Tori Van Amson
2022 MBA Candidate
Harvard Business School
What was your introduction to the Finance industry?
Growing up I used to look at the framed pieces of ticker tape my dad kept on the shelves of our family room. They were small-deal toys meant to commemorate transactions that had successfully priced. To contextualize their meaning my dad showed me the NYSE bell ringing on TV. Over time, I understood the event as a pivotal moment in a company’s history and I wanted to be a part of its execution. In pursuit of learning more about the IPO process, I spent my college summers as an investment banking intern. The experience had a profound impact on the way I viewed the world. I learned of the complex set of checks and balances in the financial world, how to value different types of companies, and even how to cope with discrimination in the corporate world. Despite the challenges I grappled with at times, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in finance once my eyes were opened to the role that capital allocators have in shaping the social and economic paradigm that we live in.
What type of impact are you hoping to make in the ACE community?
We started ACE to make a difference in the lives of junior women in finance by providing access to impactful content, peer mentorship and access to successful industry leaders. My plan is to democratize access to the trade secrets and advice that is currently shared sparingly and often behind closed doors between mentors and mentees. Disrupting the current mentorship model in the financial services industry has the power to support and uplift thousands of talented women in the early stages of their professional journey.
I hope to create an ecosystem of resources and a network of individuals who continue to share their experiences and advice for peers without hesitation, and who connect one another with opportunities in a two-sided market where the currency is authentic connection and investment in peer empowerment.
When and why did women empowerment in finance start to become an important issue for you?
After completing my first year as a full-time employee two things came into focus for me: 1) There were inconsistencies in the bar to which male and female candidates were held in the interview processes, and 2) My female colleagues and I were not being invested in at the same rates as our male counterparts.
The systemic issues that have stifled progress for women in finance cannot be mitigated by widening the top of the funnel and ensuring more women Analysts are hired into financial firms. We must all hold ourselves accountable to investing in the mentorship and promotion of women at each major career stage.
What are your interests and a fun fact about yourself?
My hobbies include pushing my limits on the ski slopes, cooking and hosting dinner parties, dancing to afrobeats and volunteering with organizations that serve communities of color. Over the past several years I have enjoyed helping to formulate an expansion strategy for my mom’s non-profit, Independent School Diversity Network, which provides educational empowerment programs for middle school students of color.
One fun fact about me is that I grew up dancing jazz and hip-hop and was part of the Columbia University Onyx dance troupe as an undergraduate.
What inspires you and keeps you motivated?
For 27 years I’ve walked out into the world as a black woman in America, and have been challenged to navigate the implications of my identity. Yet, for the majority of my life I have walked back into a home of relative comfort. Coming to terms with the duality of my privilege has been equally challenging and galvanizing.
I am inspired by the women and people of color, like my parents and grandparents, who managed to overcome poverty and oppression against all odds. I am motivated by the promise I made to myself to honor their sacrifices.