Here are the mentors that participate in the Brandes RISE Mentorship Program. We’ve provided synopses of their professional background and Q&A to amplify the experience and motivation they will bring to program participants.
Beth Hammerstrand is a member of the Investment Decision Implementation team (IDI), which is part of the Trading Dept. IDI facilitates the implementation of the firm’s investment decisions in all client account types on behalf of our investment committees. She was previously the Manager of the Managed Accounts team. Before joining Brandes, she was a Business Manager with Provident Capital Corp. Ms. Hammerstrand holds a BA in political science (with honors) from the University of Portland. Her relevant experience began in 1998 and she joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2000.
Q: What led you to volunteer for this program?
A: As I was starting out and trying to figure out how to begin my career in finance (with a political science degree), I spoke with many different people and had several mentors and advocates assisting me as I took each career step. Each contributed something different to my pathway. Looking back, though, none of those people that I relied on early in my career were women, as investment management was still very male dominated at the time. When I joined Brandes 23 years ago, my supervisor, manager and director were all men, but I quickly began meeting successful women at Brandes and in the CFA Society of San Diego. I have benefited from various mentors during my career and now that I am towards the tail end of my career, I want to give back, especially to women just starting their careers. I also think that I could learn a lot from the younger generation.
Q: Why do you think mentorship is important?
A: It takes a village, as they say! Whether it was serving as a sounding board, sharing a word of encouragement, proof reading my resume or serving as a reference, I found that my mentors were instrumental in my career and in my life. It is very important to seek out mentors and it is equally import for those of us in the later stages of our careers to give back and assist in developing a diverse talent pool that is seeking to enter the various fields of finance and investment management in particular.
Beth Hammerstrand is a member of the Investment Decision Implementation team (IDI), which is part of the Trading Dept. IDI facilitates the implementation of the firm’s investment decisions in all client account types on behalf of our investment committees. She was previously the Manager of the Managed Accounts team. Before joining Brandes, she was a Business Manager with Provident Capital Corp. Ms. Hammerstrand holds a BA in political science (with honors) from the University of Portland. Her relevant experience began in 1998 and she joined Brandes Investment Partners in 2000.
Q: What led you to volunteer for this program?
A: As I was starting out and trying to figure out how to begin my career in finance (with a political science degree), I spoke with many different people and had several mentors and advocates assisting me as I took each career step. Each contributed something different to my pathway. Looking back, though, none of those people that I relied on early in my career were women, as investment management was still very male dominated at the time. When I joined Brandes 23 years ago, my supervisor, manager and director were all men, but I quickly began meeting successful women at Brandes and in the CFA Society of San Diego. I have benefited from various mentors during my career and now that I am towards the tail end of my career, I want to give back, especially to women just starting their careers. I also think that I could learn a lot from the younger generation.
Q: Why do you think mentorship is important?
A: It takes a village, as they say! Whether it was serving as a sounding board, sharing a word of encouragement, proof reading my resume or serving as a reference, I found that my mentors were instrumental in my career and in my life. It is very important to seek out mentors and it is equally import for those of us in the later stages of our careers to give back and assist in developing a diverse talent pool that is seeking to enter the various fields of finance and investment management in particular.