Paola Segura moves Behind the Scenes of Global Finance and Markets | #QQP84
In this episode of The Quinntessential Questions Podcast, Paul Quinn sits down with Paola Segura, Partner and Head of APAC & Middle East at Markets Group. From dreaming of a career at L'Oréal Paris to building a powerhouse investor relations business across Asia and the Middle East, almost entirely without a roadmap. Paola shares the unconventional journey that took her from Colombia to Paris, London, New York, Singapore, and Dubai.
She opens up about walking away from her dream job at 26 with no plan, landing in finance by accident through a job interview conducted half in French, and building Markets Group's entire APAC presence from scratch as a single woman in a brand new city. Paola also gets candid about the real confidence gap between men and women in business, why she refuses to separate selling from relationship-building, and the leadership lessons she only learned the hard way.
Whether you're navigating a career pivot, building a business development muscle, or trying to find the balance between ambition, motherhood, and identity, this conversation offers hard-won wisdom on resilience, relationships, and the art of selling without selling.
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:31) Paola's Background: Partner at Markets Group & APAC/Middle East Role
(02:19) Growing Up as a Diplomat's Daughter: Colombia, Paris & London
(06:48) UCLA, L'Oréal & Walking Away from Her Dream Job at 26
(10:07) How She Accidentally Landed in Finance
(12:28) Moving to New York & Joining Markets Group
(13:41) Building the French Market from Zero — First Event, Standing Ovation
(16:58) Moving to Singapore: "I Said I'd Never Move Here"
(20:07) The Women & Money Gap: Only 7% of Women Ask for More
(24:03) Leading a 25-Person Team: Men Who Over-Promise vs. Women Who Over-Deliver
(28:58) Ambition as a Woman: Leading by Results
(31:49) The Middle East: You Cannot Sell Without Relationships
(36:52) The Art of Selling Without Selling
(42:56) Fire Faster & Succession Planning: The Alex Ferguson Method
(48:56) Sales as a Science: Scripts, Objections & Listening
(57:09) Energy Management, Pilates, Horse Riding & Sleep
(01:04:11) Protecting Family Time & Communication Across Time Zones
(01:06:50) Closing Remarks
Bio
Since 2016, Paola has been connecting the world’s asset managers with institutional allocators across some of the most complex and rewarding markets in the world. In 2018, she moved to Singapore to build Markets Group’s Asia-Pacific business from the ground up. In 2023, she relocated to Dubai to do the same across the Middle East. Today, she leads a team across both regions, driving sponsorship revenue, investor relations, and business strategy.
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