In our latest Member Spotlight, meet Wendy Mailot: Senior Director, Global Technology Development at MFS Investment Management.
When did you begin working with ISITC and what position do you hold?
I originally started with ISITC back in 2003. At the time, I was a business analyst working on trade processing, and began participating in ISITC’s Settlements Working Group. After some time away, I re-joined in 2021 as one of the co-chairs of the ESG Forum.
Why did you join ISITC initially and/or what has kept you coming back?
Back when I was a new business analyst, I joined to better understand the settlements process and help drive some of the technology and operations projects we had going on at MFS. It was great to have a group of super-knowledgeable people to ask questions and discuss ideas. Those very same reasons brought me back when I rejoined ISITC. The wealth of knowledge within the organization is immense, and even 20 years later I am still learning from it. Now I get to contribute by giving back some of that knowledge through ESG education.
What has been your favorite part about joining the ISITC team? What upcoming projects are you most excited about?
My favorite part has been getting to know the people. It’s such a broad section of people from different companies and different roles, and they all bring their unique perspective and experiences with them. As for upcoming projects, I am not sure excitement is the right word, but SFDR and TCFD are two ESG regulatory regimes that are going live this year that are a big focus for me at the moment.
What would be your alternative dream job if you were not working in financial services?
Probably running an animal rescue. I’m kind of a sucker for homeless animals.
What are your favorite activities/hobbies outside of work?
I love to travel – I just came back from a week in the Norwegian arctic to see the Northern Lights. And I love football – I’ve played in a women’s flag football league for 15 years and it is probably my favorite time of the year.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone starting out in the industry?
Be curious and open yourself to learning. Everything in our industry is so interconnected now that you can’t really get ahead by knowing just one thing. Embrace the opportunities to broaden your knowledge.