This week’s Women in Business Spotlight features Sophia Shluger, MBA, Former Vice-President of Santander US. She earned her B.A. from Wellesley College in 2005, and first started her career by combining her passion for finance and her Brazilian American heritage as a Latin American Equity Sales Associate at Goldman Sachs. Since then, she has proven to be an exceptional leader in the financial services industry; with over 12 years of experience in equites and private debt, Sophia has served as the Head of Inside Sales at FX International Payments (a service of American Express), Senior Strategic Sales at American Express, and Vice-President of Santander U.S. Sophia also found time to strengthen her business acumen where she earned her MBA at the University of Navarra. In her most recent position, she pivoted into a consulting role at Board Intelligence in London. A FINRA licensed investment banker, Sophia currently resides in London and is seeking full-time opportunities in strategy, business development, and investment banking.
Read about our honest conversation on her non-linear career trajectory, the value of an MBA, and advice she could give to her younger self.
June 26, 2020, 11 am EDT
Written by Sarah Chu
Career
SC: A common misconception for students is that a career path is linear. Could you share your experiences about your non-linear career trajectory?
SS: I learned valuable and essential skills with each role I took on, in which reflecting on my own skills naturally lead me to my next position. Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s important to know what makes you tick. Do you care more about impact, where you seek to evolve a firm’s existing capabilities? Or do you care more about delivery, where you see a project from end to end? When thinking about your career, it is important to know what your value-added is and how you can contribute to the firm.
The Value of an MBA
SC: There are trade-offs to pursuing an MBA, such as the high cost, loss in revenue, and taking time off work. Could you tell me more about why you decided to pursue one?
SS: I decided to pursue an MBA because I wanted to strengthen my technical skills. In my MBA program, I explored financial accounting, marketing, and strategy. You spent years intensively studying business problems, so after I finished, you don’t look at businesses the same way. I like the analytical and strategic mindset it helps you formulate. The network is also incredibly valuable. One of the jobs I worked at was founded by a friend from business school, so it is useful in building your professional network. There are trade-offs, but from a business confidence level, the MBA was certainly valuable for me.
Future
SC: What are some of your long-term goals?
SS: I don’t know if that’s the next role or further down the line, but I would love to start my own company and make the transition to becoming an investment professional. Namely, I’m interested in private equity, an industry where you transform business operations for a company. Taking something and improving it over time is an area of great interest as well.
Advice
SC: After connecting with someone once, how do you retain that connection throughout your career?
SS: During the holidays, I sent out messages to send warm wishes and give them an update on some previous projects [I worked on since we last spoke]. LinkedIn is also great because people change job’s and have work anniversaries, so you can also connect with them that way!
SC: If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
SS: Keep up with your professional network. I covered a lot of clients in New York early in my career and I unfortunately lost touch with them. They would be incredibly valuable people to speak to not just for job hunting, but for mentorship.