CFA Society Serbia has recently started series of interviews called „Women in CFA Community – Powerful building blocks“ to proudly show the women we have beside us, recognizing their importance in the finance world. Today we have an honor to speak with our valued CFA Society member Gordana Drobnjak, CFA.
Ms Gordana Drobnjak has been a CFA charterholder since 2012, and member of the CFA Society Serbia since 2019. She is a CEO of European Voluntary Pension Fund Management Company in Banja Luka, with reach experience in fields of investment banking, asset management, accounting and finance. She was a member of several supervisory and audit committees of publicly listed companies and investment funds on the Banja Luka Stock Exchange, as well as a member of the Listing Commission of the Banja Luka Stock Exchange in the period 2009 - 2014.
In this interview, she shared with us her story about career development in the investment world for a woman in our region, the main benefits and challenges along the way, and the role that the CFA designation has had.
How would you briefly describe your career path so far? What were the main challenges?
My career began relatively specifically, since, immediately after graduating from the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade in 2006, I came to a new, relatively unknown and smaller environment. That period before 2008 was certainly very good for our profession, because everything was expanding, including capital markets in the region, and Banja Luka Stock Exchange had exceptional growth in that period. The Faculty of Economics in Belgrade was a good recommendation by itself in our region, and relatively quickly I started my career in jobs related to capital market in local banks that had investment banking departments. At the beginning of 2011, I became a member of the board of the Republika Srpska Pension Reserve Fund, which was one of the biggest challenges and the period in which I learned the most in my career. The team that then raised the institution and created the system practically from scratch is one of my most valuable experiences. As a result, the idea of further development of institutions in the Republic of Srpska arose, so that in 2017 the Pension Reserve Fund, together with Triglav Pension Company Ljubljana and the EBRD, established the third pillar of the pension system in Republic of Srpska. Generally, I think that everywhere I worked, I had and took with me good experiences and practices in business, and even when I left one job and move to another it was with a smile and looking ahead, leaving everything "sorted out" behind me.
How do you currently see the position of women in investment industry – in our region and globally?
I don't know if I'm a feminist or not, but I think that, at least as far as our industry is concerned, the position of women is no worse than men, that is, that there is no negative perception towards women. We certainly have other challenges, but at least in my environment I don't think there is "glass ceiling" in terms of income, nor the possibility of advancement. If we look globally, I am sure that there are many challenges that, first of all, relate to the availability of education and the role of women not only at work, but in the primary family. I am certainly a supporter of the policy of equal opportunities, not equal outcomes. Challenges concerning equality are solved systematically and with clear criteria in advance regarding competences, without generalization and any kind of discrimination.
As a woman on a high level executive position and with a longstanding and rich experience, what is the key leadership lesson you've learned along the way?
The companies and positions I have worked in so far did not have a long chain of command, nor a huge number of employees that would require a more authoritative management style. I think that maybe I was lucky to choose and find people around me from whom I can learn. I think it's important to listen and lead by example. After all, we are all on the same task in different roles, and when a pleasant atmosphere devoid of toxic influences is created, the possibility of achieving better results is greater.
How CFA designation fits in your career path and what would be the main benefits of having it, in your opinion?
When I decided to take the CFA route more than 15 years ago, it was a relative unknown in the local capital market. What the CFA initially gave me was the confidence that I could do something that had global recognition, not about immediate career benefits. Over the years, however, the CFA has turned out to be something that both owners and the market recognize as a benchmark of knowledge and professionalism. Without a doubt, the decision to become a CFA is one of the best personal decisions I've made and I recommend it to anyone who is on the fence.
Work-life balance for women in investment industry – is it possible? What would be your advice?
Very hard, honestly. During the period of obtaining the CFA, I gave birth to two of my three children and I always took the exam either pregnant or with a baby I was nursing. It would probably be more difficult for me to decide on that path at this age. I don't want to sound like a life coach who will say that everything is about organization and commitment, because something always has to suffer somewhere, time for yourself, hobbies, family, a lot of compromises have to be made. My only advice is to try to get rid of the feeling of guilt in any respect, whether I have given enough of myself to the children, family, work, because we certainly do everything with the best intentions and try as hard as we can. We must be good to ourselves in order to be good to others.