Senior Finance Representative, North American Commercial Division
Caterpillar Inc., Peoria
“Julia” came to the U.S. as a junior, and adapted quickly to life at ISU. She was elected Financial Management Association vice president, and graduated summa cum laude. Since graduating she has returned to campus as an FMA speaker.
She is pictured at Caterpillar's headquarters in Peoria.
Area of Finance specialization: Business Financial Management
Hometown: Kherson, Ukraine
FIL 349 Advanced Financial Theory. I make extensive use of the financial modeling knowledge I acquired in that class. It was a very educational and useful course, very analytical and complex.
Being active in Financial Management Association. I really enjoyed the field trips we made to several Chicago and St. Louis companies, and the speakers who presented during the professional meetings on campus. I also appreciated having such a large international community on campus, which made it possible to make friends with people from all over the world.
My first assignment was helping the Pension Department manager make sure the plans were properly funded, and learning about different approaches money managers use in picking investments for Caterpillar's portfolios. Next I was in the equity department at Caterpillar Investment Management, Ltd., where I did industry research and recommended stocks. Those assignments really brought together what I had learned in my investments and portfolio management classes. Many of my other courses have helped me in my current position as a Senior Finance Representative. I analyze the financial statements of dealers that sell Caterpillar equipment, and provide benchmarks and make recommendations to them. I am also on two 6 Sigma teams, and the projects we are working on have many interesting finance components. One project involves developing a set of financial metrics for the rental business; the other one involves working on a model to help dealers forecast profitability in specific territories.
Being involved in ISU's Finance program gave me the knowledge and experience to find an interesting job with an exciting company, and to become happy and successful in my career.
