Pauline Chow, Birch Lake (TMA Chicago/Midwest), is no stranger to hard work. “My parents had a combined total of six jobs when I was growing up, so I never dreamed about success; I understood I had to work hard for it,” said Chow.
While Chow was born in Hong Kong, she immigrated to the U.S. with her parents at age 3. “Chicago has always been home. When we first arrived in the states, we attended a parochial school. We eventually moved to the Lakeview neighborhood and transitioned to public schools. I’m proud of this–I received an excellent education,” said Chow.
After studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana, American University Washington, D.C., and The London School of Economics and Political Science, Chow worked as a paralegal at Skadden, where she ended up in the Corporate Restructuring Group, working on iconic bankruptcy cases such as Kmart, Delphi Automotive, and U.S. Airways.[[{“fid”:”16348″,”view_mode”:”default”,”fields”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”default”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“style”:”float: right; margin: 10px; height: 197px; width: 350px;”,”class”:”media-element file-default”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]
“I got a lot of experience and quickly understood that I preferred the business aspects of restructuring more than the legal ones. When I expressed that to leadership at the firm, they gave me a new role in business development.”
While working at Skadden, the co-founder of the corporate restructuring practice and also one of TMA’s founders, Jack Butler, became her mentor. “I learned so much. When Jack founded Birch Lake, he contacted me, and I was the first one on board. It really highlights the importance of relationships,” said Chow. At Birch Lake (a merchant bank that combines advisory experience with principal investing), she now works with founder-led businesses to develop and execute strategies for value creation, sustainable growth, and social impact.
Butler’s understanding of the importance of being an active TMA member was instrumental in getting Chow more involved in TMA.
“Jack had always been active in TMA, and about three or four years ago, he asked me to get involved, so I reached out to Scott Stuart, Ebba Gebisa, and Sue Burke, asked how I could help, and they started bringing me into the fold. Today, I am a Global Board of Trustees member and sit on the Finance and TMA NOW Committees. It’s really just about identifying your passion and stepping up,” said Chow.
Chow recommends this direct approach to anyone wanting to get more active in TMA or explore other areas within the organization. “Anybody who is fond of the organization but doesn’t know how to get involved, pick a board member and email them or ask them to lunch. I’m more involved in Global than the Chicago/Midwest Chapter, so I reached out to Kat Parker, Chicago/Midwest President, and we have a lunch scheduled at the end of Women’s History Month to see how I can help in Chicago,” said Chow.
As an active volunteer for TMA NOW, Chow values the opportunities that events like the TMA NOW Summit offers. “Having these summits really develops female leadership today, so there is a robust pipeline for tomorrow, and I do believe that’s really one of the best reasons we host women’s events. We need to feel empowered to use our voices, and the NOW Summit provides that forum for women,” said Chow. “When we provide forums for women, I think they feel safer discussing what they are thinking. I also think the program is a really good blend of hard and soft topics, and I can’t stress that enough because I think those softer topics are just as important for personal growth, which leads to professional growth,” she said.
Chow said that she never viewed being a woman or being a minority in the industry as a challenge. “Maybe my perspective is in the minority in that respect. I always thought that being a woman in our industry was an asset—when I would meet people, they would always remember me because there are so few of us. And certainly, working with progressive leaders, they recognized early on that diversity is important, inclusion is important, and they always gave me opportunities that I will be forever grateful for. It’s also important to talk about the deals and sing your own praises so they understand you meant business,” said Chow, who added, “When I talk about some of the initiatives at TMA NOW or some of my other women investment organizations, the men in my office feel excluded because we have such a tightknit community.”
Chow sees the value from a business perspective of having more diversity within the profession. “Do the math—gender diversity equals more innovation plus better performance plus optimal decision making plus more profitability. That’s the bottom line,” she said.
Chow is active in the women-led alternative investment community. This month, she was selected for inclusion in the Women in Secured Finance issue of The Secured Lender for exemplifying excellence and distinguishing herself in the industry.
When she’s not working or volunteering for TMA, Chow loves to travel with her life partner of 17 years. She has visited more than 50 countries. “Matt and I pick our destinations based on the wildlife that we hope to encounter. We were in China to hug a baby panda. We went to Botswana to see the hippos and lions. We spent time in the Maldives swimming with whale sharks. Everywhere we go, we hope to have these elevated experiences with nature.”
Closer to home, Chow takes full advantage of the rich cultural offerings in Chicago, especially the music scene. “Live music in outdoor venues is a way of life for summers in Chicago. I’ll find my way to about a dozen concerts each summer. My preference is 80s and 90s rock,” said Chow.