“If someone else can do it, you can do it too,” says Ritvi Singh ’25, remembering the advice her father once gave her. That powerful sentiment fuels a new film, presented by AACSB and produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, on Singh and Bryant University’s inspiring women in finance.
The mini documentary-style film, part of BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions' Leader Generation series, chronicles Singh’s transformation from a shy incoming college student — “I used to sit in the back of the class,” admits the Managerial Accounting and Finance and major — to a confident leader who helps manage Bryant’s $3.3 million Archway Investment Fund.
Bryant was one of 18 participating universities within AACSB International, a global nonprofit association that connects educators, students, and business, in the Leader Generation project, which highlights business schools that are empowering future leaders with the skills and mindset to rethink, reimagine, and reshape the business world.
“This is the gold standard, when it comes to storytelling, and BBC StoryWorks has a global reach,” notes Bryant Multimedia Producer Kerri Rubino ’25MBA, who helped curate the documentary. “It was a pleasure to work with them to share Bryant’s story.”
Different viewpoints, different outcomes
From its beginning, Bryant has positioned itself as a leader in preparing women to excel in business, states Todd Alessandri, Ph.D., dean of Bryant’s College of Business — a move that not only promotes a culture of belonging on campus but better outcomes as well.
“Having a wide range of viewpoints brings a different perspective, a different viewpoint, and a different way of thinking,” Alessandri suggests. “Having these new lenses leads you to ask new questions and come up with better solutions.
“That’s our goal,” he notes. “To build a better and more inclusive future.”
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And that goal, says Professor of Finance Asli Ascioglu, Ph.D., has never been more important. "Underrepresentation is a big issue in the finance world,” she points out in the film. “You see very few females in the C-suite and leadership roles, and we need to change that."
With the direction decided, the film needed a subject. First suggested for the project by Kevin Maloney, Ph.D., professor and chair of Bryant’s Finance department, because of her success as a portfolio manager with the student-managed Archway Investment Fund, Singh embodies the best of Bryant: determination, heart, tenacity, and character.
It was an honor and a shock to be chosen, Singh admits. It was also an opportunity. “I’ve had such an amazing undergraduate experience,” she says. “I couldn’t wait to share it with others.”
"I know that it’s my face that people see onscreen and my voice that people hear, but I hope that every young woman, and every Bryant student, will recognize themselves when they see the film."
The film follows an average day in Singh’s life, from walking Bryant’s 468-acre campus to attending an Archway class taught by Maloney in the university’s new Financial Markets Center to doing yoga in the Interfaith Center. “We wanted to show the person beyond the leader,” notes Rubino. “All of her experiences and all of the facets of her time in college have helped make Ritvi who she is today.”
A community focused on support and success
Throughout the film, women leaders within the university community, including D. Ellen Wilson ’79, the chair of Bryant’s Board of Trustees and the namesake for the university’s Ellen Wilson Leadership Center, share their own insights on inspiring the next generation of women in finance.
“A really critical role that higher education has in society is to create choices and to open up windows that people might not otherwise have,” Wilson muses, noting that supporting women’s leadership is a key element of Bryant’s Vision 2030 strategic plan. At its core, she suggests, empowering the leaders of tomorrow means helping them to discover the strength within themselves.
“Whenever there's an underrepresented group it warrants attention, and it warrants resources to try and correct a trend. That's what we're doing here at Bryant,” says Mara Derderian, lecturer of Finance, director of Bryant’s Financial Planning Program, and director of the university’s award-winning Women in Finance leadership program. At Bryant, providing support for women in finance takes many forms, she suggests, from access to opportunities like internships, networking events, and off-campus conferences, to helping create a student-focused community.
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In the film, Singh shares what’s helped her to develop the confidence to excel, including experiential learning opportunities that prompted her to reimagine what she was capable of and supportive professors that aided her in finding her voice.
“I sit in the front of class now,” she states with a smile.
As Singh prepares for graduation, then graduate school with a job waiting for her at multinational professional services firm Grant Thornton, she hopes the film will inspire other aspiring young women in finance. “I know that it’s my face that people see onscreen and my voice that people hear, but I hope that every young woman, and every Bryant student, will recognize themselves when they see the film,” she says.
