Dare to try, find your passion, stand by your identity, and success will follow!

Nadine Trautmann is Vice President and Team Leader for ESG target fund analysis at Deka. Some of you may have seen her at our Digital Lunch Talk on May 19, where she took part in the panel discussion on the topic "Is sustainability losing relevance?". Today we talk to her about her career path toward becoming a team leader. In the interview, she also gives us some very practical career tips that can be put into action right away.

Nadine, you are Vice President and Team Leader for ESG target fund analysis at Deka. What originally led you into the world of finance, and when did you realize that ESG and sustainability were your topics?

My path into the financial world was actually fairly classic. I always had an affinity for numbers and had a savings account as a teenager. I found it fascinating to see how money works and grows. That turned into an internship at Sparkasse while I was still in school, an apprenticeship at UniCredit, and finally a degree in banking, finance and accounting as well as management and leadership.

With ESG, it was completely different. Three things drew me in. First, the dynamism. I could never do a job where I do exactly the same thing every day. Second, the necessity. When I read the first reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it was clear to me that we have to do something here, that there really is no other option. And third, the purpose. In everything I do, I need a deeper meaning.

For me, ESG combines science with regulation while also offering the chance to create a positive monetary and sustainable impact. You can see very concretely how capital flows can be steered and how that creates real impact, and that as a financial industry we can be part of the solution.

You work with ESG data every day, and diversity is also part of the ESG topic area. Which figure or study on diverse leadership teams surprised or convinced you the most?

Two figures impress me most, one at the macro level and one at the company level.

At the macro level, it is the well-known McKinsey analysis "Power of Parity". It shows that we could generate up to twelve trillion US dollars in additional economic output if we advance gender equality and integrate women more strongly into the labor market. In a full-potential scenario, where women play the same role in the labor market as men, it would be around 28 trillion US dollars more in global GDP.

At the company level, I was convinced by the MSCI analysis on the so-called "tipping point". It looked at US companies over five years. Companies that already had at least three women on their board at the start saw median gains of ten percentage points in return on equity and 37 percent in earnings per share. Companies without women on the board showed declining ROE and EPS figures over the same period.

We are not talking about symbolism here, we are talking about hard effects. Women bring different perspectives, a different understanding of risk and often a stronger stakeholder orientation, and that is exactly what shows up in the company figures.

To what extent has your professional focus on sustainability and ESG also been an advantage for your career as a woman?

I would not call ESG a "women's topic". That would do justice neither to the subject nor to women.

For me personally, ESG was an advantage because it was and is a young, dynamic field in which many new positions were created and where you could help shape a great deal. Of course the environment helped. Regulation such as the SFDR and the CSRD brought ESG into the mainstream, and at the same time there was a clear political and social will to bring more women into leadership.

But I would not say that ESG is an advantage in itself just because I am a woman. What helped was the combination of a forward-looking topic, personal passion and an environment that actively promotes women in leadership.

ESG is currently facing headwinds in the media, and some even speak of a hype that is fading. Why are you nonetheless convinced that it is worth it right now, and what would you say to encourage young talents to enter this field?

I am convinced that a career in ESG is worthwhile right now because we are going through a decisive transition phase. The earlier hype is giving way to a sober, data-driven view, and that increases the demand for professionals who deliver substance rather than buzzwords. Sustainability has long been a fixed part of regulation, risk management and capital investment, and companies can no longer structurally avoid topics such as climate risk, social responsibility and good governance. Anyone who starts today builds experience in this "phase two" of ESG, moving away from marketing and toward active management, and gains an edge in a field that combines economic relevance with real social impact.

Which step in your career would others describe as courageous, and what motivated you to take it at the time?

Many would probably say it was the step of taking on the team leader position.

I came from a role where I felt extremely secure professionally: seven years of risk management and ESG risk in the real estate industry, very well connected, accepted, fully integrated into the organization. Then I deliberately left that comfort zone: new asset classes such as listed instruments and equity markets, new interfaces, new people, and on top of that, leading a team.

At the beginning, it was a real personal challenge. Looking back, it was exactly this step that moved me forward the most. For me, that is the essence of courage: not acting once everything is clear, but acting once you know it is the right thing to do, even if it feels uncertain.

You talk about low points being turning points. Would you like to share such a moment from your own career?

Yes, there was one.

I had worked for seven years in the ESG area of the real estate industry, was extremely well connected, and had put my whole heart and passion into this topic. It was about a position I really wanted, and I did not get it. Today I can say: thank goodness. You only ever know that in hindsight. I found a fantastic area to work in and grew a great deal, both professionally and personally. I go to Deka every day now with real enthusiasm, because I know that something awaits me there that I genuinely enjoy. But I only gained that insight afterward. At the time, it was a real low point. Today, though, I can say I learned a lot. Even more important, I realized that it is not just the technical work that excites me, but above all leading people. For me, the greatest gift of being a leader is watching my own team members develop.

Which people drove you forward and also caught you when you fell, and how did you find them?

There were two people, and if they read this, they will know I mean them.

Both of them challenged and supported me over the years. They always made me feel: "Nadine, you can do this!" Especially during the low point, they stood by me and gave me courage. What did these people actually do? They listened to me. They gave me opportunities, gave me honest feedback, including critical feedback, and never left me alone. Without these two people, I would not be where I am today. THANK YOU!
Was diese Menschen konkret getan haben? Sie haben mir zugehört. Sie haben mir Chancen gegeben, mir ehrliches, auch kritisches Feedback gegeben und mich nie allein gelassen. Ohne diese beiden Menschen wäre ich nicht da, wo ich heute bin. DANKE!

Were there moments when being different, as a woman, with your perspective, became a real competitive advantage?

For me, being different is less a question of being a woman or a man, and more a question of personality.

My own kind of being different has definitely helped me move forward many times. I have very broad interests and a strong curiosity. I want to understand things, get to the bottom of them, structure them and create real added value.

On top of that, I am very good at building connections, both with content and with people. I believe it is exactly this combination of curiosity, structure, empathy, interest in people and content, and networking and communication that brought me into my leadership role today.

Have you ever received a disparaging remark, as a woman, in a professional context? And what did you say in response?

Fortunately, I have never personally experienced a truly disparaging remark.

I think there are two reasons for that. On one hand, we place great value at Deka on respectful communication. On the other hand, my colleagues know me. If someone throws a "funny" remark my way, it gets sent right back fairly directly.

Overall, I experience the environment as very respectful, and I think it is important that we actively defend this culture.

What ultimately made the difference on your way to becoming a team leader? Was it a decision, a moment, a person?

It was never just one factor, it was the interplay of several things.

Professionally, it was depth of knowledge in sustainability. Then the conscious decision to leave my comfort zone and take on responsibility for a team and for new asset classes. And then, of course, the people who supported me.

In the end, it was this interplay of my own decision, professional substance, courage and the right people at my side.

You are a mentor yourself today. What do you pass on, and what would you have wished someone had told you earlier?

I pass on two things above all.

First: if someone asks you whether you can do something, say yes, unless it is truly a task you would not enjoy at all.

Second: be courageous, show yourself, move forward. You have more tools with you than you think. And: stay true to your identity!

What would I have liked to hear earlier? Something like: "It's not going so badly at all, Nadine. Keep going, even if it doesn't feel that way right now. You will see the success."

You are a team leader. What is the one, most personal message you would give to a young woman starting her career in finance today?

My message is: dare to try. Find a topic you truly feel passionate about, not one that just looks good on your resume, but one where your heart is in it. Stand by your identity, even if it does not fit every mold.

Do not believe that you have to make yourself smaller or adapt in order to be successful. The greatest achievements happen where passion, authenticity and courage come together.

And: you do not have to manage this alone. Find people who challenge and support you, who give you honest feedback and who stand behind you in difficult moments. And over time, become that same kind of person for others.

Can you give us that in short form to take away?

Sure, happy to sum it up:

• Courage is a conscious decision. Fear is normal, but action is possible.
• Low points are turning points, with the right people at your side.
• Passion beats perfectionism. Find what truly drives you.
• Authenticity is your strength. Being different makes you valuable, not interchangeable.
• The numbers speak for us. We are not a quota, we are a measurable success factor.
• Be the person for others that you yourself once needed.
• You can achieve anything!

Great, thank you very much for this interview, Nadine!

Foto: Nadine Trautmann

 

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