We take things in a different direction on this episode of the Alpha Exchange and focus on the importance of leadership and culture at large financial institutions. With this in mind, it was my pleasure to solicit the insights of Mark Miller, a personal mentor of mine and a capital markets professional whose sell-side career has spanned 4 decades. Having served in the role of global head of sales at Citigroup, BofA and HSBC, Mark has led significant teams of professionals across product areas and geographies. In this context, we explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in bringing together a firm's resources on behalf of its client base. We also discuss the process for evaluating talent, and for Mark, the successful salesperson is highly competent in understanding market pricing dynamics and often has the capacity to be a trader. In conjunction with this, a salesperson's success is contingent on having earned the trust of her or his clients. 

We also talk about leadership and what it takes to establish a cohesive culture. Here, Mark has strong views. In his rendering, good management is no surprises and being a source of feedback that is both consistent and fair, even if uncomfortable, is a critical deliverable of a leader. Lastly, I solicit Mark’s insights on diversity efforts on the Street. While certainly seeing progress over the course of his career, he also sees plenty of further opportunity to expand the presence of women and minorities in the field of finance. I hope you enjoy my conversation on leadership, culture and mentorship with Mark Miller.