Jessica CHANELL

Jessica Chanell is a Principal at ICG, specialising in business development across Australia's wholesale market. She emphasises the importance of understanding your strengths and exploring the diverse opportunities available in finance. Her involvement with 100 Women in Finance has deepened her commitment to creating supportive networks and empowering women in the industry. Jessica is passionate about mentoring young professionals and fostering connections that support women's career advancement.

Q1.

Could you tell me about your job and your day-to-day responsibilities?

I am a Principal at ICG, a global alternatives asset manager, responsible for business development across the wholesale market in Australia. In short, I am responsible for generating new business activity by selling our ICG strategies (across Private Equity, Private Debt, Real Assets and Private Credit) to prospective and existing clients within the wealth segment.

I enjoy that no day looks the same and spend most of my time in meetings with clients and prospects (this takes me all around Australia), planning for those meetings, and building out a sales pipeline. My days can also include managing

existing client relationships through strategy updates, attending conferences and briefings and lots of networking.

Q2.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your role?

For me, working on end-to-end new business where I’ve sourced the prospect, conducted the work through numerous meetings and due diligence to get them over the line and they decide to invest with ICG in the strategy. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing the ticket come in that the client has invested.

Q3.

What advice would you give young women in university at the start of their careers?

When you’re starting, finance roles are often associated with your aptitude for mathematics and number crunching when in fact the industry offers a broad range of roles with numerous different skill sets. My advice is to work out what you're passionate about and where your strengths lie and ask as many questions as you can about different roles in the industry. This will give you the best chance of finding a role that suits you and your skill set, as well as giving you the best chance to excel and enjoy it along the way.

I knew early on in my career that my strengths lay in relationship and people management which landed me my initial role in client services and has ultimately landed me in a business development role today.

Q4.

What is one change that you would like to see for women in your field?

Both finance and sales have traditionally been areas dominated by my male colleagues. While the industry is certainly moving in the right direction with many companies implementing DEI targets and actively promoting equal workplaces, change is slow and there’s still a lot that can be done to make the women who are already navigating the industry feel more supported.

As you’ve pointed out I’ve been actively involved in several female lead programs, aimed at raising visibility and creating cohorts of empowered females. This is a great way to meet like-minded colleagues in the industry and provides you with a strong network that you can lean on for support in all different walks of your career. It is also a great means to establish relationships with more senior women and potential role models who can help guide you and provide advice through different milestones in your career.

Q5.

We recognise that you have taken on roles with 100 Women in Finance, championing the increased presence of women working in the financial industry. How have these roles shaped your perspective on gender diversity in finance? Can you share a rewarding moment during your time working with these organisations?

I’m very fortunate to be able to co-host and attend thought-provoking and engaging events run by 100 Women in Finance throughout the year. I’m constantly inspired by the speakers who present their perspectives and thankful that we get the chance to engage.

The most rewarding part is having younger cohorts approach me to network and engage. It's great to meet so many talented and inquisitive candidates coming through the pool and rewarding to think that some of my advice might have given them guidance or the courage to make the next step in their career. As an industry there’s still a long way to go so, do what you can to make an impact! It’s great to see groups like yours already taking steps to make a positive impact.

14.07.2024

If you have any questions for Jessica Chanell, please:

1. Leave a comment under our Woman of the Week FB post, or

2. Email us at wcp.unimelb@gmail.com