With a 16-year journey in financial services, my career has been both exciting and challenging. I started at Barclays in the firm’s graduate leadership scheme, working with a diverse, multicultural team from around the world. The program aimed to develop future leaders through training in leadership, communication, teamwork, and technical skills, providing me with a solid foundation in the industry. During my five years at Barclays, I discovered my natural fit in client-facing roles, which set the direction for my career.

I have always thrived in client-oriented positions, from roles in hedge funds and private equity on the buyside to traditional investment banking on the sell-side. Understanding and anticipating client needs has been central to my approach. I believe in a service philosophy where I prioritize the client's needs over the product and listen actively to tailor solutions that truly benefit them. I often advise junior employees to ‘use your two ears and one mouth in that proportion’ because understanding clients is the cornerstone of exceptional service.

Whether serving corporations or institutional investors, I’ve always focused on grasping what each group needs and aligning our offerings accordingly. To me, clients are the experts, and my role is to bring them relevant, bespoke solutions by deeply understanding their goals and challenges. This client-centric focus has shaped every step of my career.

"I often advise junior employees to ‘use two ears and one mouth in that proportion’ because understanding clients is the cornerstone of exceptional service"

Introduce us to KBW. What is the concept behind the venture, and what are its primary areas of expertise?

KBW is a boutique investment bank specializing in financials and operates under the larger U.S.-based parent company, Stifel. As a dedicated financials-focused team, KBW distinguishes itself by offering clients specialist expertise in research, sales, and trading, solely within the financial sector. While many of our competitors take a more generalist approach, covering multiple sectors, we dedicate ourselves exclusively to financials, and we pride ourselves on excelling in this area.

KBW fosters a highly academic and intellectually curious environment, where everyone, from sales and trading to research and investment banking, is deeply engaged with the financial markets. We prioritize exploration and discovery over simply being right, which strengthens our effectiveness and adaptability in serving our clients. This commitment to curiosity and specialized knowledge creates a unique atmosphere that drives our team to deliver exceptional, targeted insights and services for the financial sector.

What are your primary roles and responsibilities as a Director at KBW? What areas do you focus on to drive growth for the company?

In my expanded role within KBW under the Stifel umbrella, I cover a broad range of services as a specialist salesperson, working closely with both corporate clients and institutional investors. My primary focus is on fostering strong relationships with management teams on the corporate side, helping them to achieve their strategic goals with the support of institutional investors. My core responsibilities involve managing and aligning client relationships for both companies and investors, and understanding each group's needs to effectively connect them to support mutual objectives.

What, in your view, have been the most significant ‘wins’ in your professional journey? And what is your ‘success mantra’ as a leader?

My guiding mantra has always been, “Do you want the deal more than you fear the rejection?”. In sales, you often face numerous rejections, sometimes making 20 calls in a day with only a handful of interested responses. The key is to bring as much energy to the 20th call as you had for the first call, even if the previous calls didn’t yield results. That resilience is part of the role.

My biggest wins have truly been team efforts. We’ve had the privilege of taking remarkable companies public, like the high growth fintech PensionBee, where I led as sales deal captain for the raise. Everyone across KBW and Stifel rallied together, driven by a shared enthusiasm for delivering for both the company and our institutional investors.

While fundraising successes are memorable, the big­gest personal win for me was breaking into this compet­itive industry and navigating its many challenges and rounds of job cuts over the years.

Arese Pollard, Director (Financial Equity Sales), KBW

Arese Pollard is Director at KBW, part of Stifel, specializing in financials-focused investment banking. With 16 years in finance, she excels in client relationships, managing corporate and investor partnerships, and driving successful IPOs for high-growth companies. Known for her resilience and teamwork, Arese brings dedication and insight to every project.