Gina Mackenzie

Director of Strategic Partnerships, RapidAdvance

Biography:

Gina Mackenzie is the director of Strategic Partnerships at RapidAdvance. Gina earned a Bachelor Degree of Science in finance and communications from Lehigh University and a Master of Finance from New York University. 

A seasoned industry professional with substantial experience in the financial services arena, Gina joined Rapid from another advance provider. Prior to her involvement in the working capital space, Gina served in various capacities at investment banking and commercial lending firms including Credit Suisse First Boston, CIBC World Markets, Prudential Finance, and Affinion Benefits Group.

Gina is an active member of the SFNET and currently chairs the newly launched mentor program for the Association.  She lives in Chatham, New Jersey and accordingly is a huge fan of The Boss, Mr. Bruce Springsteen.  An avid traveler for her job, Gina enjoys being in new places and meeting all kinds of people, but is always happy to return to Jersey and her girls, Molly Belle (13) and Madeline Joy (10).

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

To be perfectly cliché, hook your wagon to a star.  Find someone you admire, trust and know will guide you without judgment.  Good mentors are invaluable.  You don’t know what you don’t know and people are typically glad to share their thoughts and experiences.

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

Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut even if you know (think) you are correct.  Good business includes diplomacy, not just being right.  It wasn’t an easy lesson for a Jersey girl with a big mouth, but once I figured it out, it helped my business relationships immensely. 

I also wish I had realized earlier to take a macro look at situations/projects rather than just focusing on my own particular part.  Looking back, I recognize that there were times that I was so absorbed in my assigned task(s) that I didn’t step back and evaluate the larger endeavor/goal.  Had I done so, I may have been able to add more value than solely completing my appointed duties. 

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

I had three incredible mentors and was able to advance my career and handle issues more adroitly based on their advice and experience.   Two of my mentors played a more ‘formal’ role — took me to structured meetings and networking events, allowed me to listen to their conference calls, and reviewed my work product while I learned the language and procedures that were new to me on Wall Street.  My last mentor was more informal – we used to joke that she was my “Bat Phone.”  At that point, I was a further along in my career and felt that I was expected to know more and act more independently.  When I wasn’t sure about something that I felt I was expected to know, I could ask her without feeling sheepish or embarrassed.  She made me feel comfortable posing questions in situations where I may have otherwise been too concerned about negative perception to speak up. 

Additionally, I try to remember that though age and experience would typically put me in the role of ‘mentor,’ I will always benefit from being the ‘advisee.’  Throughout the SFNET mentor program, I have learned things from my current mentee that were incredibly valuable.  Who knew that you could use your phone to pay for parking meters in some areas?  Not I, until I was guided by my mentee whilst trying to avoid a parking ticket at a busy conference!  Sounds like a simple lesson, but it has helped me in subsequent travel.  Being attentive to feedback from my peers and superiors rounds out my professional development.  

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

Embrace (or at least acknowledge) the differences between the “new generation” and when we started out.  Over the years, the world has been transformed: technologically, politically, economically; we can’t hold newcomers to the same standards to which we were held.  This isn’t to say that the standards have been lowered – they have just changed.