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Heidi Fischer was recognized for Excellence in Equities at the 2016 Women in Finance Markets Choice Awards.

Describe the highlights of your career to date and your current role/responsibilities?

In my current role as Head of Equity Electronic Trading in the Americas, I manage a team spanning sales, sales trading, and execution consulting for our cash and listed options businesses. I started at Deutsche Bank as an intern in the graduate program while I was getting my MBA at New York University and was hired full time after graduation. Most of my career was spent in Program Trading where I managed the International Sales Trading team until three years ago when I switched gears and moved into Electronic Trading.

What do you — and by extension, your team and organization — do to achieve excellence in equities?

The key word in the success of this business is “partnership”. Not only do we work in an environment where it is extremely important for the team to work as a strong cohesive unit, partnership with our clients is where we find true success. It is important to understand clients’ needs, struggles, and goals to be able to help define an execution strategy. With the many changes across market structure and the liquidity landscape, it is more important than ever to work as strategy partners with our clients to deliver information and ideas on how to navigate the markets.

What is your perspective on being a successful woman working in financial markets, and what is your advice to those who may strive for this?

When I think about keys to success, mentorship is something that always comes to mind. I have been lucky enough to have many mentors over the years including my manager, clients, senior executives in other business areas, peers, and even competitors. In my experience, the most effective mentors are those who come into your world naturally and there is an organic connection. I have always had mentors that are both men and women – women may understand how you are thinking better and relate, but in a world where men still inhabit the majority of senior roles, a male mentor or sponsor can provide the perspective of those you are trying to communicate with. It is also important to serve as a mentor to others. This is how we will continue to grow the pool of successful women in finance, and it is amazing what you can learn from people you may view as a “mentee”. Lastly, I have been lucky enough in my career to be surrounded by some of the most supportive women at Deutsche Bank — the more we all continue to support each other, the more success we will all realize.