hen I reflect on how I grew up, I sometimes say I'm an accidental executive. I didn't have a privileged upbringing, and I was withdrawn as a teenager. My father, who was European, died when I was 16. I was born when he was 47, which was fairly uncommon then. I had a nontraditional upbringing and grew up mostly around adults.

My mother and I took a trip to Central and South America when I was 11. While we were in Colombia, my mother woke me at dawn so we could watch the sun rising over the Andes. The sun shining down on the homes going up the mountains was the most beautiful sight to my young eyes. Later that day I was horrified to see that what I had thought were houses from a distance were not houses at all but primitive shelters made from cardboard boxes and other scraps of material. That image of poverty made an impression on me that is still vivid today.

Six months after my father died, a cousin who was like a brother to me died in a car accident. When I lost these two family members, I turned inward. People who know me now are surprised to hear I was so quiet as a teenager. I went to an all-girls' school, but I wasn't part of the social crowd. I was practical, though, and when I started college I realized that keeping quiet was not going to make life any easier. I took a public-speaking course, and once I finally started talking I didn't stop.

Our first assignment was to demonstrate an activity or product in a creative and unexpected way. I worked part time in a lingerie shop, so for my presentation I put a few lingerie items in a brown paper bag and drew each one out and explained its use. Many students were entertained, some were surprised, and others were embarrassed, but I got a reaction. This experience showed me a lot about the possibilities of extending beyond your comfort level. I became determined to live up to a challenge, and from that point on I was much more outgoing.

I planned to go into broadcasting after college, but these jobs were scarce at that time, so I took a job with New England Mutual Life. They had the largest TV studio outside a TV station, and I thought I'd eventually move into that area. I found I liked the investment part of the business, though, and I began to appreciate my father's influence. He had shared his experience in investing in the stock market with me.

I can count four male role models in my career, but surprisingly, no females. One of them is Roy Neuberger, 97, the founder of Neuberger Berman, who opened my eyes to art. Art is a reminder that you always need to be looking at the world in new ways. It has actually made me more vulnerable. I always thought of vulnerability as a weakness, like thinking I had to show a stiff upper lip when my relatives died. But when you talk to artists, you realize that they sometimes look at the dark underside of things that other people might not normally consider.