Network, Empower, Learn, Succeed: Highlights From This Year’s WIN Wednesday Conference

After four years, WIN Wednesday returned – this time as a standalone conference in Miami!?

Stifel’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) was born organically when some of our top female advisors came together to share best practices and encourage one another – and gained the support of CEO Ron Kruszewski , the board of directors, and the firm’s leadership team.? Since then, more than 100 financial advisors have joined WIN and received support and networking opportunities through events such as regional dinners , Lunch & Learn events , and, of course, WIN Wednesday.

WIN Wednesday has been a cornerstone event in St. Louis that attendees look forward to each year.? However, it had been four years since the last one, which had been part of our firm-wide conference Blueprint –?making this year’s standalone WIN Wednesday in Miami all the more exciting to plan and attend.?

Planning a WINning Conference

Planning began earlier this year in March, with planning committee members Andrea Contini (Vice President, Product Manager, Technology Product Development), Miranda Miller (Vice President, Director, Technology Product Development), Susan Robinson (Vice President, Corporate Incentive and Travel), Kristen Sahin (Vice President, Marketing & Brand Manager), Marianne Weiss (Director, Stifel Support), and Caroline Wilson (Vice President, Product and Relationship Management) meeting with me weekly to flesh out the details.? Figuring out the schedule was a particularly large undertaking, as we needed to narrow down important topics and carefully determine the timing and venue. While we had previously gathered in St. Louis, Miami seemed more accessible in terms of logistics.??

Ultimately, the planning committee’s hard work paid off, with roughly 200 attendees showing up from across the country.? Given the wide range of conference attendees, we provided color-coded name tags, enabling financial advisors to see who else was in their region at a glance and simplifying networking.

We also incorporated a significant change this year to the schedule of events. Last time, attendees had to pick and choose which panels they wanted to attend, which caused some to feel like they were missing out. This year, everyone had the same event schedule, making it feel more dedicated and organized.

A Welcoming Tuesday

Most attendees arrived on Tuesday.? That evening, we hosted a dinner featuring a performance by the Girls’ Choir of Miami from Girl Power Rocks , a nonprofit prevention and intervention social change program that was created to help promote positive behavior, build confidence, enhance social skills, and improve academic performance in at-promise girls ages 11-17.? In the tradition of WIN, we raised funds to support Girl Power Rocks’ programs, with Stifel and many others at the dinner – including Ron Kruszewski – each providing a $5K match.

Following the dinner came a fireside chat with Maura Markus and Ron to discuss Stifel and WIN’s growth.? Maura has served on Stifel’s Board of Directors since 2016 and has advocated for WIN since its inception, never missing an in-person WIN event.

“It’s such a privilege for me to attend the WIN conference and interact with this group of successful and talented women,” Maura says.? “They’re fantastic leaders and incredible brand ambassadors for Stifel.? It’s great to have the opportunity to participate with Ron to talk about the impact WIN has had on the growth of the business.”

WIN Wednesday

Wednesday consisted of even more incredible opportunities for attendees.? Early risers and fitness enthusiasts gathered for a rejuvenating start to the day with early morning yoga led by Amanda Balionis Renner , Stifel’s first Ambassador and a star broadcaster at CBS Sports renowned for her national coverage of the PGA Tour and NFL.?

Next up was a morning chat with Amanda hosted by Ron.? They discussed her career and her founding of “Puppies & Golf,” a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to supporting and promoting shelters across the country while fostering connections between humans and dogs for a lifetime of purpose.

The day continued with a fireside chat featuring our presenting sponsor Franklin Templeton’s President and CEO Jenny Johnson , hosted by Caroline Wilson.? Reflecting on her 30+ years of experience in finance, Jenny discussed the challenges and triumphs of thriving in a male-dominated industry and transforming Franklin Templeton into one of the most respected global firms focused on investment management, technology, innovation, diversity, and corporate and social responsibility.

“A lot of us are used to walking into a room and being the only woman, and you don’t survive this business unless you can deal with that,” she shared.? “We need more women in this industry.? We’re good at listening, and we can listen to the unsaid – the unspoken part – of what clients want.”

Next came “The Intergenerational Divide: Building a Bridge to the Next Generation” by Amy Osborn , a Lead Investment Learning Consultant at Franklin Templeton.? There are seven living generations of Americans, and Amy hopes to help financial advisors bridge the gap.? After all, there are a lot of opportunities.? For example, she reports over $30 trillion will pass from Baby Boomers to Millennials during the Great Wealth Transfer, and many will change financial professionals after inheriting their parents’ wealth.? This means financial advisors need to provide personalized experiences and outcome-based advice to connect, engage, and plan with the next generation.

This discussion was followed by a market update from Anu Gaggar of Fidelity, one of our supporting partners, and a “Marketing Yourself and Your Practice” panel hosted by Jackie Wilke of First Trust Portfolios, another supporting partner.? Kristen Sahin (Marketing & Brand Manager), Kelly Schluckbier (Associate Vice President/Investments), and Debra Weiner (Managing Director/Investments) discussed with Jackie how financial advisors could best market themselves and their practices and shared some modern marketing techniques.

As Kelly said, “Clients want and need to see websites, LinkedIn pages, and social media pages.? How else will prospects find you or know what you have to offer?? If you’re not investing in your digital presence, your competition is.”

If you want to see how it’s done, check out Stifel’s WIN Facebook page or our LinkedIn page .

At lunch, attendees refueled and listened to supporting partner Eaton Vance’s David Richman in a talk called “Chasing Positivity to Inspire Action” before continuing to the “Technology Throughout the Client Lifecycle” panel.? Speakers included members of the Technology Product Development team – Andrea Contini (Vice President, Product Manager), Andrew DeField (Product Manager), Miranda Miller (Vice President, Director), and Mike Walsh (Product Manager) – and they shared some valuable information regarding Stifel’s Wealth Tracker application and Salesforce platform.

“We want advisors to have the flexibility to give performance reports to clients at their desire,” said Mike Walsh, and that’s exactly what Wealth Tracker offers.? Additionally, clients can now move their own money and access an aggregated view of their accounts in one place.

Attendees also heard about our technology from power users Michelle Franks (Vice President/Investments Branch Manager), Alisa Franklin (Financial Advisor Associate), and Michele Powell (Director/Investments) before attending the technology partner showcase and enjoying designated free time to network with one another.

A Final Thursday

Thursday saw a packed morning that started with a “Building Teams” speech and panel hosted by Dr. Ben Sorensen of Sorensen Consulting, featuring Leigh Anne Gage (Senior Vice President/Investments), Katelyn Smith (Financial Advisor), and Rhonda Smith (Senior Vice President/Investments and also Katelyn’s mother-in-law).??

To wrap up the conference, Heather Brilliant , the CEO of supporting partner Diamond Hill, hosted a “Top Financial Advisors” panel with Chairman’s Council advisors Holly Barroway (Managing Director/Investments) and Marie Steinman (Senior Vice President/Investments), who shared how they built and grew their businesses.

A Resounding Success

Needless to say, it was exciting to see so many associates bring such an incredible energy to this year’s WIN Wednesday conference.? Attendees seemed to feel more comfortable introducing themselves to each other, and it felt like a natural interaction among advisors and other associates from Stifel, regardless of age and region.

“We’re hoping WIN Wednesday attendees realized there’s a huge network at the firm that they can lean on,” said Kristen Sahin.? “For example, panelists Debbie and Kelly had never really had an opportunity to speak to each other, but being on the same panel created this great working relationship where now they can rely on each other in the future.”

And they’re hardly the only example of associates who met new people.? We implemented the free time on Wednesday evening based on direct feedback from the 2019 WIN Wednesday, and it paid off.? Associates had more time to meet one another –?and even sharing shuttle rides was a good way for attendees to meet one another.

“I really enjoyed the team-building session and hearing from colleagues in other roles.? I’ve been reinforcing existing relationships and making new ones while exploring better ways to grow my team,” shared Katie Brummet (Financial Advisor) of the Rolla, Missouri, branch.? “At Stifel, there's no limit to improvement and growth, so I’m excited to take all the information I’ve learned from this conference back to the branch.”? She works directly with her father, so she appreciates the many opportunities to learn and grow with other women at Stifel.

I also caught up with Lisa Hartung (Senior Vice President/Investments) of the Newport Beach branch.

“The caliber of the women and content were excellent.? I was part of the inaugural WIN kickoff, so this was a must-not-miss opportunity,” she said.? “What an honor it is to be a part of a firm that values us not only as women but as professionals.? You feel good about going to work and being a part of this organization, which all translates into how we manage our businesses.”

And with that, we also need to acknowledge Ron’s involvement with this conference.

“It was great to see how present Ron was throughout the event,”? Lisa added.? “The adage ‘Treat others how you want to be treated’ is not just said at Stifel but rather carried through, even at the leadership level, and Ron's involvement really reflected and reaffirmed that.”

We’ve heard so much positive feedback so far, and we can’t wait to come back next time with an even better WIN Wednesday conference.?

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor Franklin Templeton and supporting partners Diamond Hill , Eaton Vance , Fidelity Investments , First Trust , and T. Rowe Price for making this conference possible.