Erin Schmidt is currently Director of Commercial Analytics for Molson Coors in Milwaukee, WI where she lives with her husband and three children. We had the pleasure of hosting Erin during our Don Condon Speaker Series on February 19th, where she met with students in the classroom to talk about her corporate finance career journey. From traditional FP&A roles to running a non-profit in Hong Kong to taking on her newest role of Director of Commercial Analytics, Erin shared with students the keys to success and how best to leverage their leadership and finance skills. Erin is a double Badger, having graduated from UW Madison with a BBA in Finance & Spanish (’99) and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Investment Banking in 2005.
After Erin graduated from the Wisconsin School of Business with her MBA degree, she accepted a role as a Sr. Financial Analyst at Miller Brewing Company where she supported the corporate pricing team by identifying revenue and margin analyses and provided actionable recommendations to the SVP of Corporate Pricing. Two years later, she and her family were presented with an unplanned career opportunity overseas. Her husband had been offered an international assignment, so they relocated to Hong Kong. During this international transition, she decided to pivot into something new and started working in a non-profit, which she felt would broaden her experience and align well with her long-term career goals. Erin accepted the role of President for the American Women’s Association of Hong Kong, where she led an 11-person executive team that managed and supported charities and schools through community service and monetary grants, while also providing educational and social activities for its 700 members. In 2010, Erin and her family returned to the U.S. Erin landed in a role at Fiserv, as Manager of FP&A, where she managed the FP&A function within Fiserv’s corporate functions. In 2013, Erin decided to return to the Miller Brewing Company/MillerCoors family, which is now Molson Coors today. Erin described how the strong culture and family feel was what drew her back. Throughout the last ten years, she has served in various FP&A and revenue management roles, most recently taking on the Director of Commerical Analytics position.
Erin discussed with students the importance of being open to different (and unplanned) opportunities because they can be a great way to grow professionally. And, when taking on new and increasing responsibilities, she described how critical it has been for her to maintain a healthy balance with work and home life. It takes constant effort to manage work and personal priorities and she shared how thankful she is to be part of a work culture that supports this balance.
Erin provided great discussion and insights around the themes that she felt were important for success. These key themes centered around being relationship oriented, being accountable to yourself and others, and asking questions to advance your understanding in order to build your own competency and credibility. Erin further discussed the technical and leadership capabilities needed to be successful in finance today and emphasized how important it is to know the business well and understand the business context of the problem and solution you are working towards. She highlighted how leaders can leverage data visualization, the art of storytelling and audience customization in order to influence change and be impactful. Lastly, Erin stressed the importance of networking and informal mentorship which has contributed to her growth and career advancement.
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