Debra Treyz

CEO, Global Wealth Advisory, Trust And Estates, JPMorgan

Years In Securities Business: 30

I grew up in Cleveland and, LATER, upstate New York. My parents were scientists, but I was interested in the stock market. I think that interest stemmed partly from going to country auctions as a child with my aunt, an antiques dealer, where I watched people bid for goods in a competitive atmosphere.

In high school and college I worked as a bank teller during the summers. It was my first exposure to customer service. I was competitive, trying to remember people's names and something about them so that they would choose me. Someone would walk in and I would think, "That's my customer."

I graduated from Vassar with a degree in political science and then attended Albany Law School. I clerked for a judge in the surrogate court in upstate New York so that I could work on estate matters.

I moved to Manhattan after I got married. Some friends who worked at JPMorgan talked about how they liked the client contact. I interviewed there, got hired and have been there ever since. I learned there was a world of difference between law school and the real-life dynamics of clients and markets.

I remember one wealthy client who died alone in her 80s. She reminded me of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, living much of her life alone in a huge family mansion. She had no descendants and wanted her money to go to charity and I had to make that happen. It's quite an intimate act when you step into someone's life and understand their wishes.

I was overseas for almost four years running JPMorgan Private Bank for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The European Union had been formed and, with borders dissolving, there were numerous family businesses that faced competition for the first time. They had to grow by acquiring companies across borders, or sell out.

I traveled a lot when I worked overseas but when you travel for business, you see mostly offices and airports. One of my ambitions now is to get back and really see all the places I've been.

As told to Pat Olsen