Schwoomerangs: Employees Who Return to Schwab with Harvey L.
By: Beau H., Content Manager
Harvey L., a Director in Business Strategy and native New Yorker based out of Manhattan, started his Schwab career journey after our acquisition of TD Ameritrade. He was immediately taken with fellow Schwabbie’s passion for financial literacy and our company’s mission of making investing more accessible.
After transitioning to a different firm, Harvey decided to come back to Schwab. His journey mirrors many other “Shwoomerangs” – employees who have returned to our organization after leaving. Join us for this installment of a series where we dive into the experiences of our Schwoomerang colleagues and learn how our benefits, career opportunities, and human-centric culture influenced their decision to return.
Q: What initially brought you to Schwab?
Harvey: “I joined Schwab through the TD Ameritrade acquisition and immediately noticed how talented my colleagues are. Also, our mission at Schwab really resonated with me right from the start – our focus on putting clients first and helping the common investor take ownership and control of their financial futures means a lot to me. I’m a child of first generation immigrants, so financial literacy and democratizing financial access is really near and dear to my heart.”
Q: During your time away, did you find that our values and culture were unique compared to other organizations you worked for?
Harvey: “I did. During my time away, one of the things that I missed about Schwab was our collegial culture, and also how caring everyone is. Here, everyone's doing their own part to drive our mission, and that dedication inspires me.”
Q: What led you to return to Schwab?
Harvey: “I returned for two reasons. First, I had the opportunity to work with my direct manager Matt, who I knew from my TD Ameritrade days. He’s a great manager and people leader, and I really saw him as a mentor both personally and professionally.”
“I also came back because of the career opportunities we have at Schwab. I started off in Digital Services and then transitioned over to Wealth & Advice Solutions as it was being formed. To me, being able to move onto this new team and work under Matt and Neesha showed that doors open here for you as long as you put the work and effort in.”
Q: Have you felt supported by your colleagues or empowered to learn and grow at Schwab?
Harvey: “Yes, for sure. It's really exciting to be able to work with my colleagues day-in and day-out to tackle tough strategy questions that might result in growth for Schwab. Often, the projects that I take on require me to parachute into an area of the business and get up to speed quickly, conduct analyses, and make actionable, impactful recommendations. I feel fully empowered and supported by Matt and Neesha to drive this type of work. They really hand me the ball and let me run with it, which I appreciate. Here, I’ve found if you put in the work and effort, folks recognize that and they're happy to give you as much as you can take. I love that.”
Q: In your view, how has Schwab evolved since your initial departure to now?
Harvey: “I think the biggest thing is the blending of Schwab and TD Ameritrade. For context, I left shortly after that deal officially closed and came back less than a year later, and I noticed how Schwab has taken the best parts of both cultures and talents and brought them together in a seamless way. One example of this is our all-hands meetings, which helps increase the flow of information and allows us to ask the Executive Council questions on a regular basis. I’ve found that to be really impactful.”
Q: Were there any Schwab initiatives or programs that caught your attention and influenced your decision to return?
Harvey: “There are many initiatives and programs here that I appreciate! Schwab has the resources and the employee base to implement amazing stuff like career coaching, internships, and inclusive ERG groups. These things positively affect our happiness, engagement, and ability to thrive.”
Q: What advice would you give to individuals who are considering joining, or returning to, Schwab?
Harvey: “This question dovetails nicely with ‘what's changed at Schwab’. For Schwoomerangs, there may be new opportunities for them to grow that didn’t exist when they left. With that in mind, my advice would be to learn about the area of Schwab that you're rejoining, just to make sure it's aligned with your career goals. In my case, doing that was really important – having Matt take over as the leader of digital services strategy was a big reason I came back, and the new team underneath him was different than the one I had interacted with in the past. This drove me to dive into what type of work they were doing, their new focuses, and so forth. That would be my biggest piece of advice.”
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