Wnet Hosts Spring PayTechWomenLive

Fireside Chat with Sam Saperstein, Managing Director and Head of Women on the Move, JPMorgan Chase

Sam Saperstein, managing director at JPMorgan Chase, leads the firm-wide Women on the Move program. Sam manages programs designed to fuel female ambition and ensure women have equal access and opportunity in this role. She is also the host of the Women on the Move podcast.  

We were honored to have Sam as a guest in May during PayTechWomenLive to share her career experiences and insights to help advance women in the industry. 

The May 25 event drew nearly 200 Wnet members and leading industry professionals from around the world.

PayTechWomenLive is an intimate virtual fireside chat series highlighting female leaders’ paths in the industry while providing sage advice on how women can advance in payments and financial services.

The dynamic conversation moderated by Dawn Delaney, vice president of innovation and fintech partnerships, Wholesale Payments at JPMorgan Chase, kicked off discussing the art of being an effective communicator and how to be a thought leader in the industry. Sam’s advice to attendees on how to get your message across is to “Make sure your message is clear, don’t assume people have gotten the message the first time, take the opportunity to repeat it,” said Saperstein. “When people can repeat back to me what our strategy is, that’s when I know that we’ve done our job of getting the message across.”

The value of mentorship and sponsorship to career advancement was a common theme throughout the fireside chat. Saperstein noted a stat that women are over mentored and under sponsored. She also shared the difference between having a mentor and a sponsor and why more women need sponsors. “Ideally, you will have both a mentor and a sponsor…but a sponsor is someone who has power and influence who will help propel you forward in your career, said Saperstein.”

“Think about people who are senior-level positions in your bosses’ line of authority or even a peer within the organization. You want to find people who see your value in the organization.”

She recommends finding organic opportunities to connect around work to build trust, authority, and establish a report within your organization and start to build your professional board of advisors. “Find ways to pay it forward,” said Saperstein.  

During the Q&A portion of the event, audience members asked Sam to elaborate on establishing a sponsorship as a remote employee. “Even in a remote environment, ask to get on people’s calendars for 15 minutes, but be specific with their time and the conversation you plan to have. Research their background in advance and go into the meeting with a specific question in mind that you want to be answered.” Sam also noted, “Remember to follow up.”

Listeners were clearly engaged as they posed more questions for Sam to answer. Her responses were fascinating, and here are some of the highlights below:

More on sponsorships:

“For the women, find those relationships and go after them. When you return to the office, knock on someone’s office door and ask them if you can help them with anything.”

“Companies have more that they can do to make sure sponsorships for women. We are thinking about ways to do that. Ask senior leaders who they are sponsoring if those people look different than them.”

Sam’s advice to her younger self: 

“Keep in touch with people. I did not always do the best job at networking. Now with the power of social media, it is easier to stay connected with people.”

How organizations reinvigorate D&I and women’s groups as we prepare to return to the office:

“Look at companies who are pushing the envelope. They set targets for representation and hold management accountable and tie it together through performance reviews and compensation. Many thought leaders are publicly announcing the targets that they have set. Go look at their targets and see how you can model a similar approach within your company.”

To the woman who wants to advance in her career but does not have the time:

“Find the time to make the trade-off even if it means not getting everything done. Ask your manager if you can dedicate a percentage of your time to professional development.”

After the Q&A, attendees went into moderated breakout discussion to debrief what was shared by Sam and Dawn. Everyone conveyed they had rich conversations about seeking sponsorships, career growth and finding ongoing learning opportunities. Attendees reconvened for the last 10 minutes to share their breakout room discussions.

“Everyone in my breakout session was a new connection! I appreciated the interaction with new people from several different companies. The main chat was a great kickoff to our thought-provoking conversation.”

-Genevieve Dozier, chief business development officer at Merchant's PACT

Thank you again to Sam Saperstein and Dawn Delaney from Chase for hosting a great conversation and bringing tremendous value to our community. Full recordings of their conversation were sent to attendees after the event. To learn more about PayTechWomenLive and Wnet, visit paytechwomenlive.org.

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Don't miss our new PayTechWomenLead educational leadership series beginning June 24. The three-part virtual series is designed to help you gain insights and develop foundational leadership skills to move into the C-Suite and chart your own career path.

• Part 1: Your Personal Brand – Building on Your Strengths and Overcoming Perceptions
• Part 2: Sponsorship: The Secret to Accelerating Your Career
• Part 3: To Be Announced Soon!

Learn more and register here.