Crystal Ladder Award
Kourtney Ratliff
Firm: Loop Capital
At 34, Kourtney Ratliff has already worked half of her young life in investment banking-almost all at Loop Capital. I started here the summer before senior year in high school, she said.
Growing up, I planned to be a bilingual pediatrician, but a family member offered me a summer internship at Loop, and I fell in love with the work.
Ratliff now serves as a partner at Loop Capital, and heads the firms global equity, taxable fixed income and transition management divisions. She leads all aspects of institutional new business development, oversees all brand-building efforts and participates in decisions affecting Loops strategy and growth efforts.
I start my day with a typical routine, Ratliff said, getting up at 5:45 and checking how we did in Asia overnight. I read the Financial Times and Barrons, go through social media, switch on CNBC and get ready for work. But typical ends when I walk through the office door. My day never starts or ends as I plan, but thats OK. If my job became monotonous, Id get bored.
Leading a team of 50 means that Ratliff must stay focused. I am an incredibly hard worker, she said, and I try to be strategic about everything I do. I am very direct, and while that can be a problem for some, most team members really like the clarity about the business and what we expect of them. If you do well, I tell you. If you dont do so well, I tell you that, too.
Traders announces thewinners of the 2015 Wall Street Women awards.
Ratliff built a team that leaves gender bias at the door. At some firms, women have to soften their approach as leaders. Men and women can say the same exact thing, but a woman saying it, it can be heard differently and be taken as mean.
A strong work ethic and management style came to Ratliff early in life. My mother, an educator, showed me that you can learn something new every day, Ratliff noted. She said, Always try and find a better you, and be good to people, too. In financial services, people think about numbers, but I try to remember that people push the buttons, people are what matters.
