Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina Alexandra Kovalyuk.
Hi Kristina Alexandra, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and emigrated to the US as a refugee with my family in my teens. When we arrived in New York came with just the few suitcases that we brought with us. We had to start from scratch, with no resources, very little money and not knowing any English. Experienced a great deal of hardship. For a few years, my parents couldn’t find employment. It was especially hard of my parents as they felt they couldn’t provide for the family. We were on food stamps and I got my clothes from charitable organizations which didn’t exactly make me the most popular girl in school. This is what spurred me on to find a job. At 14, I started delivering pizza menu flyers door to door. I worked as a copy clerk at a local insurance agency. At 16, I was able to get an internship at one of the largest financial services companies at the time. I was determined to get a full-time job on Wall Street while I was still in high school. With combination of desire, persistence, tenacity and luck – I met one of my first mentors, Sanford “Sandy” Weill, a legendary man in finance who helped build and create Citigroup. Jamie Dimon who is the current CEO of JP Morgan was a protégée of Sandy’s. Meeting Sandy and getting an internship at a major Wall Street firm at 16 while still in high school changed the trajectory of my life forever. I went on to work for three years while going to college at night and graduated with honors.
After 9/11, I narrowly escaped death twice, when each building collapses, I and the group of rescuers I organized ran for our lives. The only job I could find was an administrative assistant role at an insurance company and I happily took it. I was the second assistant to the Chief Investment Officer at Zurich Insurance, one of the largest global insurance companies in the world. Through a combination of chutzpah, creativity, tenacity and my signature take charge attitude I was able to parlay that role into helping build out and create an internal strategy department. Our mission was to growth from $25bn to $100bn in market cap in 10 years – no small task. I created initiatives and ran projects ranging from our M&A to organic growth strategy. We revamped our marketing and branding. Spun off companies, acquired others, drove innovation and disruption within the firm. By the time I left to join Morgan Stanley we grew by $9bn. Something that I’m proud to say I helped create. At Morgan Stanley, I was a senior relationship manager dealing with the largest institutional investors in the US.
One day while on a business trip, I met a serial entrepreneur from Germany and we created a holding company with a private equity and venture capital bend. We had four portfolio companies and one of the first-ever online food ordering businesses in Europe. Our businesses were both US and Europe-based.
I currently run Trident Advisory, a boutique and bespoke strategic advisory firm working with clients ranging across industries and verticals in the areas of growth strategy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had health challenges due to the nuclear explosion at Chernobyl. I didn’t grow, had very little hair, was physically weak most days, couldn’t participate in most kid’s activities and had debilitating headaches. I was driven by immense pain having to start from nothing, no back-up support in a foreign land and not knowing the language. I was severely bullied at school and had nowhere to turn. The only solution was to find work, make money to be able to get out of the seemingly never ending pain.
Even after rising through the ranks as an executive, I’ve had to face unfair treatment due to being a woman. Numerous times my superiors or clients would make disparaging comments about my looks, behavior, shut me out of meetings. A few times, I was told, “Why are you working so hard? Why don’t you just find yourself a husband, go shopping and do your nails” or “You are too pretty to be in business”.
Unfortunately, this is the status quo still in our society and something that women have to deal with, even when we’ve “made it”.
As you know, we’re big fans of Trident Advisory. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Trident Advisory is a leading full-service business development and strategic partnerships advisory firm working with clients spanning industries and verticals. We utilize a robust, proprietary method developed from advising Fortune 500s companies to thought, industry leaders and top entrepreneurs. We work with companies to identify, prioritize top-line growth strategies advising how to launch, implement and sustain successful projects and partnerships. We serve as a trusted partner to our clients focusing on optimizing strategy for the executive leadership team, being the go-to agenda holder and leading the coordination, prioritization, and execution of strategic initiatives to achieve and advance business goals. We work in unison with the leadership team to spearhead and drive growth, business development, strategic partnerships focusing on B2B channels. We work with those who share our belief that leadership is the ultimate lever for positive change and value creation helping clients improve profitability, generate cash, and develop a solid operating foundation for future growth.
Our mission is to leverage our expertise in strategic business development to help founders, CEOs and thought leaders build and scale their organizations. We break away from the expected applying innovative, cutting-edge approaches to breakthrough growth.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Playing with my friends back some in Kiev. Traveling to villages with my family, mushroom picking, running in the wheat fields, playing with animals (I managed a bunny farm one summer), signing in a chorus, performing as the lead in my dance and theater class.
Contact Info:
- Website: TridentAdv.com
