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A lot has changed since Joleen Lehmann’s inaugural tech experience, when she volunteered to help a law firm install the first computers. From there, she worked as a network engineer, troubleshooting computers and, as she recalls, “crawling around the floor laying network cables” while attending night school to earn more certifications.
After returning to university full time to complete her degree, Scotland-based Lehman jumped first into a technical career, working in an operational role before shifting to a position as a database administrator with a financial firm.
“This is where I got a basic understanding of the financial world from a data perspective,” she says. “I found it exciting to gain insight into wealth management and financial institutions, which led me to BlackRock.”
Today, Lyman is Vice President at BlackRock, where she is responsible for leading the delivery of strategic initiatives for Aladdin, the company’s investment management technology platform.
“Cross-functional initiatives such as Aladdin are critical and technically complex, supporting BlackRock’s growth priorities and commercial results,” she says.
Here, Lyman describes BlackRock’s iHubs and why they’re important, how the Edinburgh office has evolved since opening 25 years ago, and what it was like growing up on a farm in Scotland.
What led to your current role at BlackRock?
I came to BlackRock to support Aladdin customers and solve their technical issues. I enjoyed direct contact with clients and started running small client facing projects. My boss was supportive, and before I knew it, I was building client environments with BlackRock’s technical teams.
As my confidence grew, I began looking for my next opportunity and had the opportunity to put together a team that would project manage our in-house products. I got it up and running, but unfortunately it was only on for a short time. While I was disappointed, it made me hungry for more. My next challenge was a stretch goal: migrating BlackRock to a newly built data center. Successfully completed migration of BlackRock environment along with dependent applications over one weekend without any migration or production issues; It’s definitely my proudest BlackRock moment so far.
The Edinburgh office is also one of BlackRock’s innovation hubs (iHubs). What exactly is an iHub and what kind of business is Edinburgh specifically focused on?
At BlackRock, iHubs focus on developing new technologies and platforms that support the company’s goal of creating financial well-being for more people.
Edinburgh provides deep subject matter expertise across the entire Aladdin ecosystem, which is what makes iHub unique. Core activities focus on customer, trading and control life cycles. The affinities created through the office have a material impact on client experience, volume, and risk management. It also allows us to provide support and local expertise to key clients, business partners and regulators.
Experience within the Edinburgh office and having many critical Support and DevOps teams – together with the work we do on client, commercial, and control lifecycles – allows us to easily collaborate, ensure alignment, and continually build on a culture of innovation.
As someone who has worked at BlackRock for over a decade, how have you seen the Edinburgh office change and grow?
Edinburgh was BlackRock’s first international office, and we recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Since then, we’ve seen tremendous growth in our workforce, our involvement in Scottish society, and our footprint in the local financial services industry.
In 2013 the office moved to a larger space, and I am now involved with another upcoming move to New Town Edinburgh in 2025. It is exciting that BlackRock continues to focus on Edinburgh as an iHub while also building a culture of inclusion and diversity within this newly planned workspace. I’m excited to see what the next chapter brings.
Why is now an exciting time to join BlackRock, especially for those in technology?
We’re not just a financial company, but we’re also a technology company – something CEO Larry Fink repeats often. We’re always improving our suite of technologies and processes to work smarter, not harder. We are at the forefront of the technology ecosystem. Our mission is to foster a global culture of technical excellence, innovation and leadership, which makes BlackRock Corporation the A career destination for building world-class financial technology.
Tell us about your involvement in BlackRock’s recruitment programs and why this work is being done.
I have been heavily involved in the Analysts for Technologists Programs in Edinburgh for many years. Every year we bring in analysts, from summer interns for an eight-week program to full-time positions for a two-year program. My favorite part is dealing with new talent and hearing their opinions and new insights, as well as being able to mentor and coach them. It makes me very happy to see them grow and build their careers.
When you think about your time at BlackRock, what project did you work on that was particularly inspiring or innovative? What is the impact on the company?
It should be my first project, which is to remove dependence on the BlackRock environment for every Aladdin customer. This has resulted in enhanced stability and flexibility around reporting for these customers. It may not seem like a big deal, but it was a relatively small change that made a huge difference. I remember this job because I was new and had never run my own business. I had no clue where to start or which of the technical elements I was separating. I also had to work with people I didn’t know from all over the world. I was very confused, to say the least.
Through the project, I learned how Aladdin works from a reporting perspective, learned about each of Aladdin’s clients, met the operational teams who supported Aladdin, and perhaps most importantly, built relationships with my new colleagues. I still connect with them, 11 years later.
Switch gears a bit: As someone born and raised in Scotland, what are some of your favorite places to visit today and why?
I love visiting Kyle of Lochalsh, a small village just before the bridge to the Isle of Skye. We always stop to eat the amazing fish caught that morning. I ate a lobster roll enjoying the wonderful sunshine looking out over the water. I’ve tried eating fish and chips while kneeling at the side of the snack shack in the strong wind and rain – but that’s what makes it Scottish! I also enjoy visiting castles and large houses with wonderful gardens. Eilean Donan Castle is a famous and beautiful castle on the way to Kyle of Lochalsh. Another favorite is Inveraray Castle, where it is located Downton Abbey The Christmas episode was filmed in 2012.
What is something most people would be surprised to know about you?
I grew up on a farm in Lochmaben, a small village near Dumfries. I had pets and chickens that stole chocolate when I was a kid. My brother and I would spend our days wandering through the fields and jumping in the tractor with the farmer while he went about his daily duties. We helped feed the cows and sheep, pick fruit, and made jams in the summer. One of the memories that always stuck with me was waking up to find that the cows had escaped and were in our paddling pool. As children, this was funny until we realized they had pierced it with their hooves. It was an amazing place to grow up and create memories that we will cherish forever.
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