Maria Morris: Trust Your Gut

Caesar is joined by Wells Fargo and S&P Global Board Member Maria Morris as she chronicles key moments in her decades-long career that illustrate her drive and financial savvy.
 
Maria has been breaking glass ceilings from an early age. She advises listeners to trust their instincts and be their own advocates as she shares her journey from a young professional at MetLife, Inc., with no industry experience, to becoming Executive Vice President and Head of Global Employee Benefits three decades later.

A seasoned leader and innovator, Maria steered MetLife's $16 billion acquisition of American Life Insurance Co. and expanded the Global Employee Benefits business to dozens of new countries. She explains how she builds a symbiotic leadership team and stresses the importance of lateral career moves that provide new perspectives on customer engagement. Highlighting the unparalleled impact of developing sponsors, Maria emphasizes that successful sponsorship is about building relationships based on personal and professional bonds.

Maria reflects on the key financial principles instilled in her by her Italian immigrant father and shares how she began deferring compensation in her final years at MetLife. Retiring after 33 years, she secured the financial freedom to reinvent herself without financial worry. Celebrating the accessibility of investment banking today, Maria underscores the importance of curating data and seeking financial advice from trusted sources when deciding where to invest.
This episode offers not only inspiring anecdotes from Maria’s leadership roles at MetLife but also uplifting guidance for professionals at any stage of their careers looking to take the next step.