Rising Stars
Recognizing todays and tomorrows leaders, the Rising Star Award is intended for high-impact professionals who will continue to lead the industry for years to come.
Clare Fraser, managing director, strategy, Omgeo
Dont judge a book by its cover-or an opportunity by its location. Even if it requires traveling halfway around the world.
Clare Fraser, managing director of strategy at Omgeo, began her career in her native Australia back in 1996. Little did she know that it would take her from the land down under to Hong Kong, and then to Belgium and later London. And again back to Hong Kong. As she puts it, her passport is well worn and she is never in need of frequent flier miles.
For her, travel and international exposure are the cost of doing business and ascending the financial services ladder. But that cost, jet lag, time away from family and other challenges are well worth it.
[See All The 2013 Wall Street Women Winners]
I really dont think there is a cost when you look at the benefits of working for an international firm, Fraser said. You just cant underestimate the value of working internationally. I strongly believe that for every role Ive had, theres a bonus that offsets any personal cost.
In her 17 years in finance, Fraser added, she has always looked at opportunities deeply and not taken them at face value. I never say no to an opportunity, even if the benefit is not readily seen. Adaptability is her middle name. She estimates that she has lived in 10 cities in the last 15 years.
If you want to be relevant in this business, you have to keep an open mind, especially when it comes to your career trajectory, she said.
And for Fraser that flight plan rivals any transcontinental flight. She began her career in in her native Australia at Macquarie back in 1996, joining the firms graduate training program and landing a position in strategy for the chief executive officer.
She left Macquarie in 1999 and moved to Hong Kong, looking to broaden her knowledge of Asia and finance, and landed at Credit Suisse First Boston. At the investment bank she switched gears and worked in mergers and acquisitions in the firms financial institutions group during the dot-com boom, seeing it from an Eastern perspective rather than U.S.-centric one. She stayed there for three years and in 2001 packed her bags again. This time, she was headed for Europe.
Armed with a thorough knowledge of the Asian and Australian markets, she landed in Brussels, Belgium, and went to work for the European Commission as a consultant. Working in the research directorate general, she found herself leading the strategic assessment of financial control instruments and increasing her knowledge about regulation and its role in the capital markets.
This exposure really helped me understand how things are done in different cultures, she said.
During her downtime away from the commission, Fraser relaunched her career and got an MBA. While studying, she was exposed to 36 different cultures, absorbing their idiosyncrasies to better understand business on a global scale.
Her studies completed, she joined HSBC Securities Services unit and eventually rose to become its global head of strategy, focusing on Europe. She split her five years at the Asia-based bank between London and Hong Kong until leaving in 2011.
Armed with a global education and international pedigree, she joined Omgeo, a firm that delivers post-trade and settlement solutions to global clients. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. completed its acquisition of Omgeo in October. Fraser relishes her new role amid the constant technological change in the financial markets. After all, she is a student of change and adaptability.
You have to be adaptable in this environment or any, if you want to be relevant, Fraser said. Never look at an opportunity at face value, and never say no to an opportunity without learning the facts, even if you cant see its immediate value.
