact every day in one of the most critical companies in the world.

Fairygodboss is proud to work with DTCC. Find a job there today!

Check out other posts in the ‘I Love My Job’ series:

• ‘I Love My Job’: I’m Proud to Be Part of a Team That’s Building Technology to Change the World

• ‘I Love My Job’: ‘Endless Possibilities’ to Define Your Career While Being Supported as a Mom in IT

• 'I Love My Job’: I Found My ‘Forever Home’ at a Firm Where Everyone Truly Supports One Another

• ‘I Love My Job’: How 1 Senior Manager Is Helping to ‘Mitigate and Manage Crises Across 6 Continents'

• ‘I Love My Job’: Making an ‘Upsized Impact’ on How Finance Is Done at a Mission-Driven Company