2 minute read
SHANA SISSEL
By: Leila Somjee
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Looking at Shana Sissel, one instantly notices her beauty. However, just like with every woman, she is much more than only her appearance. This Evanston resident is also a mother, a wife, and the Chief Investment Officer at Spotlight Asset Group. She is also one of the most influential women in the financial industry, often appearing on Bloomberg and Fox Business News.
Her professional achievements are particularly impressive given the significant gender disparity in finance. “Women only make up 6% of the executives in the industry and comprise less than 25% of the total professional workforce,” Sissel states. Since starting almost twenty years ago, she has not seen much progress in gender or racial diversity within the industry. Even though this disparity is extensive, research consistently shows female investors outperform their male counterparts.
In spite of women being well suited for business, outside the finance industry, they score lower on financial literacy than men and report a lack of confidence in financial matters. Sissel shares, a recent study by New York Life showed “women control 51% of the wealth in the U.S. At the same time, single women are 75% more likely than men to live in poverty.” To change this, women’s knowledge and confidence in finance needs to improve. To achieve this, Sissel advocates for women’s financial literacy and gender diversity by using her platform as Mrs. Illinois International 2020. She is involved with two organizations-Rock the Street, Wall Street and Women in ETFs. Rock the Street, Wall Street introduces high school girls to potential career opportunities in the finance field. Women in ETFs shine a light on women already in the profession and provides mentors to young women just starting out in the field.
Some people may believe competing in pageants contradicts women’s empowerment. Although Sissel understands their perspective, she respectfully disagrees. She believes “pageants encourage women to be active and influential members of their community, maintain good physical health, and develop excellent communication skills.” Even after all the years she has competed, she has yet to meet any women who are “intellectually vapid or self-absorbed.” Many women who participate go on to have prestigious careers such as CEOs, physicians, and politicians. Sissel believes she would not be nearly as successful as she is today had she not participated in pageants.
With all of her professional responsibilities,
she still makes time for her family and other commitments. However, Sissel doesn’t believe a work-life balance is a real thing. This significantly reduces her stress. Sometimes she needs to prioritize work, while other times, she needs to prioritize different aspects of her life. “I focus on what needs are most pressing and don’t try to get overwhelmed with this need to balance everything at the same time.”
With today’s increased focus on diversity and visibility, Sissel adds that being a woman in the finance industry has been a huge advantage in building her brand. Any woman who is talented, good at her job, and wants to put herself out there will find opportunities easily.
Sissel encourages young women not to be deterred by the lack of women in a profession. Instead, they should seek out advocates and mentors early on. The only way to improve the gender disparity is to encourage women to enter the field. “It’s important that women feel valued and respected in fields where they are the minority. That only happens when others dare to blaze a trail forward.”
