It was a few years ago when I had the pleasure of meeting Noreen Beaman at an MMI Women’s Breakfast event. In the few moments we chatted together, I knew Noreen was a champion for women entering in and those who have had long careers in the world of Wealth Management. She is a genuine, caring and inspirational leader who touches so many lives. We are grateful to Noreen for sharing her story and a memorable quote from her mom that we all can follow.
As May is a month to celebrate moms, we wish all the mothers out there a wonderful Mother’s Day. And a great big thank you to the moms who are the heroes to all Dynamic Women we celebrate!
– Maree Moscati, CEO, Copytalk
We are honored to share a great moment with Noreen and her Mom, Mrs. Noreen Heath at an Investment News Women to Watch luncheon. Happy Mothers Day!
Noreen D. Beaman
Chief Executive Officer
Brinker Capital
Share how your career path positioned you to be where you are today.
Noreen: I have been working at Brinker Capital for 31 years in June, which is amazing to me. It’s a whole lifetime. I started my career at Ernst & Young. I’m a CPA by trade, which helps because today, data is so important. I’m comfortable with numbers, and I think the importance of, “What story are we trying to tell, how are we framing it, and what is the data telling us?” can help us make better decisions.
My most impactful experience actually was the six years I spent in sales in New York and New Jersey. The firsthand experience of working with financial advisors made me understand what our products really do. I realized how hard it is for those financial advisors to build relationships and the level of trust that the financial advisor instills in a partner they bring to that relationship.
Also, I worked from home for 20 years beginning in 1991. The technology wasn’t what it is today, but it made me comfortable managing a remote workforce, and I do think today’s situation will change the face of how work is done in the future.
Share with us one of your “oops” moments that then allowed you to turn it around.
Noreen: As a company, Brinker Capital was ready to work from home in 2020 because of Superstorm Sandy in 2012. It was a northeast phenomenon that came through in such a devastating way. Brinker Capital was very fortunate that we navigated it, but we were lucky. We had not fully tested our business continuity plan. We did not have all the right technology in place if we had to be out like we are today through the pandemic. We would have been very, very challenged. There’s nothing like sitting in your dark kitchen at 11 o’clock at night that puts a chill in your spine. Since then we have been testing to go remote, and we’ve done that in 2020 with really no hiccups. But, if we didn’t have that moment with Sandy, I’m not quite sure we would’ve been as prepared, and we wouldn’t have allocated the amount of capital that we have. We got lucky in Sandy, but luck isn’t a strategy.
Who is one of your most influential mentors and why?
Noreen: Chuck Widger. He’s amazingly progressive. In 1991, I said I’m going to work from home, and he goes, “Okay.” He was very, very supportive. He’s a man who doesn’t look at the world through a gender lens, so it gave you as close as you can get to a meritocracy. That’s one of the things I really have been able to continue to push forward as the CEO of Brinker Capital today.
Additionally, by putting me in sales he pushed me into a situation where I was uncomfortable, but he put me in a position to be really successful and helped me understand what we actually do for financial advisors and their clients.
I’ll wrap up and say that my mom, whose name is also Noreen, is my true mentor. I was chatting with her the other day about all the things that are going on, and she put it very simply. She said, “Noreen, this is the time to be flexible and compassionate,” and that’s what we’re doing each and every day.
Bio:
Noreen D. Beaman is Chief Executive Officer of Brinker Capital. As CEO, Noreen manages corporate direction and strategy at Brinker Capital, setting a clear course for company activity. As one of Brinker Capital’s founding partners, Noreen has been dedicated to helping financial advisors and their clients build better outcomes for over 30 years. Noreen has received numerous accolades for her lasting impact on the financial advice industry, including Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO in the Philadelphia region, Investment News’ 2017 Women to Watch, and Greater Philadelphia’s Entrepreneur of the Year, alongside Chuck Widger, in the financial services category by EY. Noreen is passionate about supporting the workforce of the future. She is a mentor for the Money Management Institute’s Leadership Pathway, which connects members of the next generation with industry veterans to further enhance the mentees’ knowledge and insights surrounding the investment advisory industry. Additionally, she is a board member of the Envestnet Institute Women in Wealth, a program focused on inspiring, educating, engaging, and empowering women to succeed in wealth management. Follow Noreen on Twitter: @NBeaman