Women at Baird Fixed Income Capital Markets: Anne Sample

Each day is very different. An underwriter is like the fulcrum on a teeter-totter: It’s my job to obtain the lowest cost for the issuer – city, county, school district, charter school – at a price that will clear the market, which means at an interest rate that institutional investors will purchase. I work with Public Finance bankers and analysts, and I provide real-time market intel to help them plan for various capital needs. Typically, in the morning, I am pricing new issue bond deals for the various states and sectors I cover, and in the afternoons, I’m working ahead on future issues. All day I interact with a variety of people both within Baird and across the many firms with whom we do business.

I encourage younger women in business to learn the ropes, recognize and adapt to the different personalities you encounter, and find and own your voice. Be assertive. Be confident. Have opinions. Speak up. Listen. Be authentic. You don’t need to change who you are to progress in your career.

There has never been a better time to be a woman in municipal bonds. On our desk, we’ve been deliberate in hiring more women to even out the numbers. Once you’re in, you have to prove yourself to advance. Work hard. Ask questions. Be curious. Baird rewards and advances associates whose work product demonstrates growth, but you also have to advocate for yourself.

My parents, Tom and Susan. As I’ve gotten older, I’m more appreciative, impressed and inspired by them both. They raised me – and my three older siblings – to hold very high expectations of ourselves and of others. They taught us to take pride in our work, show up on time, be polite and respectful, always work hard, and view no person or task as beneath you.

I think first of Baird’s very own Noreen Gallagher. She is a valued mentor and inspiration to me in this business. As I gain more responsibility on the desk, I also gain greater appreciation for Noreen and the path she’s paved for us women. What makes her successful? She’s intelligent and knows her product. She listens to and understands her customers’ needs. She’s forward yet respectful. She’s fair, authentic, and is a huge advocate for women in this business. Simply stated, Noreen is the poster child for a successful woman in the municipal bonds business.