April 15 was ‘Fidelity Day’ at Bryant, and to some extent it was ‘Bryant Day’ at Fidelity, too.
The event on the university’s campus, coordinated with Fidelity’s University Talent team, included opportunities for students and faculty to interact with the financial services company’s recruiters, make cards as part of a Fidelity Cares community service project, attend a career fair for seniors, and learn from a panel of Bryant alumni who work at Fidelity.
Meanwhile, a group of more than 40 young women from Bryant’s chapter of the Forté Foundation boarded buses for the short drive to Fidelity’s Smithfield headquarters for a tour of the company’s work spaces, atrium dining hall, employee fitness center, and outdoor gardens — with a few chance encounters with former classmates along the way.
Following the walkthrough, a panel of five women representing Fidelity’s Women’s Leadership Group discussed their diverse career paths and unique challenges facing women in finance.
“In talking with students about job interviews, I often tell them that they should look at what the firm does to support your work and career. Walking around Fidelity’s campus, it is overwhelmingly clear that the company views its associates as people, and not just employees,” said Mara Derderian, a Finance lecturer, director of Bryant’s Financial Planning and Women in Finance Leadership programs, and advisor to the university’s chapter of the Forté Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports women in their business careers.
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The panelists — Amy Fiorio, head of FI Product Delivery Excellence; Jessica Taskin, head of Quality, FI Client Experience; Katrina Coupe, director of FDA Client Service, Strategy, and Experience; Rahima Mamdani, director of Technology Program Management; and Alexus Moniz, analyst of FAMS Portfolio Services — represented a diverse range of professional skills, as well as different phases of career development.
Olivia Pace ’26, ’27MBA, an ambassador for the Forté Foundation chapter, was struck by the non-linear paths that the panelists have taken to reach their current leadership positions at Fidelity.
“They showed us that there may be some obstacles and curves, but ultimately we are the driver of where we take the path to,” said Pace.
“They showed us that there may be some obstacles and curves, but ultimately we are the driver of where we take the path to."
Mamdani, for example, spoke about the 11-year mid-career break she took to raise her family; Taskin related that she went to school for nursing and worked in a hospital emergency room before pursuing her career in finance.
Fiorio started in Fidelity’s call center after a chance encounter with an employee while working at Dunkin’ Donuts. She later landed a job as a business analyst before applying for a position on Fidelity’s strategy and planning team.
“I went into the interview and the senior vice president said to me, ‘Amy, what do you know about strategy and planning?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely nothing, but give me six months, and I will be the best at this job,’” Fiorio recalled. “He hired me for that answer, and that was the turning point of my career. I went from Dunkin’ to now leading five organizations in Fidelity Institutional.”
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Panelists also spoke about developing public speaking skills, the need for agility and adaptability in the workplace, and why it’s important to know what your career goals are — even if you don’t know in advance how you’re going to achieve them.
Fidelity’s women leaders also stressed the need for professionalism, a message that was reinforced during a personal branding workshop that followed the panel presentation.
“The exercise allowed me to dig deeper into my values, skills, and how I want to present myself in the professional world,” said Forté Ambassador Monica Garbacz '26, ’27MBA.
Discussions about the challenges presented by life changes like marriage, divorce, and parenting also resonated with the Bryant women in the audience. For example, Fiorio recalled that, early in her career, she did not discuss the fact that she was a single parent at work out of concern that she would be perceived differently than her co-workers.
“As a woman who is entering a career in a male-dominated industry, it made me aware of the biases and obstacles that women often face in a male-dominated setting,” said Garbacz. “However, this did not stop Fiorio from being successful, and it pushed her to work harder.”
Eve Rosengard ’28, the Forté Foundation chapter’s marketing manager, said the speakers’ raw honesty inspired her.
“Their words and personal experiences pushed me and my peers to stop playing it safe,” Rosengard said. “Being in that room was a powerful reminder that growth only happens when you are willing to take risks and bet on your own ability to rise to the situation.”