An audit manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers early in her career, Ferris got her start in banking at Fifth Third Bank, then moved over to Vantiv in financial planning and analysis — her first step into fintech.
Eventually she rose to become chief financial officer and was
Ferris advises junior employees to think about what attracts them to their work and look for upward-reaching opportunities to do those things. "You have to find the things in your job that you like to do," Ferris said. "If you really like what you're doing, then you will do it better."
That's not to say that everything about a job has to be a perfect fit; you could end up working in a location that's not ideal or for a boss you don't like, "but if you're leaning in for a big reward, then you need to be willing to take a big risk," she said.
Taking risks — and accepting that failure is a possibility — has also been important as Ferris moved up the career ladder, she said. At one point at Vantiv, to achieve her goal of becoming a CFO, she was offered a chance to be the general manager of a business unit, which she'd never done before. If she gave up her finance role, the company would fill it, so she couldn't go backward — but the new job represented a step off the accepted path for a financial executive.
"I had to have enough confidence to believe in myself that I can do the job," she said.
Listening is also crucial, Ferris said, as is watching others' management styles and what they do to grow a business: "Figure out what their superpower is, and figure out what your superpower is."
