• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Money & Career

Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance

These phenomenal Black female financial leaders are breaking down barriers, moving mountains, and promoting financial equity along the way.
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
By Jasmine Browley · Updated April 6, 2022

Let’s be honest—the financial services industry is not diverse.

All of the ‘isms are still prevalent in the sector: racism, sexism, ageism among others, so it’s worth applauding when Black women rise up the ranks of leadership. In fact, of the financial industry’s C-suite positions only 4% of those seats are filled by Black women.  Outside of underrepresentation in leadership, there is a larger conversation to be had around the need for pay parity and equity in the Black community compared to other groups.  

In 2020, The Washington Post reported the wealth gap between Black and white Americans in this country is just as large as it was in 1968. This is particularly concerning since it was found that Black are the sole breadwinners in most US households, which means they are working harder, yet still being left behind. Amid the expanding wealth inequality in the U.S., numerous Black women around the country are making major strides toward a more financially literate future.

Despite the hurdles, there are phenomenal Black female leaders in the financial sector, breaking down barriers, moving mountains, and promoting financial equity along the way.

01
Mellody Hobson
Beginning her career as an intern with Ariel Investments, a leading mutual fund, and investment management firm in Chicago, today, she’s president and co-CEO. “I’m the youngest of six kids born to a single mom. At times she made really bad financial decisions and we would often get evicted, or our phone would get disconnected, or our lights would be turned off,” she said in an interview. “All of it weighed on me tremendously. It also fueled this need to understand money. I thought: “If I can understand it, I can make good decisions. If I make good decisions, I’ll be secure and therefore free.” To date, Hobson is one of the most prolific leaders in finance, holding chair positions with Starbucks and formerly with DreamWorks.
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
02
Valerie Mosley
A graduate of Duke and Wharton, Valerie Moseley then took on Wall Street with positions at top firms that included senior vice president, partner, and portfolio manager for Wellington Management Company, a global investment firm. Now, she’s running her own, Valmo Ventures “to advise and invest in companies that add value both to investors and society.”
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
03
Carla Harris
A 30-year veteran in the financial industry, Carla Harris has charted an impressive career that includes presently holding positions such as vice-chairman, managing director, and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley. More impressively, President Obama named her the chairperson of the National Women’s Business Council in 2013.
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
04
Suzanne Shank
In her early professional life, Suzanne Shank was an engineer–but later she pivoted and earned an MBA from Wharton, where she leaned into her passion for finance. Now, she is the president of Siebert Williams Shank & Co , one of the US’s leading Black-owned financial firms.
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
05
Thasunda Brown Duckett
Formerly the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, Thasunda Brown Duckett currently serves as CEO and president of TIAA, but she wasn’t always a leader in finance. “When you know what it’s like to look in the refrigerator and just see baking soda, or know what it’s like to have your lights turned off, personal finance is important,” Thasunda Brown Duckett said in a Wall Street Journal Interview, where she spoke about the financial hardship her family went through in her childhood. It’s because of those tough times that she committed to promoting the importance of financial literacy in the Black community.
Money Mavens: 5 Black Women Leaders In Finance
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now