Sterling executive, Mildred Moss

The world of high finance is usually presented as a “good old boys’ club” peopled by fat cat males puffing on oversized cigars, wheeling and dealing in smoke filled rooms and private clubs. But in Jamaica, the reality is a far cry from this Hollywood stereotype.

Mildred Moss, chief operating officer at Sterling Asset Management, is more typical of the diversity that is now found among players that are regarded as the movers and shakers in the world of high finance in Jamaica.

This graduate of Immaculate Conception High School and the University of the West Indies, who also holds an Masters in Business Administration from the University of Wales & Manchester, is a very focussed and goal-oriented Taurean who has climbed the corporate ladder and broken the glass ceiling to become a full partner in Jamaica’s newest financial planning company. But how did she achieve this feat and what were the challenges and obstacles she faced?

Moss tells All Woman she has faced few challenges in her journey through the world of finance and has been fortunate that gender has generally not been an issue for her.

“I think that most restrictions have been removed in terms of careers. Increasingly, women are in positions of power in corporate Jamaica, in politics and in their own businesses,” she says.

With respect to her own career development, Moss says that she has cultivated a professional ethic which allows her to be assessed by her performance and not on her gender or appearance. “The bottom line boils down to being able to deliver the goods,” the petite business manager emphasised.

The ability to do this, and to do it well she attributes to a large, close-knit family and strong Christian background which she says have been instrumental to her rise in the world of “big money”.

The second of five children, she says that her father — a retired chartered accountant — and her mother, a homemaker, inculcated in all of their children strong ethics of honesty, integrity and hard work. All of these qualities helped to make her passage through the world of finance a smooth one.

Moss’s entry into the financial business was also not a venture into uncharted waters. According to her: “I have benefited from the experience of those who may have faced challenges because of their gender. However, they overcame these challenges and persevered.” She does admit that there is still a “glass ceiling” mentality in some businesses — primarily in the older, more conservative corporations, but that they are changing with the times.

Addressing the issue of gender equity, Moss feels that equity should start in the home. “The family structure plays a critical role in helping to achieve gender equity, and leadership should be by example. If boys are socialised to see males and females sharing responsibilities equally, then they will be less confused and better able to fit in with ease”, Moss surmises.

On the all-important issue of ‘equal pay for equal work’ Moss still sees some disparity. “I can’t really say that has been my personal experience because I have been fortunate to work in companies that, in some cases, were just starting up and were therefore more flexible. I have also worked in companies that were headed by women who were forward thinking and innovative. However, there should be parity in the salaries paid to women and men of equal qualification, and who are doing similar jobs,” she says.

In terms of her professional development, Moss has pretty much charted her own course. “I have always been very focused on being my own boss, so I used my corporate positions as stepping stones and incubators to hone my skills and prepare me for my ultimate goal. To this end I tried to learn all aspects of the world of finance,” she tells All Woman.

But the Sterling executive did not start out as financial consultant. “Initially I wanted to be a lawyer, but I also always wanted to own and operate my own business. When I applied to the University of the West Indies, I got accepted to the Social Sciences faculty, and later on opted for a financial path. I felt challenged to help people gain financial independence,” she continues.

Moss, who finds being chief operating officer of Jamaica’s newest financial planning company an interesting and challenging role, feels that her job often requires a delicate balancing act. She admits that “Sometimes I can be a hard taskmaster in terms of my work … and sometimes that is not necessarily a good thing. But I am working on trying to strike the right balance.

The high flying exec sees the future of Jamaica’s financial world as a challenging and exciting one and has sound advice for young women or men who want to pursue a career in financial planning.

“My first advice would be to get a good education. The trend for women indicate that they continue to feel the need to be more and more qualified in order to be competitive. This is also true for men, although they still have an easier time accessing some positions in the society Despite statistics which show boys and men becoming marginalised, it is still important for them to have a solid educational base if they are going to succeed in an area such as finance,” Moss emphasises.

And what is on the horizon for Mildred Moss and Sterling Asset Management? “As far as the business is concerned, my vision is to see Sterling Asset Management become a company that is recognised world-wide. We are positioning ourselves to be able to offer services beyond our borders, hence our venturing into emerging markets as well as the bond markets of the USA, Latin America and the Caribbean.”

On the personal side, Moss points out that, although she is married, she has made a conscious decision to put off having a family for the time being. “My challenge right now is the job at hand. As an organisation, we are the new kid on the financial block, even though the partners, as individuals, have extensive experience in the field. We must therefore focus on building our corporate profile in the marketplace. This is necessary to reassure our clients and prospective clients that we are extremely competent and knowledgeable … and able to help them cope in a difficult economic climate.

“I am hopeful that in a few more years the business will be more developed and will be at a stage where I can take the time off to have children. I would need the time off because I intend to pay keen attention to the development of my children since the early years are so critical to their development,” she says.

Moss, sharing her many passions with All Woman says she is an avid reader who also enjoys movies, the theatre and the classics with a preference for jazz. Her latest pastime is kick-boxing which she does for exercise and self-defence.

Written for All Woman by Christene Bell, public relations practioner.