Title: Director, Credit Strategies
Firm: UBS Financial Services Inc.
Age: 29
Nicole Pey — a mandolin player, guitarist, and singer with an affinity for bluegrass — mixed her major in mathematics with a minor in music while at Colorado College, but it was the financial side of her studies that won out as she pursued a career.
Nicole first joined UBS in 2015 as an analyst in the firm's highly competitive graduate talent program rotating among six business areas under the wealth management division. She eventually settled on public finance and joined the team in 2017 as it relaunched its municipal business.
"I was excited to take part in an industry that plays an integral role in developing public infrastructure. I wanted a quantitative role where I could make an immediate impact and work directly with clients and was happy to join a growing business at the firm guided by strong leadership," Nicole said.
Nicole spent four years in investment banking, but says she was drawn to the strategic and creative nature of credit and rating agency work, which along with her respect for Kristin Stephens, head of credit strategies, led her to move to that team.
"Nicole excels at developing customized credit approaches for clients and has worked with numerous high-profile state and local governments, transportation authorities, higher education institutions, non-profit hospitals, and more, all of whom have sought guidance around their credit strategy objectives initially during the pandemic and now in its ever-evolving aftermath," said Stephens, who nominated Nicole for the Rising Stars recognition.
Nicole participates in various initiatives that build collaboration and culture — such as training, mentoring, recruiting, growth committees, employee networks, and industry groups — is co-chair for the Chicago chapter of an employee organization that promotes the professional advancement of women at UBS and is on the board for the Children's Research Fund, affiliated with Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.
The St. Louis native lived in New York City after college where she played gigs with the bluegrass band she led but she now calls Chicago home. Nicole recently returned from her honeymoon in Greece, an especially special first-time trip for her as her mother is Greek-American.
"Other than the food, my favorite part was our hike up to a Byzantine castle on the island of Naxos with incredible views of the southwestern coastline," Nicole said. "My husband and I share a love of adventuring outside" from hiking and scuba diving to canoeing. Indoors, she enjoys cooking, reading, dancing, and dabbling in various artistic hobbies, like painting.
