Caroline Deichmann

Vice President, Wells Fargo Capital Finance

Biography:

Caroline is a vice president at Wells Fargo Capital Finance, the asset-based and specialized senior secured lending group of Wells Fargo Bank. She joined the business development team in 2011 and is responsible for originating, structuring and executing secured lending transactions across a variety of industries. Caroline develops relationships with external and internal referral sources including private equity groups, advisory firms and the expansive Wells Fargo network to support leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations. Since joining Capital Finance, Caroline has worked on over 100 financings, representing $5B of Wells Fargo commitments with significant concentrations in industrials, consumer products and software. She is the head of the Wells Fargo Capital Finance Women’s Connection and a member of the SFNET’s Women in Commercial Finance Committee. She is also a member of the SFNET’s Young Professionals group. Caroline started her career at Wachovia Securities, spending three years in the Leveraged Finance and Industrials Investment Banking groups. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in business administration.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

Learn as much as you can and ask lots of questions. Take on extra assignments and seize every opportunity to continue building your skillset. It is extremely important to push yourself to keep learning throughout your career. Make a concerted effort to meet people at your company and in the industry to begin developing your network. Most people are willing to carve out time to meet with you, but you need to be proactive. Always thank people for taking time out of their day to meet with you, and follow up to continue forming a connection. Hard work and a positive attitude go a long way. Being the first one in and the last one out every day makes a very strong impression on co-workers about your attitude and work ethic.

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

It is ok to say no. Early in my career, I said yes to every single new deal and extra assignment. If you try to do too much, it can impact the quality of your work, and you won’t enjoy your work as much. I have also learned that strong communication skills are just as vital to being successful as analytical and technical skills. Someone once told me to always under-promise and over-deliver, and this is a great principle to follow. Make sure you have a detailed understanding of the task at hand so that you can properly manage timing expectations. People will be pleasantly surprised if you exceed their expectations by completing the task earlier than you initially communicated.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

Mentoring has played a huge role in my career. Wells Fargo Capital Finance’s Diversity & Inclusion Council has an outstanding formal mentoring program that I’ve participated in for several years, and it has allowed me build personal relationships with senior leaders throughout the organization. This has been extremely beneficial to me in my day-to-day role as I work with these individuals to originate, structure and execute new deals. I have also developed several informal mentors who have been invaluable to me as I’ve navigated my career path.

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

To retain younger employees, it is important to identify high potential junior-level team members early in their careers and get them engaged across the platform. There are so many great internal and external groups and activities to get involved with that will help them stay engaged, develop professionally and build their network. I’ve had excellent experiences internally through the Wells Fargo Capital Finance Women’s Connection, the Wells Fargo Capital Finance Diversity & Inclusion Council and the Wells Fargo My Generation Team Member Network. I’ve led the Wells Fargo Capital Finance Women’s Connection since 2016, and it is focused on career development, retention of talent, networking, mentorship, promoting visibility and enhancing engagement. Our work is making a difference for women in the organization. Externally, I’ve made an extensive group of new connections through the SFNET’s Women in Commercial Finance Group, the SFNET’s YoPro Group, and other industry events. Additionally, encouraging people to move freely within an organization helps employees stay excited and challenged in their roles. Wells Fargo has allowed me to change my job location and my job function during my nine years with the company. This flexibility is one of the many reasons I’ve spent my entire career with Wells Fargo.