First Guinean Woman to Work for Goldman Sachs
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By Hadiatou Wann | 12/14/2018
Given that Goldman Sachs is one of the largest banks in the United States, only a select few are able to break through the competitive crowd and get hired. In 2017, Mariama Elga Diallo made history by becoming the first Guinean woman to work for the high-profile financial firm.
In school Diallo always considered herself “a proud nerd” as she breezed through her classes with A’s and B's, with math being her favorite subject.
When she enrolled into college, she was certain that she was going to go for Finance. And she did. She studied Corporate Finance at the University of Louisville.
During her undergrad, she interned at Merrill Lynch in wealth management. In summer 2015, she travelled to Barcelona and interned for a small start up company, where she focused on Corporate Finance.
Upon returning to the states, Diallo applied at every financial firm that she could think of, but was rejected. Fortunately, Brown Brothers Harriman offered her an internship in the commodities lending sector.
After the summer—though she felt it was far-fetched—she reapplied at all of the bulge bracket banks (including Goldman) and got offers for all of them. All along her mentality was, 'If you're going to do banking, why not do it at the best bank?’ She applied for an internship at Goldman Sachs and got it. After completing the internship at GS, Brown Brothers Harriman contacted her for employment. There was a dilemma. She had to make a life-changing decision: work for Brown Brothers Harriman (which was a smaller private company) or Goldman Sachs? What do you do when you have to choose between two good companies? You go with the best—Goldman Sachs.
When Diallo began working at Goldman Sachs, she was only 23 years old! Even though she was intimidated walking into her office, she reminded herself that she was qualified for the position. Confidence came as she “learned her job and got really good at it.”
Luck alone will not make someone thrive on Wall Street, one needs great work ethic. From Monday through Friday (and on Sundays while some squander their time binge-watching “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”) you can catch Diallo at her desk from 10 a.m. to midnight focused and making sure that she delivers quality service.
Diallo works in the Mergers & Acquisition group and covers consumer and health industries, with a focus on shareholder activism and defense. Although the young banker works long hours, she isn't complaining, because she can't imagine herself doing something else. Diallo agreed that, “It's not for everyone, but it's a great job. It's challenging, but it’s a place where you see a 22 or 23-year-old making an impact.”
Her work environment is a place where “the smartest people, great minds” come together to complete company goals. This pushes each individual to give his/ her best because, as Diallo explained, “You don't want to be left behind.”
Although Diallo is fortunate to work for a company that fosters diversity, she expects to be respected. “I never tried to act like I was different. I made sure they didn’t exclude me,” Diallo said fiercely. Despite being young, black and a woman, she doesn’t label herself as a minority only to dodge responsibilities.
Jason Stein, who works with Diallo in the M&A Group at Goldman Sachs describes Diallo in detail: “Working with and getting to know Mariama has been a pleasure. Mariama cares deeply about her family, friends, work product, and her country. Mariama always gives everything she does her all, makes others around her better, and can put a smile on anyone’s face with her sense of humor. The chances to learn from Mariama’s unique perspective have been endless and I am excited to see where Mariama’s future endeavors take her as she has limitless potential.”
Diallo seems to be a winner at everything she competes for. In 2013, she was the first runner-up in the Miss Guinea North America pageant.
The proverb “good things come in small packages” surely describes Diallo—she is petite in size, but possesses the mental capacity to take on deals that move markets. The sky is not the limit for this young, Guinean banker. One day, she aspires to run her own growth equity fund that would specialize in investing in woman-owned businesses.
Welcome to Diallo’s World
“A leader is a motivator, good listener, humble, someone who is able to listen to advice from the people they lead without feeling insecure.”
“Always have a great attitude, because no one wants be around someone who is negative.”
“I love reading, I don’t get to do much of it lately. But When I get a chance, I love to curl up with my kindle. Another thing I do in my spare time is discover new places to eat because food is life.”
“My mother is my biggest inspiration, that woman is fearless. She left everything she cares about to take care of us in the US. Literally drove me to college classes early in the morning before I got my license. Nothing brings me joy more than seeing my mom smile, I wish I become half of the woman she is.”
“Sometimes people mistake my niceness for a weakness. They don’t know I can crush anyone if I had to.”
“Don’t be afraid. Keep pushing. Be persistent. And never take “no” for an answer.”
Connect with Diallo
Instagram: @mariamelga
Facebook: Mariamelga Diallo
Email: Melga224@gmail.com
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