A Commitment to Learning and Growth
Laura Holleman ’92 epitomizes what it means to be a lifelong learner. In each opportunity that has come her way, she has found a lesson or a way to grow.
“I look at my experience at Ohio State as providing me a framework for the rest of my life,” she shared. “My whole life, I’ve checked in with myself - what am I learning? What am I experiencing? Am I motivated? Am I challenged? As long as I could answer those questions honestly, I knew I was in a good place from a personal growth perspective.”
Her career journey is fueled, in part, by this mindset and a dedication to helping others achieve success.
Learning law
Holleman became a student at Ohio State Law after completing an undergraduate degree in political science. Coming from a family who deeply valued education, she saw law school as an opportunity to learn more.
“I had no idea what kind of lawyer I wanted to be,” she remembered. “It just felt like a useful and interesting education that I had the ability to pursue.”
Throughout her time, Holleman chose classes based on what was interesting to her and what would make her a more well-rounded person. One of these classes included Securities Law with Professor Morgan Shipman. Although she did not realize it at the time, it ended up being one of the most important classes she took.
“My best friend from law school and I still quote things from his class, and I have been known to quote him in my professional life as well,” Holleman said. “When I became a securities lawyer, I could draw from the things that I learned in that class which were relevant to my career.”
Recognizing a career path
After graduation, Holleman was set to begin working for Sullivan & Cromwell in New York. However, she was having trouble finding accommodations in the city. After returning from a disappointing apartment hunt, Holleman received a call from Sullivan & Cromwell, asking if she would be interested in joining their London office. She accepted and set her sights on moving across the pond.
Holleman settled in and began working as a securities lawyer, primarily in debt and equity capital markets. With every new transaction, she realized she enjoyed her work more and more.
“Securities transactions are very structured, and I appreciate that,” said Holleman. “I like things to have a beginning, middle, and end with milestones in between.”
Holleman originally planned to stay in London for two years. She found, though, that her skills and experiences were a good fit with the work that was coming her way. For example, because she had learned German as a child, she was able to take advantage of and contribute to the growing market for transactions in Germany. Opportunities continued to arise, and she ended up spending more time in Europe, taking on work that she found interesting and challenging. In 1998, she joined Goldman Sachs as an in-house lawyer, where she became General Counsel of the Investment Banking Division in 2007.
“I started recognizing direction in my career because I was loving what I was doing,” Holleman said. “I would love to say that I've achieved what I have because I'm a bit of a hyper planner. But really, my career has been a series of happy accidents. Those opportunities presented themselves, though, because I was also good at what I was doing.”
An opportunity away from her position as General Counsel of Investment Banking, a job she had held for 13 years, brought her back to the United States in late 2020 and a new challenge in a business role. Her work has continued to keep her interested, but the most rewarding part of her role has been sharing time with colleagues.
“It's been challenging and interesting to see the organization go through some major changes in my time here,” she said. “But when I needed to make changes to remain challenged and enthusiastic about my role, the people with whom I have surrounded myself with helped me get there.”
Empowering others
Although she continues to thrive and enjoy her work, Holleman’s focus is always on people. She considers her greatest achievements to be the promotions of people whom she supervised. Mentoring and teaching young professionals are her most important tasks, and she will always share guidance where she can.
“My advice to people is always to separate the skills that you have from the job that you're doing,” said Holleman. “The more successful you are at articulating what you have to bring to the table, the more opportunities will be available to you.”
Based on her own experiences, she also advises young professionals to seek opportunities for learning and developing.
“Find a place that is going to let you grow. And don't be afraid to take a big leap, because it may just rejuvenate you in a way that you weren't expecting,” she shared. “Above all, be honest with yourself about what motivates you and whether you're happy and fulfilled, because you cannot be good at a job that you don't love.”
As she keeps growing in her own professional life, Holleman is cultivating the next generation of leaders, too. Her drive to learn and empower others around her is truly inspiring and impactful.