MarketAxess Career Growth & Development

Give us a snapshot of what you do to stay on top of your engineering knowledge and skills. 

One of the most important things about engineering to me, and certainly one of the most exciting things, is to be curious. As a junior developer, I’m always surrounded by new and evolving tech and am constantly reminded that all problems can be solved when broken down step by step. I love to learn about emerging technologies, sometimes even from friends or teammates. And I find it enjoyable spending time reading through documentation as the various software I know get updated. 

It’s always daunting to start learning a new technology-related concept, be that a new programming language, hardware or build tools. But a key focus is to have a roadmap to gain a broad understanding of what something is and go deeper by learning about specific uses or functionalities. My monthly goal is to dedicate a small amount of time, sometimes just an hour or two a week, to learning about software used often on my team here at MarketAxess. These range from courses on Udemy and understanding build processes to learning about dependencies from external libraries. On a daily basis, I like high-level, bite-sized information. On a weekly basis, I take in denser information and digest it slowly.

What are your go-to resources for keeping your engineering skills sharp?

I like to utilize resources that bring information right to my inbox. The daily newsletters from Morning Brew are easily digestible pieces that keep me updated on tech as well as finance and world news, all of which not only interest me but are relevant to my work. TLDR Web Dev is also a great tool. I enjoy their news and tutorials on front-end web development, especially as the field evolves and new libraries come up as others go dormant. I have had an interest in front-end web development for a while and love learning about it this way. Both of these newsletters have eye-catching headers and short descriptions, with the option to click on articles and read more. It’s a “choose your focus for a day” adventure rather than an information dump, which I think makes it much easier to grasp tech news and trends. 

To learn new technologies, I’ve found Udemy a great starting place to understand concepts generally, and YouTube tutorials help me create sandboxes and see how the code works on my own machine. I grew up loving word games and brain teasers, and there are new code game platforms and exercises released often, so I find it necessary to gamify learning when and wherever possible to keep it fresh and fun.

What does the learning culture look like on your engineering team?

Almost all engineers will say that the most learning you do will be on the job, so it’s important to have a mindset of flexibility and an ability to learn while working on tasks, as opposed to finishing a full course and then settling into work. Having a knowledge base is always handy, so spending just a few hours or a day or two understanding what a certain technology does can make a world of a difference before setting it up and starting work. From there, much of the learning becomes hands-on, with a big emphasis on shadowing and pair-coding to help with knowledge transfer from seniors to juniors. I find it essential to take notes and clarify tasks in as much detail as possible. 

But I’ve also learned to expect the unexpected. Sometimes, things simply do not function in the ways we expect, and unexpected dependencies get impacted. It’s part of the learning process to fail early — and fail often. We frequently have innovation and planning sprints, which are sprints set aside for developers to dedicate time to learning, so I always keep a list of code bases and topics to explore during those times.

Which skills do you leverage most often in your day-to-day work?

Success in sales is anchored to strong communication skills, both internally and externally. As a salesperson, one needs to be extremely articulate when relaying client feedback, essentially functioning as a liaison between the client and technology teams — making internal communication as important as external communication. In this business, where our clients are typically traders, portfolio managers and salespeople, we additionally need to keep up with their speed by being responsive in getting them what they need fast. 

At MarketAxess, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver high-quality results consistently and expeditiously. As such, responsiveness is invaluable to my work. Additionally, collaboration is paramount. Throughout our sales organization, we leverage relationships and skill sets across data sales and the trading side of the business. We communicate with subject matter experts from research and data product teams to have cohesive and organized discussions that equip us with the knowledge to answer all client enquiries. By being skilled communicators and strong collaborators, we become adept sales individuals that meet the needs of our clients, no matter how niche and nuanced.

How have these skills enabled you to heighten your impact on MarketAxess or grow your career?

In data sales, a deep knowledge of our products has always been foundational — it’s what enables me to speak with confidence, tailor solutions to client needs and support the team as they navigate technical conversations. Early on, my ability to break down product features and applications into clear, compelling value propositions helped me stand out and build trust with clients. Communication is just as critical. The ability to be clear, concise and honest makes all the difference. Communicating and collaborating with your peers ensures alignment, accelerates decision-making and helps cross-functional teams work together toward shared goals. 

Now, as I lead my team, I’m not just closing deals; I’m also shaping how we go to market, identifying new opportunities for growth and mentoring the next generation of top performers. The shift from individual contributor to team leader has certainly required evolving my skill set, but throughout my career, I have always leveraged communication, responsiveness and collaboration. And it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how these capabilities have multiplied my impact at MarketAxess and with my clients, which is very important in sales.

What are some resources and/or sources of inspiration you’d recommend for reps eager to refine their sales skills? Are there resources MarketAxess has provided to support this growth?

Coming out of college, I was told that I wasn’t a born salesperson, and that only fueled my aspirations to be one — and to be a great one! I learned that there are different sales styles and different approaches. Authenticity is key because clients can see through “the show.” I believe my approach is quite a skill because I can be disarming and provide clients with solutions to their problems that I have made it a point to fully understand. This is a testament to MarketAxess! I learn from others about how to be a great salesperson but am always encouraged to be my authentic self. 

Having spent my entire career at MarketAxess, I also seek external help to ensure I am able to see things with a different lens. I have found a lot of success with executive coaching. Learning from senior employees within MarketAxess and at other corporations has given me a well-rounded understanding of what it means to be an exceptional salesperson and inherent leader. Learning how they excel, stand out, push initiatives and get involved helps me refine my skills. Being a salesperson takes immense drive and persistence. I would say that hearing the “no” should not dishearten you, but motivate you.