Gina’s Story
Stepping Forward
In 1985, I stepped out of college and into the world with a Math Degree and a sense of both excitement and trepidation. I was off to Washington D.C. for my first job as a developer. That job opened my eyes to the creative world of software development and helped define my professional trajectory.
Being an adventurous person, I took opportunities that gave me the chance to work on projects from Washington D.C. to southern California. My next move was to Chicago, where I discovered the world of trading. For the next 10 years, I worked as a developer at a prominent options trading firm at their offices in Chicago and my hometown of New York City. When Susquehanna came calling with a developer role, I saw the opportunity as too good to pass up. While I loved living in New York, I decided to take the risk and move to Philadelphia. I have been with Susquehanna ever since, and it has been an amazing journey.
I have worked as a technologist in the world of trading for 32 years, 22 of which have been at Susquehanna. At every chance, I took the opportunity to work with different businesses and learn how they worked. Whether it was building solutions in support of our options, equity, index or statistical arbitrage desks, I was able to learn the workings of each desk and how to provide solutions that met their needs. I was also exposed to different people at the firm, different ways of working, and other aspects of the company that rounded out my understanding of how Susquehanna was successful.
When given the opportunity to lead a small team, I was ready for the new challenge. The opportunity to work differently with the trading leaders, learn how to develop people and teams, and drive people to work collaboratively was an amazing next step in my personal career development.
Over my years leading progressively larger teams, I worked closely with Susquehanna’s Global Head of Technology. Upon his retirement, I was asked to co-lead while a search was underway for his replacement. In this interim role, I was able to build upon our existing technology operation, introduce changes and of course, face some failures along the way.
With this experience, I realized I was ready to lead Susquehanna’s rapidly growing technology team. With that in mind, I felt confident enough to step forward and raise my hand for the Global Head of Technology role. While I did not yet have experience leading a global technology organization, I did have deep knowledge of Susquehanna’s businesses, the way we work, and how to align technology to be a partner that drives Susquehanna’s success.
I have now been Susquehanna’s Global Head of Technology for 12 years. The time has passed quickly, but with each year, I have learned so much about building a strong team, that is connected to our business and being a leader that can help our team have the greatest impact.
“Take the risk. Step forward. Have confidence to reach outside your comfort zone. You never know what amazing opportunities are waiting for you.”