It is always inspiring to know successful Black professionals who have found their path in indirect ways. Darren Allaway graduated from Stanford University with a degree in human biology. After a short time in the healthcare industry, and with the help of his university mentor, he found passion in financial services.
Darren is a Managing Director in Goldman Sachs Apex, the dedicated family office coverage team that delivers a broad suite of investment opportunities and services to family office clients within the Consumer and Wealth Management Division at Goldman Sachs. In short, if you are incredibly wealthy, you set up organizations that manage your wealth and they work only for you.
In his early career, Darren offered healthcare expertise to assist with investments. Later on he moved to London and joined the Investment Management Division at Goldman Sachs.
Darren is a testament to how putting forth your best effort and being open to new opportunities can help guide you in the right direction.
Read more about his experience and how he aims to pay it forward.
BYP: What about your role do you love the most?
Darren : The greatest thing about what I do is that no two days are the same. Our clients are invested in all kinds of “asset closets.” Their own real estate, companies, debt, etc. They may want to borrow or lend money, or they might be interested in different currencies. There’s a lot that feeds into the decisions both we and clients make.
BYP: How important was having a mentor at a critical point in your career?
Darren: Huge! My advice to everybody is to find and be a mentor. To the extent that you can help people that are behind you. As well as finding people that are ahead of you that you can learn from.
BYP: How can corporations demonstrate allyship in meaningful ways?
Darren: I’m very proud of the firm’s commitment to diversity , here, we’ve done an incredible job, to advance the dialogue on race and identity . because. We have also launched initiatives such reverse mentoring, dedicated webpages for educational resources and best practices to meaningfully “show up” as an active ally, and fostering inclusive environments Externally we have our board diversity initiative, one million Black women initiative and fund for racial equity to to support the vital work of leading organizations addressing racial injustice, structural inequity and economic disparity.
BYP: What advice would you give young finance professionals?
Darren : The first thing is to aim higher than me. There are many incredible opportunities in finance. Be absolutely committed to understanding the technology that is permeating and taking over financial services.
BYP: Is there anything you were excited to learn or re-learn?
Darren : The rise of digital assets. Things like how payments are going to be made, how people will move money, buy assets, and more. We have big decisions to make as a society, a government, and individuals. The firm and the industry are at the forefront of figuring out how we are going to bank, live and work over the next decade.
BYP: What is your proudest professional achievement?Darren: Developing people makes me the proudest. Seeing people get promoted, acquire new skills, and take on new responsibilities. We learn from each other, and I try to put them in the best position to succeed.
To learn more about Goldman Sachs or to apply for their available opportunities please visit their BYP jobs board here.
