Kathryn Scharre

Director of Underwriting, Wells Fargo Capital Finance

Biography:

Kathryn Scharre, director of underwriting for Wells Fargo Capital Finance (WFCF) in New York, is responsible for underwriting and closing asset-based loans for large corporate and middle- market firms, with exposure to the United States, Canada and Europe. Recently, Kathryn was selected to work on a team that underwrites fast-moving transactions in coordination with the broader Wells Fargo Wholesale Bank to deliver comprehensive financial solutions to meet the needs of customers. Prior to her role as an underwriter, Kathryn was based in the WFCF Santa Monica office as a relationship manager in the Syndicated Finance Group.  Kathryn holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in finance, from University of Southern California. She is a member of the WFCF Diversity and Inclusion Council and WFCF New York Women’s Connection.

Since joining WFCF in 2011, Kathryn has been a highly motivated, hard-working contributor to the group.  She joined the underwriting team in 2015, and has since underwritten over 40 of the most highly complex transactions.  Kathryn develops relationships and forms partnerships to work in a collaborative manner across the institution and approaches every potential obstacle in an intelligent, proactive, and solutions-oriented manner.  Aside from her professional accomplishments, Kathryn was an active member of the Diversity & Inclusion Council and of the NYC WFCF Women’s Connection.  She served as a mentor in a Wells Fargo formal Mentor/Mentee program, and acted as a development representative for WFCF Business Line Ambassador program where she created training and support materials for the Ambassadors to utilize at recruiting events.  During 2018, Kathryn was a presenter on a panel for the SFNet Cross-Border Lending Summit and moderated a panel for Leading Through Change for senior management.  She’s also actively involved in her community and supports charities such as Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Hospital. 

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

To raise your hand to participate for everything and anything. Whether it be helping on a task force to roll out new business initiatives or joining a mentorship program, these types of opportunities not only create exposure for yourself within the organization, but also give you the chance to personally make a difference. I have been lucky enough throughout my career to get opportunities to get involved and it has afforded me the ability to expand my network and be able to have and impact on both the people and policies around me first-hand. Stepping up for these types of opportunities establishes you as a “go to” person in the organization when things need to get done and really opens doors for your career.

What do you enjoy most about working on complex transactions?

I think the thing I enjoy most is the amount of different people I get to work with when assigned to a complex transaction. I was recently tasked to work on our Bridge team, in which I get to collaborate with multiple WFCF team members, as well as colleagues throughout the broader bank, to provide a comprehensive banking solution to our customers. This opportunity has enabled me to better understand how other groups within our business operate and, even more importantly, has afforded me the opportunity to experience a difference of thought. For the past seven years of my career, I have worked primarily on ABL deals, which are heavily focused on collateral. Being able to work with other groups that have more experience in cash flow and who may approach a deal from a different vantage point, has enabled me to look at transactions from a different perspective and expanded my analytical thinking. It has also provided me multiple touch points within the institution that I can go to for assistance and advice when working on new deals.

How can commercial finance organizations retain their best and brightest?

The most important thing organizations can do to retain their best and brightest, is to focus on providing the appropriate support to its employees. In this day and age, employees want to know that they have the support and backing of their senior management. I have been blessed in my career to have managers who have supported me and been sponsors for my career. I believe a major part of my success has precipitated from the confidence I have gained knowing that my managers not only trusted me and believed in my work, but also that they truly wanted me to succeed. It has also contributed to making me really love my job. It is obviously important to like what you do, but just as important to like the people you work with. We spend more time in the office than we do with our friends and family, so feeling like you have a support system and people that care about you at work is pivotal!