SFNet 2024 40/40
SFNET’S 40 UNDER 40 PROFILES OPERATIONS
K KENNEDY CAPIN Operations Director JPMorgan Chase
ennedy Capin is an asset-based lending operations director at JPMorgan Chase. Kennedy joined JPMorgan in 2011 out of Atlanta as a credit risk analyst, who subsequently went on to hold roles of increasing responsibility in New York in portfolio management and underwriting. She relocated to London in 2017 as a senior originator, responsible for the structuring and execution of complex, international, lending solutions for multinational, corporate clients. Upon returning to the US in 2021, Kennedy took on a strategic role reporting into JPMorgan asset-based leadership where she solved unique business challenges aimed at improving client experience, enhancing internal partnerships and simplifying processes while also developing the group’s multi-year, technology and data strategy. In 2023 and to execute on that strategy, Kennedy took the role of operations director and she now oversees collateral onboarding, service and analysis teams in Chicago, Charlotte and India. Over the years, Kennedy has been instrumental in several innovation and business-process improvement initiatives, which ensure JPMorgan retains its competitive advantage and delivers an exceptional client experience. She received a BS in Business Management from the University of South Carolina and she currently resides in Charleston, SC with her husband, Seth, and her twin girls, Ava and Violet.
Can you share a pivotal moment or decision that significantly impacted your success?
What strategies do you employ for networking and building meaningful professional relationships?
My pivotal decision was in 2017 and when I elected to upend my life for an originations role in London, neither of which I knew much about. This experience gave me an edge personally and professionally and it was the most fun I’ve ever had. The secured, international loan structuring skillset is nuanced, relatively rare and to do it well at JPMorgan, you have to know how the internal plumbing works; I gained a deep understanding of how different cultures around the world influence local business and was able to develop an enormous network in doing so, which has made me nimble in developing solutions for our global client base and operation.
I come from a relatively small town my grandparents helped develop in the 1960s by opening the first retail pharmacy. A key to their success was leaving their clients better than they found them – being of service, making their lives easier (e.g. dropping off a prescription to their home), and remembering personal details about them which in turn made them personal to my grandparents (e.g. proper pronunciation of name, name of spouse and/or kids, birthdates). Understanding what my clients or stakeholders want and need is paramount, but so is understanding who they are as individuals.
My pivotal moment was in London 2020 when I found out I was pregnant; suddenly, my career was no longer my first priority; I invested a lot over the years and often let it conflict with my personal life. I wanted that to change with the girls because I wanted them more than my career and I wanted to give them the best upbringing I could; I was going to be an active, present mother who wasn’t tethered to a computer or phone. Upon returning to the US, I was initially offered a role that suited my experience, paid well, but had an unpredictable and robust schedule. I took what felt like a huge a risk at the time and indicated the role didn’t line up with my maternal priorities; I was prepared to take a step back if I had to, but I wanted a role that leveraged my skills, was intellectually stimulating, but offered flexibility in working from home, travel and predictable hours. In being honest with the Firm while maintaining my priorities, I was able to strike a balance with a tactical, strategic role that set me off on a completely new trajectory. I’m now in another role with unique challenges to solve and more responsibility, but I got it without sacrificing what’s most important to me. One could argue I am more successful careerwise now and I certainly feel more fulfilled overall.
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THE SECURED LENDER JUNE 2024