Mom: You do what @ your Day Job??!!

Okay - I know no one really cares about what we all do at our "Day Job", but I was thinking that a snapshot of what I do at work might just help others understand why it's so tough for a working mom like me to find time to exercise!

I source, recruit, identify, qualify and acquire talent for companies to ensure that they can accomplish their business goals. Over the last 27 years, I've enjoyed doing this job for some of the greatest global financial services & technology firms on the planet. I've also executed this work on behalf of Big Pharma and in the Travel & Entertainment industry, (Chef's International, Inc. - aka: @ Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty!). I never get bored because the open positions and business objectives are never the same.

My career in Human Resources & Global Staffing began by accident when I agreed to take a leave of absence from Rutger's University to manage the opening of a few restaurants up-and-down the East Coast for my childhood employer - who taught me the transferable value of great customer service during that impressionable decade between ages 14 & 24. I began in the laundry room cleaning kitchen whites, towels and tablecloths and ended my career with them as a General Manager of their crown jewel and most profitable unit. I made sure that the commitment to customer service that I learned there followed me to ensure I would be a high caliber business partner and a productive corporate citizen throughout my career. To this day, I owe a great deal of my success to Jack Baker and other executives in my life who demanded much, but taught me more... including the importance of operating with excellence all along the way!

In the past 27 months, I've closed 145 positions for SunGard Financial Systems which included: Some of the best Sell-Side & Buy-Side Sales Professionals in the business; a Chief Executive Officer & a number of SVP's for the Trading Segment; Associate Corporate Counsel; Sr. Attorneys, Compliance Experts & Branch Managers for our Assent Broker-Dealer. I single-handedly back-filled the entire Equity Finance Group, (Stock Loan Dept); and hired Financial Engineers, IT professionals at all levels, Chief Risk Officers for several SunGard Segments; several key positions reporting directly to SunGard's New Chief Info Security Officer, (Segment Security Officers & Global Security Officers), as well as Marketing & Finance professionals at every level.

I've had the privilege to source, identify and hire the top analyst who now reports directly to SunGard CEO, Cris Conde; and other top notch business analysts who report directly to SunGard's Strategic Global Account Mgmt Team. I hired all the talent (both back office and front office) it took to launch SunGard Trading's NEW entry into the following Lines of Business: Liquidity Services - May, 2008; Correspondent Clearing Operations - June, 2008; UK-based Assent Broker Dealer to service clients across Continental Europe - December, 2009; Alternative Trading Services to compete with primary exchanges like NASDAQ & NYSE and Regional ECNs such as BEX, TRAC - January, 2010.

For the launch of our Market Map Market Data Terminal Business - I work closely with the international executives who lead this business and so far... I closed the first ten sales/ sales support professionals who are currently launching this effort in the U.S. so SunGard can compete head-to-head with the Thomson Reuters & Bloomberg terminal businesses.

We expanded our market offerings to Continental Europe & the Asia Pacific Region in Buy/Sell-Side Compliance, (Protegent); Pre/Post Analytics in the Options & Futures Markets, (MicroHedge); and in Commodities, (Kiodex & BondOne); then in December 2009 - we merged Kiodex with our Houston-based Energy Businesses (Entegrate, ZaiNet and other solutions) and both businesses now support each others expansion in new and emerging markets. The global component to my job makes me always feel like I'm working way beyond the Jersey City, NJ city limits and that is exciting to me!

Finally, I helped manage the integration of talent for two mergers & acquisitions which included ICE in Q3 2009 and GL Trade in (Q4 2008 - ongoing) which literally transformed SunGard Trading from a U.S.-centric entity to a global leader executing our impressive long-term "Wheel Strategy" which will propel us to become "the leading neutral provider of transaction services for global equity and options markets!" After the GL acquisition, I hired most of the Channel Sales Execs who now sell GL products to repeat SunGard clients across our U.S.-based Financial Systems Segments.

Here is a partial list of the varied companies I've been accountable to under the SunGard Financial Systems umbrella: Brass, Assent, GL Trade, Kiodex, ICE, Protegent, Engard, Loanet, Aztec, MicroHedge, ICE, InTrader, Global Phase 3, Stream, Wall Street Concepts, WealthStation, Martini, GMI, FAME, FRONT ARENA, INVEST ONE, BankWare, Investier, AvantGard, iWorks, etc. Having worked in all these varied businesses, I've learned so much about how our clients execute their businesses in this 21st Century. What I can tell you - for sure - is that it's very interesting work, but it doesn't leave me much time to exercise!! Trust me - my mind is doing jumping-jacks every single day and I know that is a good thing, but the exercise I need from the neck down just ain't happening on that schedule I planned. I know I have to try harder. How do you people do it out there? Help.

Finally, I often operate as the Executive Recruiter who executes much of the Executive Hiring for senior positions tied to SunGard's Corporate Headquarters in Wayne, PA, (I've filled newly created enterprise-wide positions for the Offices of the Chief Corporate Counsel, CFO, Human Resources, Information Security; as well as the President & Chief Customer Officer @ SunGard Higher Ed and for the Chief Procurement Officer @ Availability Services). The time issue has everything to do with making myself available when employment candidates have time to speak with me, which very often can be any hour in the evening or on weekends. I suppose I could learn to interview folks while I jog on the treadmill, but I already sprained my whole right side (and broke a rib - ha!) getting thrown from that monster-of-a-machine when I wasn't concentrating, so... maybe not.

Okay - sometime others complain about me being "busy"... but I have to admit that it is very satisfying to know that I have contributed to the success of companies everytime I've reached my goals. My Kate graduates from The Ohio State University on Sunday, June 13th and my prayer for her is that she can find a work-life balance in a career that inspires her.

But ha - here's the surprise: Wait till she finds out that it's the work-life balance thing that requires the most work! :)

Best regards,
Everybody's Cousin Tish
Score: 18/51 (Yes - I'm two up this week, but no need to call in the Riot Squad, (the one that laughs - that is!) because I'm back on the beam... If this journey was easy, I wouldn't be blogging my head off for gosh sakes!)

Quote of the Day: "If a child finds emotional comfort in food or drink, then inspire them to work outside of food chains and restaurants. It could save their life." - Observations from The Jersey Shore, Kate's Mom.