It seems that 80-90% of the posts on this forum are focused on IB and its prestige. As a finance analyst at a fortune 100 defense contractor, I am constantly hearing whispers of a leadership gap. The legacy actors at major corporations are preparing for retirement with no succession plan. I hear the same holds true at non-defense firms excluding the big hitters like LinkedIn’s top 100. That said, are the finance graduates today so focused on IB that they are missing out on the fast track to lucrative corporate finance Director / VP roles?
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Why would the graduates going into IB today not be able to apply for these corporate finance roles after working in IB for a few years? If anything, I'd call IB the "fast track" to a lot of these Director/VP jobs. Unless you're in a LDP or hopping jobs every time you think you can get a promotion, a lot of people in corporate finance can get stuck in roles for a long time.
I think the assumption that a corporation will trust an ex-IB professional to lead is wrong. I don't know of a single director or VP (forget C-suite) in my firm that hasn't been with the company for 15+ years. You need a really strong understanding of the entire business to lead in such a role. I agree that you can get pigeonholed, but that's why you move around and avoid getting comfortable. I just can’t imagine a swap from IB to corporate leadership going smoothly, not for a lack of skills, but trust from the business.
Mind PM'ing me what A&D company you are at? I was in a top A&D company's FLDP , and left a few months back.
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