Assembling a diverse team at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is no chore for Anjali Menon (pictured), whose experience at the company over the past four years has enabled her to grow both personally and professionally. As the organization’s vice president of technology, Menon has found Morgan Stanley to be so progressive in its diversity that fighting for a seat at the table is a non-issue.

“We have a very diverse and inclusive culture. … It doesn’t really matter if you’re a woman or a man. What matters is, are you the one with the expertise? … They’re going to sit up and listen to you irrespective of your gender. … That’s just the culture at Morgan Stanley,” Menon said.

Menon spoke with Rebecca Knight (@knightrm), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing event in Orlando, Florida. They discussed Morgan Stanley’s recent innovations in product offerings, as well as what Menon and her team look for in prospective candidates as she searches for new, diverse talent.

Balance at the core of work and culture

Menon’s proficiency has lent itself to significant advancements at Morgan Stanley, specifically in her work in the capital market space optimizing products for financial advisors. She and her team have been working to provide financial advisors with a tool to enable them to do their jobs more efficiently.

“So over the last couple of years, we’ve been building an equities training platform that would enable them to do just that,” Menon said.

Even outside her professional work, Menon has found that Morgan Stanley fosters a supportive culture that enables her to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

“You don’t have to sacrifice your personal life … for your work. … You have your 9-5 job, and during those hours you’re very focused on what you’re doing. But they do give you time outside of that to work on your passion projects,” Menon concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Photo: SiliconANGLE