“My day to day work in the Controllers Pricing and Valuation Group can vary depending on the month and quarter, but for the most part I spend a lot of time working with a range of teams – from Product Controllers to Financial Reporting to Operations – to ensure they’re meeting control and reporting obligations. We also manage the reporting and analysis of the firm’s price verification results and help with the independent valuation of the firm’s harder to value assets (e.g., real estate, private equity, etc.).”
Morning
o Email “sprint” – I work closely with people in other regions, so first thing I do is get caught up on the information flow from them while I was asleep
o Begin reviewing and validating price verification data across the firm’s businesses
Afternoon
o Attack my to-do list (e.g., building a Tableau dashboard, constructing monthly price valuation schedules, ad hoc requests from a variety of people)
o Attend meetings with my team and Product Controllers
o Participate in committee meetings; plan events, etc.
Evening
o Workout
o Cook
o Work on FREE, a nonprofit I co-founded
o Weekly tennis matches with a friend
When I’m not at my desk during the day…
I’m generally catching up with people in my network, in meetings for the Americas Controller Junior Board where we brainstorm, propose, and implement initiatives to help improve the experience of junior talent in the organization, the Product Controller Training Committee which focuses on developing events for the ongoing education of product controllers, or the Firmwide Black Network where we plan events and initiatives to share our perspective and culture with others.
Skills to be successful in my role…
Thoughtful, data-driven, inquisitive, organized, goal oriented, and collaborative.
Best advice I’ve received at GS…
If you have an idea, go for it. I was able to connect with an early mentor and other colleagues through a shared value system and created a nonprofit from that.
How I’d describe my team dynamic…
My team’s incredibly collaborative and I’m routinely asked what my opinion is and I’m empowered to share it even when I’m not asked. My manager and I work very closely together on all our team’s key deliverables. A key part of our team’s remit is to provide best practice guidance, so you’ll generally hear the team holding conversations trying to identify the best solution, whether it’s with other Controller teams, Engineering or external stakeholders.
Who I am makes me better at what I do…
In 2015, I cofounded a nonprofit called Finance Requires Effective Education (“FREE”) with a Goldman colleague, Dennis Wall. The goal of the organization is to tighten the racial and socioeconomic wealth gap, and we aim to do this by teaching personal finance basics and technical knowledge to individuals in underserved communities. The idea came about when I reconnected with Dennis, who managed me as an intern in 2014, in 2015 when I started full-time and it has really grown since. This journey has also benefitted my life at Goldman Sachs – it has pushed me to think big picture while on the desk, exposed me to skills and interests I have that are helping define my career direction, and has greatly expanded my network. Through Community TeamWorks, the firm’s employee volunteering initiative, we’re conducting a number of FREE financial literacy days with our target population.
Lightning Round
Favorite work perk
401(k) matching!
Lunch go-to
I try to bring lunch from home, but if not, I’ll grab something like a sushi burrito from our in-house cafeteria
Favorite Talks at GS guest
David Robinson & Magic Johnson – can’t choose!
First thing I mastered after joining
Leveraging/building my network
Skill I’m building now
Deepening my technical knowledge
