Recap
For the first time since 2019, the FCS staged its popular Executive Talk Series “CMO Exchange“. This members-only TED Talk-style event took place on Thursday, October 30, at the New York Yacht Club.
The event featured an informal series of presentations from Emily Pachuta, CMO, Ascensus; Steve Munroe, CMO, ProShares; and FCS Executive Committee Member Katy Brady, Director of Brand, Invesco. These financial marketing leaders shared experiences that shaped them on a personal and professional level.
Each of the speakers provided worthwhile insights that are relevant to all marketing professionals in financial services.
Learning to Say ‘Yes’
Emily Pachuta kicked off the CMO Exchange with her presentation, “How I Learned to Say, ‘Yes’.” Growing up in the 1980s, when the slogan ‘Just Say No’ was everywhere, Emily was taught that saying ‘no’ was more enticing because it offered safety in a sea of risk. However, Emily realized something foundational to her career: By saying ‘yes’ to one thing, you are actively saying ‘no’ to something else.
From then on, Emily started saying ‘yes’. In college, she said ‘yes’ to being treasurer of her theater department. After graduating, she reaffirmed her interest in attending film school at NYU, meaning saying ‘no’ to any kind of financial stability. She said ‘yes’ to moving to Moscow for her film school thesis despite not knowing Russian, and ‘yes’ to a job at Merrill Lynch despite not being fluent in finance.
This last decision positioned Emily for a successful career in financial marketing, especially because she kept saying ‘yes’ to things that built her confidence, exposed her to new opportunities, deepened her career skillset, and made her uncomfortable enough to grow. Even though the word ‘yes’ has led Emily to where she is now as a professional, she emphasized that the word does not equal ‘winning’; it simply means being ‘willing to try.’
Not Knowing Is An Asset
Steve Munroe then took to the stage for his presentation, “An Open Mind Is Marketing’s Most Important Tool.” However, he began by suggesting the alternate title, “The Superpower of Not Knowing,” tying in how his career progressed from a place of curiosity.
Steve started his career 11 years ago at Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston. He was on a path of stability with retirement services as his future, but Steve got an inkling that this was not the path for him. He abruptly resigned from Liberty Mutual and started working for a 20-person ETF startup, where he quickly realized he wasn’t well-versed in ETFs. Instead of feeling regret about his decision to leave his last job, he trusted his instinct about where the industry was heading. From there, he embraced his naivete and used his curiosity as a tool. Steve explained that when he didn’t understand something, he would simply ask, regardless of how it would make him look. In many cases, he was often asking the questions that everyone was thinking, opening up the discussion to many more people, and expanding the general understanding of the team.
Being open-minded and expressing humility achieves more than being overconfident and pounding the table harder to prove a point. Steve found that as the world keeps shifting, leaders have to lean into empathy, not ego.
Theatricality in Marketing
Katy rounded out the evening with the final presentation, “My Life as a Showgirl.” Early in life, Katy found her passion lay in theater. She loved its ability to connect with an audience and foster community. Katy could not get enough of telling stories through theater, going through the process of studying a character, and the rush of the earned ovation at the end of a show. She even loved the late-night rehearsals because it meant being part of a team. When it came time for college, her parents were fully supportive of her goals and aspirations to study theater.
Soon after starting in Syracuse’s theater program, Katy realized she no longer had the passion for theater. She switched her major to communications and found her new passion was marketing. Working in brand marketing, Katy has found that it shares a lot of similarities with putting on a theatrical production. The work she loves doing the most is where marketing strategy meets creativity, blending the best of both worlds in her career journey.
Katy expressed admiration for her parents and their support of her dreams at every stage, as it allowed her to believe in herself. She carries this lesson with her own children. She finished off her presentation by lauding theater kids for their empathy, stage presence, and teamwork, urging companies to hire them.
— This recap was based on reports by FCS Marketing Scholars Gabrielle Branch, Flora Lin, Ylhana Ortiz, Ava Rabeni, and Adam Serfilippi, with editing by FCS Administrative & Communications Coordinator Juliet McAlee
This event is sold out
For the first time since 2019, the FCS is thrilled to bring back our most-popular presentation series, CMO Exchange — a TED-Talk–style evening featuring three senior marketers sharing personal stories and professional insights.
Join us on Thursday, October 30, for a members-only cocktail reception at the New York Yacht Club (4:30–6:30 PM). Enjoy great company and conversation as our guest speakers take the stage to deliver their talks — each ranging from 5 to 20 minutes — offering a mix of inspiration, perspective, and real-world experience you won’t want to miss.
This is “Volume 4” of the series, and we’re excited to welcome these headline speakers:
- Emily Pachuta, Chief Marketing Officer, Ascensus
- Steve Munroe, Chief Marketing Officer, ProShares
- Katy Brady, Director of Brand, Invesco
Here’s the lineup of their talks:
“How I Learned to Say, ‘Yes’”
Emily Pachuta shares the moments when she “grabbed a spoon” (a Friends reference, IYKYK) and learned to say, “Yes” to unexpected opportunities that changed the course of her life.
“An Open Mind Is Marketing’s Most Important Tool”
Steve Munroe reflects on a decade of marketing lessons learned—and relearned—in the ever-evolving ETF industry. From meme stocks to crypto, and from pandemic fads to structural shifts in the way we live and work, he shows how curiosity, humility, and a good sense of humor can turn being wrong into a competitive advantage.
“My Life as a Showgirl”
Katy Brady shares how her unexpected turn as a theater major shaped her outlook on life, work, and parenting. With humor and heart, she reflects on the lessons learned from supportive (if nervous) parents and the courage it takes to follow your dreams—even when the path looks uncertain.
If you are not currently a member of the FCS, attending this event is yet another great reason to join our community. We’re offering a special discounted ticket package for new members: $250 covers one ticket to the event + a 12 month membership in the FCS. (Same pricing for the Young Members Circle.) To purchase this ticket and activate your membership, please contact FCS Comms/Admin Coordinator Juliet McAlee, [email protected].
In gratitude to Emily, Katy and Steve, the FCS will donate $1,000 to each speaker’s children’s charity of choice. Emily and Katy have both selected Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Steve has selected The Jimmy Fund.
The FCS CMO Exchange series has proven to be the most impactful presentations on our stage. We launched the series back in 2016. The 10 speakers who spoke at the 3 prior Exchange receptions covered a wide range of topics and stories, from being in a car accident and flat-lining; attending Comic Con in costume annually; being raised by a grandparent; the importance of playing competitive sports in building leadership; and caring for a mentor as he faced a terminal disease.
If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact FCS CEO Kevin Windorf, [email protected].
