Amy Ridge is a Partner in Mercer’s Alternatives Group, where she plays a pivotal role in bridging critical gaps in client portfolios by investing in diverse-led funds private markets funds. As Chair of Mercer’s DEI Investment Committee, and a key member of Investment Committees, Ms. Ridge is deeply involved in shaping Mercer’s investment strategies and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the investment space.
In addition to her leadership of the Leap Continuum (Mercer’s DEI focused investment strategy), Ms. Ridge is a senior member of Mercer’s CIO Office where she builds private markets portfolios that align with clients’ risk, liquidity and return needs.
With 19 years of alternatives experience, including 17 years at Mercer (following the acquisition of Pavilion Alternatives in 2018), Ms. Ridge brings a wealth of expertise to her role. She holds a BA in Finance from the University of San Francisco and has previously worked at TorreyCove (now Aksia) for nearly three years in the private equity consulting group.
Ms. Ridge’s contributions to the field have been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2021 Knowledge Broker Award from CIO Magazine, underscoring her commitment to excellence and innovation in investment management.
Below are highlights of the interview:
What inspired you to pursue a career in business and ultimately become a business leader?
I was not a fan of math growing up, it was a subject I struggled with throughout my younger years. I started college with a one-track mind: a degree in psychology. However, when I took my econ and math classes, something clicked; I realized I loved these subjects! While in these new classes I loved, I looked around to realize I was one of very few women in the class. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am very competitive and have a drive to challenge the status quo. Being one of the only women in this area was a personal motivation. My mom is the strongest woman I know and has instilled in me that women are strong and capable and that we need to push for change. With math and econ, I saw the opportunity to focus my career on something of high interest and with a chance to drive change in an industry desperately in need of it. It has been a wildly fulfilling career so far. Working in investments I can make a difference in areas I care about, including payments to pensioners and not-for-profit organizations.
As a woman in a leadership position, what challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?
There are always challenges, both personal and professional. Personally, I battle with imposter syndrome—questioning my abilities or skillset when working on a new difficult project or in a new role with a new team. Women often feel they need to be an expert, to know every detail to raise their hand. But you’ll never know every detail, so too many hands often stay down. To combat that, I created a rule for myself: always raise your hand to volunteer no matter the doubt. Abiding by this rule has proven to be extremely rewarding both personally and for my career trajectory.
One of my biggest professional challenges was becoming an effective leader. I am a naturally outgoing people person so leading a team seems like it would be one of the easier transitions in my career. But I quickly learned it takes more than liking to be around people to be an effective leader, it means listening to people and their feedback (frustrations and excitement) and learn what makes them tick to more effectively manage and support a team. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the importance of managing UP! Shining a light on accomplishments will help you and your team go a long way.
What strategies have you implemented to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace?
One of my key initiatives is The Leap Continuum (Leap), which is Mercer’s first-ever full-suite of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) solutions within private markets. Through Leap, I focused on increasing diversity by investing in diverse-owned and led funds. I also raised dedicated DEI funds and created a DEI-focused research team to increase coverage of the DEI market.
I expanded the definition of diversity to include historically underinvested groups such as women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, veterans, and persons with disabilities. I promote DEI by looking at a firm’s diversity of key decision-makers and encourage the inclusion of diverse professionals in investment committees as getting diverse professionals in decision making positions is crucial to creating a track record and resume to propel their future careers.
What are some key leadership traits that you believe are essential for success in your role?
- Visionary: Understand the importance of having a clear vision and direction. Create and articulate your vision and draw the map of where you are today and how you will get to where you want to be.
- Strategic Thinker: Be strategic! Look beyond the right now and think about how things can be better, grow faster, run more efficiently and get you to your overall vision.
- Collaboration: Actively seek input from diverse perspectives, people above and below you. More is achieved as a team and the more people feel they have contributed to a vision or plan, the more they care.
- Resilience: Be able to adapt to changing circumstances, learn from failures, and persevere in pursuit of your goals.
- Results-Oriented: Set clear goals and KPIs and hold yourself and your team accountable in achieving them. Learn from the times you fall short and celebrate the times of achievement. No matter what, measurement is the only way to know how you are doing.
- Strong Communicator: Talk to people! Whenever I can, I call people. E-mail boxes are full and exhausting. Live conversation is important! Also, communicating with multiple people, building a strong connection with people outside of your direct team always serves you well, especially getting buy in and cooperation for new projects and initiatives.
How do you measure the success of your team and the overall organization?
We set goals and hold ourselves to the highest standards to generate top quartile results and achieve the strategic vision of the firm.
These include business and personal development goals. We check progress on the goals throughout the year.
We have an annual review process where we get feedback from all levels in the organization to understand how the team is performing from many different perspectives.
Turnover rate – retention is huge, training and retaining our all-stars is a top priority and significant indicator for success.
What advice do you have for women who aspire to become CIOs or hold other senior investments roles?
- Build a strong network
- Develop a diverse skill set
- Understand total portfolio needs
- Challenge status quo portfolios
- Do not hide from investment results, use them to become better
- Seek out challenging assignments
- Be proactive in seeking feedback and development opportunities
- Embrace resilience and perseverance
- Advocate for yourself
- Support and uplift other women
How do you stay current with industry trends and advancements in technology?
- Reading industry reports, listening to podcasts, asking questions in meetings – there is now so much information at our fingertips. Setting aside time is the most important piece of this, set a daily or weekly goal for just reading and self-edification. Put a block of time on your calendar that allows you time for reading and learning.
- Attending industry conferences and events.
- Following influential thought leaders and experts.
- Continuous learning and professional development –online courses, webinars, etc.
How do you balance the demands of your professional and personal life?
I have a family and 2 young kids, so work/life balance is real! Setting boundaries and abiding by them is important. I try to set specific work hours and maintain a separation between work-related tasks and personal activities. Small things, like not bringing my work phone with me to dinner or to our weekend sports activities. I admit I am not great at never checking my emails on the weekends but I find time to do that separate from my family activities so they feel that I am fully present when I am with them.
Also, prioritizing self-care, whatever that looks like. Work/life balance is more than not working to be with family, but it is also granting yourself time for you. Schedule time for activities that promote your physical and mental well-being, such as exercise, hobbies, reading and spending quality time doing what you love to do.
I delegate tasks and responsibilities to my team, empowering them to take ownership and contribute to the overall success of the organization. This allows me to focus on high-priority tasks and create more time for personal activities.
I also embrace flexibility and adapt to changing circumstances. There are times when work demands more of my attention, and other times when personal matters require my focus. By being adaptable, I can navigate the demands of both realms more effectively.
Website: www.mercer.com
