Katie Flood Ostrander, Managing Director, Institutional Equity Sales at Deutsche Bank, won Excellence in Corporate Culture at Markets Media Group’s 2023 Women in Finance (U.S.) Awards.

Please share with us what your current role is and responsibilities are.

I am a senior Institutional Equity Salesperson within our Equity Research Sales group, covering numerous top accounts for the firm. While I like to say that I started Deutsche Bank straight out of junior high, sadly, I did not.

What my team and I actually do, contrary to my kids thinking all I do is talk on the phone all day, is talk to Institutional Clients – Portfolio Managers, Analysts, and Traders at hedge funds and mutual funds – about Deutsche Bank Research ideas. I work closely with our Equity Research team to pitch stock ideas and uncover ideas and themes in the market. No two days of mine are ever the same, every day is completely different, my day is predicated on news flow and data. Changes (or expected changes in interest rates), unemployment, CPI data, housing starts, election predictions, or retail spending… all these events and issues move the market, and in turn, they move sectors, industries, and stocks. What may be important one day, may not be important the next, so one of the most important things I can do in my role is to try to consider what is most helpful to my clients. If I were in their seat, what would be most helpful? I also need to consider that every client is very different, what matters to one, may not to another. For someone to be successful in sales and trading – being passionate about the markets, excited to learn about current events and dig in on company specifics is essential.

I also spend a lot of time working on equity capital market transactions for our global capital equity market effort, be it IPOs, follow-ons, block offerings, or rights offerings, etc.

In addition to my sales role, I also co-lead Women on Wall Street (WOWS). WOWS is one of Deutsche Bank’s Employee Resource Groups (ERG), focused on gender parity. We target the development, recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in our efforts to achieve this. Our team works hard at effecting change in our industry to make our workplace more balanced and equitable.

I work closely with HR on our firm’s recruiting efforts for both Investment Bank as well as diversity talent across the bank.

These are my key contributions to the firm.

How to promote positive organizational culture?

Buy-in needs to start at the top and permeate throughout the organization. The onus is on all senior leaders to follow the lead and serve as examples for their respective teams. Corporates need to appreciate that diversity is not a nice to have, but it is good for business. Including all parts of an organization in thought provoking dialogue creates an environment where everyone eventually becomes “comfortable being uncomfortable” – an educational and eye-opening experience for an organization and its culture. These events can help bring an organization together. The financial industry needs to have women in more positions of leadership. Our networks matter. Men and our other allies matter. They are all a critical part of the promotion of women.

I am extremely proud of the progress that has been made in our industry over my +20-year career on Wall Street, and I look forward to seeing what is still to come.

What’s your advice to the next generation of women in finance?

Bits of advice:

– Stay true to yourself.  Consider what you really want. Be authentic.

– Come prepared for the job you want, not the one you have.

– Build your network. Expand your circle.  For every 1 person you speak with, ask for them to connect you to 1-2 folks they may think may be helpful to you.

– Mentors v Sponsor: know the definition of each (what they each are and perhaps more importantly, what each is not), find them, and YOU foster the relationships.  If they are not helpful to you, get new ones.  They are critical to you in your journey.

– Take risks.

– Advocate for yourself.