FinTech Female Fridays: Meet Director of Business Development at Talos, Hillary Conley

Hillary Conley began her career as a credit analyst at a bank, but quickly found that client-facing roles were more in line with her interests and spent the next several years focusing on sales and marketing at Bloomberg. "Around 2017, I was introduced to a different take on a financial ecosystem: crypto." She joined Gemini, a regulated crypto exchange and custodian, where she worked in business development focusing on strategic relationships with institutional clients. After spending five years at Gemini, Hillary joined Talos as Director of Business Development, where she and the team put institutional-grade infrastructure technology into the hands of buy and sell-side firms trading crypto.

"I joined the Talos team as Director of Business Development in September 2022, after being introduced to the company through my network in the crypto industry. I had worked with some of the Talos team over the years and was impressed by the speed at which they were growing their market share and the caliber of product they were delivering, so it was a no-brainer for me to join them (it also doesn’t hurt that the people are awesome!)", she adds.

As a member of the Business Development team, Hillary is focused on driving revenue growth by refining our go-to-market strategy for new products and client segments. "Crypto trading presents some really unique challenges, especially when it comes to infrastructure, and it’s been exciting to be part of a company that is helping to bridge the gap and drive innovation in this space."

When reflecting on the company's culture, Hillary says: "After more than a decade in the working world, I have had the opportunity to experience a variety of company cultures. When I first started my career, I was just happy to have a job. However, through the years, I have come to understand the type of culture that allows me to thrive and what to look for in a company. Not all cultures are the same and I have found that I work well in environments that encourage entrepreneurship and discourage micromanagement, offer flexible remote work options and avoid rigid 9-5 requirements, and promote collaboration instead of politics. "

"Talos has done an impressive job of preserving its culture as it grows, and everyone here genuinely enjoys spending time with each other, which naturally fosters a supportive and motivating environment. We’ve been able to maintain a culture that’s collaborative and inspiring, with zero room for egos to get in the way of our mission and focus. "

Hillary is proud to be impacting fintech through her work. "The crypto industry is playing a major role in advancing the broader fintech sector. At Talos, we are focused on providing institutional-grade infrastructure to the crypto industry, making it easier for firms of all sizes - from traditional hedge funds to large retail brokers - to enter the space. One of the biggest challenges facing institutions in the crypto space is the lack of advanced infrastructure and Talos is working to bridge this gap and enable greater adoption of crypto in the institutional sector." "Being a part of the crypto industry has been an amazing journey. There have been a lot of highs and, of course, a few challenges along the way, but I haven’t looked back", says Hillary.

More on Hillary

Where you currently live: Williamsburg (Brooklyn), NY

Living arrangement: I live with my husband and my dog, George

Hometown: Marietta, GA

Favorite hobby: Running, Yoga, Traveling, Most outdoor activities (bonus points if my dog can come)

Favorite part of your day: First cup of coffee time

Favorite show to binge: Most recently White Lotus and The Crown

What's the best job decision you ever made? What's the worst job decision you ever made?

The biggest risks I've taken in my career have also been some of the best decisions I've made. Moving to New York City and leaving capital markets for a small startup in a new industry were both scary at the time, but they have had a huge impact on my career and opened up many opportunities that I would have never had the chance to explore if I hadn't taken a chance. These moves have defined my career and have been well worth the risk. I’ve learned to listen to my gut but also open myself up to take that big leap of faith when the outcome is somewhat unknown and would encourage others to do the same!

Daily Diary

Thursday: 6:30 am – Wake up, walk my dog

8:15 am – Commute into the office + podcast / news feeds, pick up my coffee along the way

9:00 – 10:30 am – Weekly company-wide standup. Favorite meeting of the week. Our CEO and CTO typically lead the calls but we get to hear from all groups across the organization globally. New product demos are a favorite!

10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Answer emails, catch up on some work & take advantage of the caffeine induced productivity

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm – Lunch. We do group orders for lunch on the days we are in office (and even have a spreadsheet ranking the best delivery spots around us, very important ☺)

1:00 – 6:00 pm – Mixture of client calls, internal meetings, and making sure I’m staying on top of my weekly tasks

6:00 pm – Commute home

6:00 – 7:00 pm – It’s either squeezing a workout in or catching a happy hour with friends / co-workers

7:00 pm – Dinner

7:00 - 9:00 pm – Catching up on my shows / R&R time

11:00 pm – Sleep