Episode 202: When Your Passion Meets Profession with Citi’s Ida Liu

Magical things happen when your passions meet purpose and ultimately leads to your profession. When it happens, it sparks curiosity, confidence and motivates you to explore the awe of the unknown. You’re able to tap into your wow factor and create impact for others and for yourself along the way. But, as we all know, it’s much easier said than done and it takes courage to follow your heart and not conform to cultural and societal norms. Meet our guest Ida Liu, who shares her journey of following her passions which took her from the world of finance to fashion and ultimately back to finance with the idea of pitching a fashion, retail, and entertainment practice to Citi, thus bringing her two worlds together. The rest is history.  Ida Liu is the Global Head of Citi Private Bank and a member of the Citi Global Wealth Leadership team. Ida leads the Private Banking activities in 50 offices across 18 countries and delivers wealth management solutions to ultra-high net worth families and their businesses globally. Before becoming the Global Head, she was the Head of Citi Private Bank North America and held numerous other leadership roles. Visit https://www.iambeyondbarriers.com where you will find show notes and links to all the resources in this episode, including the best way to get in touch with Ida. Highlights: [02:41] Ida’s journey [06:34] Shattering the glass and bamboo ceiling [08:22] Gaining clarity on career path [12:24] Moving forward though fear [15:41] Connecting your passion, strengths & profession [18:29] The importance of community [20:21] Embrace your learning journey [22:17] Mentors and sponsors and why you need both [24:46] Dedicating time to health and wellness [28:50] Staying ahead of the curve [28:54] Work-life integration [30:56] What gets measured gets done [33:14] The importance of setting boundaries [37:43] Ida answers lightning round questions Quotes: “Seeing is believing. We've got to make sure we lift others up. We have to share the lessons that we've learned along the way to help others get to that next level.” – Ida Liu “Never underestimate your network. And never underestimate networking early on.” – Ida Liu “When you're doubting yourself, you’ve got to play to your strengths and show them why you deserve a seat at the table.” - Ida Liu “What gets measured gets done.” - Ida Liu Lightning Round Questions: What book has greatly influenced you? - Think Again by Adam Grant What is your favorite inspiring quote or saying? - “If you want to make everybody happy, don't be a leader, sell ice cream.” What is one word or moniker you would use to describe yourself? - Fantastic listener What is one change you implanted that made your life better? - Meditation What power song would you want playing as you walk out onto a stage? - Cold Heart (Pnau remix) by Elton John and Dua Lipa About Ida Liu: Ida Liu is the Global Head of Citi Private Bank and a member of the Citi Global Wealth Leadership team. Ida leads the Private Banking activities in 50 offices across 18 countries and delivers wealth management solutions to ultra-high net worth families and their businesses globally. Before becoming the Global Head, she was the Head of Citi Private Bank North America and held numerous other leadership roles. Ida created Citi Private Bank’s North America Asian Clients Group, and she started her career at Citi by launching and heading the Fashion, Retail and Entertainment Group. Before joining Citi, Ida was at Vivienne Tam, a women’s wear design house, where she was Global Head of Sales, Marketing, Public Relations and Business Development. Prior to this, Ida spent seven years in investment banking with Merrill Lynch’s mergers and acquisitions and technology, media and telecommunications investment banking groups in New York and Hong Kong. She started her career in mergers and acquisitions at BT Wolfensohn (now Deutsche Bank). Ida has received many industry accolades including Barron’s 10 Most Influential Women in Wealth Management, Barron’s 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance, Crain’s Notable Women on Wall Street and American Banker’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance. Additionally, Ida is a Young Global Leader (YGL) of the World Economic Forum, a member of The Committee of 100 (C100) and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Ida serves on the UCLA Health Advisory Board as well as the Asia Society Board.  Ida holds a BA with honors from Wellesley College and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and conversant in Russian. Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idaliu/