Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Aleks Kopec was honored in The Secured Lender’s “2024 Women in Secured Finance” issue.
Read an excerpt of her feature below:
What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?
You can do it. It is as simple as that: You can. Believe in the hard work that you are putting into your career and speak up to let others know that you are invested in what you are doing. Make sure you are advocating for yourself to get the projects and opportunities that you deserve. Be vocal about what your professional intentions are and how others can work with you to achieve those. There are others that will help support you. Seek out those persons early on and throughout your career – both inside and outside of your immediate organization. And always remember that the greatest supporter that you have is yourself. …
How can secured finance organizations attract and retain more women?
What a charged question! The first step is for all of us in these organizations to be honest and mindful that there are many less women than men in this profession. That can be a self-perpetuating cycle as younger candidates may feel intimidated and/or unmotivated from the lack of female role models. Some of this can be counteracted by establishing formal mentorship programs. It’s also important to give women space to form affinity groups within their organizations as well as local and regional ones across organizations. I would encourage men to be actively supportive in those groups as well. Women can and should look at secured finance as a viable industry in which they can excel.
To read her full feature in The Secured Lender, click here.
