Market volatility and its impact on investors has changed how Fidelity Investments engages with its customers.
Under Kathleen Murphy, who heads the company's personal investing unit, it stepped up efforts to call customers to offer support. It also began offering more one-on-one financial counseling sessions, 750,000 of which were conducted in the first half.
Murphy oversaw the launch of a financial education newsletter, FidelityViewpoint,too. It is published three times a week and has more than 1 million readers.
"My business philosophy is to do right by yourcustomers," says Murphy, whoalso approved the hiring of 600 additional financial professionals."The last two years have underscored the importance of that."
To serve a new generation of customers, Fidelity has embraced mobile technology and social media, such as Twitter.
Outside of work, Murphy participates in a U.S. State Department program to mentor women in foreign countries. This year she mentored a woman from Ghana. She also mentors a single mom of six who is getting her MBA at night.
"You learn as much from those women as they learn from you," says Murphy. "The development of people is one of the most important things a leader does."
