What is the definition of leadership? Meet Monika Mantilla, a Latina leader of Colombian descent going full force in a field dominated by men – global finance in New York. She is another woman that I met at NHLI and is President & founder of Altura Capital Group.
Monika was one of the panelist on the topic titled, “Latinas on Corporate Boards and C-Suites: Why It Matters.” Women in general hold about 15% of Fortune 500 Board seats, but only 1% of these seats are held by Latina women.
Altura provides Institutional Investors with the strategic, investment advisory and research services they need to search, invest, and partner with emerging and diverse managers.
Monika was a consultant advising pension and endowment funds in the billions of dollars before she started her own company, Altura Capital Group. She felt it was important to shed light on smaller emerging funds that consistently performed better than the larger ones and yet were not able to participate effectively.
Because of her connections as a consultant, she was able to speak to the trustees & CIO’s of these institutions and ask them why they did not engage in smaller enterpreneurial firms. One of the key objectives in doing so was that these large pension funds moved massive amount of money, you know like in the $100’s of billions! Moving smaller amounts of money between $5-$20 billion was more difficult.
That may seem hard to believe, but I suppose it is like a real estate deal. When I was a real estate broker, the larger deals seemed to move easier and with much less complications. So she set about to help institutional investors to get the information, market intelligence and analytics about these smaller firms and compare them with the larger ones. Certainly this is not a small mission, but a highly valuable one.
Imagine then, the percentage of women that have accomplished this in the financial field in New York. Miniscule or near non-existent! Monika also was one of the recipients of the Hispanic Heritage Awards in 2010. See the video below of her inspiring acceptance speech.
She graciously answered some of my questions that I emailed her after wanting to know more about her after editing the short clip.
MC: How did you get started and what did you do before Altura Capital Group? Where did you grow up and what did you study?
MM:I was a partner with an investment management consulting firm, had a 9 year corporate career and was also a corporate lawyer in the early days of my career. Managing assets and evaluating asset managers, especially the small and emerging firms, has been my professional passion. I grew up and studied law in Colombia and got a masters in business administration at Columbia University.
(My note: Colombia and Columbia are not typos. Monika grew up in South America and got her masters in New York)
MC: What challenges did you first find being a Latina woman starting a business in the financial world in New York?
MM: No models to follow, no pre-existing networks or support system to tap into. But we are building them!
MC: What was your vision in starting the company and what is your vision for the next years?
MM: Generate alpha for institutional investors through providing the highest quality of manager of manager investment solutions, insights and advise in the emerging money manager category.
MC: What makes you get up in the morning to continue to be motivated and inspired in your work?
MM: So many things! I love what I do! I lead a great team. I have a deep commitment to excellence and so does our organization. We have as clients some of the most sophisticated and largest institutional investors in the country and the world. Its a lot of responsibility and a lot of fun.
My family is my north, my strength and my joy.
MC: Did you have any mentors? If so, who?
MM :Many, some of which would never call themselves mentors.. like my mother and my husband. They have been so supportive. A few names: Callemo Aragon, Toby Westbrook, Jeff Van Orden, Roel Campos, Mocte Esparza, Raul Yzaguirre.
MC: What words of wisdom can you share to Latina women who are starting their own business?
MM: Have a well thought business plan. Pay special attention to financial management and building a class A team.
MC: What gives you confidence?
MM: Discipline, persistence and past success.
MC: What is your definition of Leadership?
MM: Example, support, push for innovation, maximizing human potential.
MC: You say in the video, we can all have the ability to add value in an organization. Can you elaborate on that?
MM: Add value means making your lasting mark, changing the world to make it a better place.
MC: How do you gain respect in a field dominated by men?
MM: Abiding by the highest ethical standards, keeping promises, helping others, pushing innovation.
MC: What do you do in your spare time to feed your soul?
MM: I meditate, I read spiritual books and I spend time with the ones I love. And I dance!
MC: What can you tell us about the future of the economy in the world?
MM: Many things are changing… Food and key resources may become scarce. The environment is now a central theme. Technology will continue to change our lives. Value creation will always find its way. One huge challenge of our economy is to democratize wealth creation, by making it a possibility to many more. Cycles of crises and prosperity will always be here, perhaps just much more connected and intertwined than what they were before, because our economy is now truly global. The floods around the world are bringing crisis to millions of families around the world..Multilaterals and governments will be tested by their ability to assist and bring solutions. In US, I commend President Obama and his team for their hard and thoughtful work to steer the country out of a deep crises. History will prove them right and value deeply their work.
Thank you Monika for inspiring ME!
So what do you think? What are your thoughts about what you believe is the definition of leadership in today’s world? Please share!
