Cassie Rosenthal

Senior Vice President, Rosenthal & Rosenthal, Inc.

Biography:

Cassie Rosenthal brings diverse experience and a wealth of expertise to Rosenthal. She has dual responsibilities at the firm, managing both business development strategy and sales and marketing efforts. She has also been instrumental in creating an integrated marketing strategy for the company, as well as revamping the firm’s website and developing its first mobile app.

Prior to joining her family’s business in 2012, Cassie co-owned and operated two art galleries (Goff + Rosenthal) for nearly a decade, one in New York and one in Berlin. She is on the board of Let’s Get Ready, a nonprofit supporting first generation college-bound men and women and low-income high school students through the college-going process. Cassie serves as President of the Board of Directors for Women Helping Other Women (WHOW), a charitable professional networking group that helps women and children in need. She is also a Co-Founder of BABE, a networking community for women executives, business owners and entrepreneurs.  She is on the board of the New York Institute of Credit (NYIC) and was the inaugural recipient of the NYIC’s Women’s Division Renaissance Award.

Cassie has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and has appeared on BBC Radio and CNBC. She received a BA from Colgate University and a master in Art History from the Sotheby’s Institute in London.

What advice would you offer to someone just starting out who wants to be a difference maker in their organization?

Difference makers embrace change and know how to help others embrace it as well. They don’t accept things the way they are, just because something has always been done a certain way. If there’s a better approach – whether that’s a process that can be improved upon, a new service offering that can make the organization more profitable or an innovation that can increase efficiency – a difference maker will see it from a mile away. And they don’t just see it, they find a way to make it happen. If you find yourself in that position, my advice is to do your homework, educate yourself on the issues, be thoughtful and creative about how you present your idea and find someone you trust in the organization who can help you champion it and ultimately implement it.

With that said, in order to affect change, you also have to recognize the need for it by anticipating challenges and opportunities and not be afraid to tackle them head on. You do this by staying informed, asking good questions, expanding your networks and putting the time in to talk to and listen to people in the marketplace.

Tell us about any charities you are involved in and why their missions are important to you.

I serve on the Board of Let’s Get Ready, a nonprofit supporting first-generation college-bound men and women and low-income high school students through the college-going process. The organization makes it possible for anyone to have the opportunity to learn and improve his/her life. Supporting education programs and initiatives has always been important to me and to my family and my work with Let’s Get Ready over the years has been especially fulfilling. Knowledge is power and everyone deserves the chance to feel that.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Rosenthal?

I love meeting entrepreneurs, hearing about their journeys and their businesses and learning from their experiences. I’m a people person, so I genuinely enjoy meeting new people in my travels around the country, both within the financial services sector and across different industries. I’m fortunate that my role at Rosenthal allows me to do just that. But most importantly, I love being a part of continuing my grandfather’s legacy at our firm. It’s an honor and privilege – and also a challenge – but one that I find extremely rewarding.

How do you balance work/personal time?

What I have learned over the years about balancing work and personal time is that it’s your responsibility to carve out time for yourself. If you don’t, I assure you, it won’t just appear out of nowhere. To strike the right balance between work and life, you must consciously put the things that make you your best self, first. For me, that’s time with family and friends, travel, exercise and charitable giving.

How can commercial finance organizations attract and retain women to increase gender diversity?

A company cannot increase gender (or racial diversity for that matter), without inclusion in the workplace. Without inclusion, the critical connections that attract diverse talent, encourage participation, foster innovation – all of which lead to business growth – cannot be achieved. I think a work culture in which all individuals are treated fairly and respectfully and have equal access to opportunities and resources, can ultimately contribute to an organization’s success.