In April, we’re celebrating the more than 600 dedicated volunteers who power 100 Women in Finance around the globe. As the backbone of our organization, these passionate individuals help bring to life over 250 events each year—fueling our mission and strengthening our global community. Their contributions are invaluable, and the relationship is truly mutual: while our volunteers give their time and expertise, they gain opportunities for professional development, expanded networks, and meaningful engagement. Throughout the month, we’ll highlight a few of these remarkable individuals in a series of Q&As to share their experiences and insights.
Emily Alejos
Committee Member and Mentor, LaunchMe25 Professional Committee
Certified Executive Coach, Alejos Coaching & Consulting
Emily is an Executive Coach with over 30 years of experience in investment management, including roles as an Analyst, a Portfolio Manager, and ten years as a Chief Investment Officer. As an Executive Coach, Emily leverages her extensive leadership experience to guide senior professionals, high achievers and emerging leaders through workplace challenges and opportunities for personal and professional growth. She is a first-time entrepreneur having started her own company early in 2024 (Alejos Coaching and Consulting) where half of her practice is focused on financial services. Emily also works as a Coach for UK-based firm True Partnership, a leadership and performance consultancy dedicated to empowering financial services professionals to unlock their full potential. Emily received her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and her BA from Brown University.
Emily is driven by her desire to enhance visibility and mentorship opportunities for women in the industry. Her initial involvement with 100WF began when she participated as a panelist for a LaunchMe23 event, which ignited her passion for the organization’s mission and its community. Since then, she has deepened her engagement by actively contributing as a LaunchMe25 mentor and serving on the LaunchMe Professional Committee.
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What initially inspired you to volunteer with 100 Women in Finance?
I worked in finance for over three decades. While I loved my profession and found the work extraordinarily intellectually challenging, it always bothered me that there were so few women in decision-making roles. I am inspired by 100 Women in Finance’s mission statement and the role that the organization plays in the industry. The members are best-in-class and united in support of one another; the content is spectacular, and I couldn’t agree more with the cause. Now that I am semi-retired, I am happy to do anything I can to help the organization.
How has the experience aligned or helped you grow in your career or personal development?
I became familiar with 100WF when I was the CIO of an investment firm which was majority women-owned. We struggled to find qualified women candidates for senior positions. We used the 100WF job board to get the word out. I attended and spoke at one of the LaunchMe events and subsequently became more involved with the organization. While there are many women who qualify for senior positions, many women are held back by a lack of visibility, mentorship, sponsorship and networking. This is a problem I wanted to help solve. After my last job in finance, I decided to transition to Executive Coaching full-time. I work with professionals at different levels of seniority. I focus on helping build confidence, reframe difficult situations and remove obstacles to improve performance. I would love to see women have the voice and the opportunities that they deserve and I’m sure 100WF will help them get there.
Can you share a memorable moment from your time volunteering with 100WF?
There are many memorable moments but for me the highlights would be the relationships I’ve developed with other women especially the younger ones. I am inspired by the dedication, focus and determination that I see across the board. Even though most people are stretched thin due to the many demands on their time, the members and leaders of 100WF find the time to contribute their knowledge and expertise, to attend events and to show up with grace, curiosity and good spirit. I’m excited by the progress I’m seeing on an individual basis and can’t wait for more female representation at higher levels of management to become more of a reality than an aspiration.
Xiaodan Chen
Co-Chair, Singapore Education Committee
Analyst, Susquehanna International Group
Xiaodan Chen is an Institutional Sales professional at Susquehanna, specializing in ETFs and fixed income in the Asia-Pacific region. She leverages the firm’s market-making expertise to provide trading liquidity for institutional clients, including asset managers and insurers. Prior to Susquehanna, Xiaodan participated in a two-year Management Associate program at HSBC’s Global Private Banking division, where she developed skills in client relationship management and investment advisory. She holds a BA in Accountancy from Singapore Management University. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys strength training, running, and actively volunteering for refugee advocacy initiatives in Singapore.
Xiaodan serves as the Co-Chair of the 100 Women in Finance Singapore Education Committee, where she organizes educational events designed to empower women to broaden their perspectives, gain valuable insights, and refine their skills throughout their careers. Additionally, she actively cultivates strategic partnerships with event hosts to enhance these initiatives.
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What initially inspired you to volunteer with 100 Women in Finance?
Being in a quantitative trading firm, where the field is still predominantly male-dominated, I was heartened to hear about 100 Women in Finance and what they do at an industry networking event. It was incredibly encouraging to know that such a network exists to support, connect and empower female professionals in the finance industry. With my experience in the events committee at Singapore Management University EYE Investment Club, I wanted to leverage the skills and experience that I have gained to give back and contribute to building a more inclusive committee for like-minded females who are navigating similar career paths as me.
How has the experience aligned or helped you grow in your career or personal development?
Volunteering with 100WF has been deeply enriching – both professionally and personally. As I took on the role of Co-Chair this year, it has strengthened my leadership, stakeholder management and event execution skills. More importantly, being part of a purpose driven community has kept me grounded in why I do what I do – supporting others, learning continuously, and growing alongside inspiring females across different areas of the finance industry.
Can you share a memorable moment from your time volunteering with 100WF?
One memorable moment was during our event back in February this year on ‘Step up to Leadership and Board Roles’ where my fellow committee members did a wonderful job in executing the event. During the networking session, a member shared with me that because of the insights that she gained from the female leaders who spoke at the panel, she now had a clearer idea of the concrete steps that she could take towards securing a board role. It was a powerful reminder for me of the tangible impact our events have on our members’ careers and it reaffirmed the importance of our 30/40 vision that all the volunteers work towards globally.
Emily Chien
Founding Co-Chair, ESG New York Peer Advisory Group
Senior Fellow, Harvard University
Emily Chien is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University specializing in the acceleration of value creation at the intersection of AI, climate finance, and ventures. She is a strategic leader, advisor to Fortune 100 companies, start-up ventures, nonprofits and universities with a unique combination of business acumen to bridge tech, innovation and purposeful impact. Emily is a member of the Economic Club of NY, Harvard Social Impact Review Senior Editorial Board, Dean’s Advisory Cabinet Task Force on Clean Tech at Harvard’s School for Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the IFRS Foundation Advisory Council which provides strategic advice to the ISSB and IASB Sustainability and Accounting Boards. Her background also includes a number of strategic and operating executive roles in investment management, insurance risk transfer, banking, and global partnerships at JP Morgan, Fidelity Investments, Prudential Financial and American Express. She holds a BS and MAS in Accounting and AI from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Emily is a 100 Women in Finance Global Angel, and has been a volunteer since 2013. She is a founding co-chair of 100 Women in Finance’s ESG New York Peer Advisory Group (PAG), and served as co-chair of the 2023 and 2024 Impact Investing Symposiums.
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What initially inspired you to volunteer with 100 Women in Finance?
Our members are so generous with their time and insights, and we share common career interests professionally. So, I would say, “like-minded” colleagues that I enjoyed being with, and collaborating with to bring to life various 100WF programming and convenings. I also have been grateful for mentoring along my career journey, so it’s important to “pass it forward” and commit energies to guide and coach our next generation of amazing women leaders in finance. Always a pleasure!
How has the experience aligned or helped you grow in your career or personal development?
Over the years, the 100WF community and events have kept pace with changes in finance and new emergent areas like sustainable and impact investing. They have also helped to deepen my perspectives in core finance. I always learn something new and meet great people when I engage with 100WF executives wherever my travels take me around the financial capitals of the world.
Can you share a memorable moment from your time volunteering with 100WF?
Last year, we held an amazing Impact Investing Symposium in NYC in October. All of the volunteers were so dedicated and creative about making the all-day event the best it could be. Our speakers were inspiring and world class, the lightning table topics were engaging and the feedback was off the charts. The feedback was that it was one of the most productive sessions many delegates had been to, even following NY Climate Week, and that meant a lot to the Committee who had worked for months to bring it to life. This is the teamwork and collective power of 100WF at its best.
To all our incredible volunteers, thank you for being the heart and soul of 100 Women in Finance. Your dedication, expertise, and passion drive our mission forward, creating opportunities, fostering connections, and bringing us closer to Vision 30/40. We invite you to share your favorite volunteer moment with 100 Women in Finance on social media before April 30. Whether it’s a photo, a memorable experience, or an insightful reflection from your time with us, we want to hear your story! Please tag @100WomeninFinance so we can help amplify your contributions.
If you are interested in helping to enhance the presence of women in the industry by volunteering with 100WF, please let us know through our volunteer contact form.