Milligan, who came to Morgan Stanley when it acquired E-Trade in 2020, focused on:

• Successful Acquisitions
• Diversity in the Banking Office
• Get Creative While Maintaining Brand Authenticity

M&A is an important part of growing in the investment banking space and getting it right is essential. Milligan said that when Morgan Stanley bought E-Trade, one of the most important things she did was to listen. She found out that E-Trade customers didn’t know much about Morgan Stanley, despite its name. So, she helped coordinate a “warming strategy” which entailed 12 months of educating E-Trade customers about the Morgan Stanley brand and what enhancements they could expect because of the transition.

As for diversity, Milligan says “it’s really important to think about the diversity of the team, not just from how that team looks and feels, but also what people’s expertise is.”

Finally, she offered her perspective on mixing in new ideas while building on the qualities that have made the company successful. With its numerous acquisitions to accelerate growth, Morgan Stanley is buying firms with different audiences and technology. One approach to help bridge those gaps is to initiate projects like the “Everyone Deserves a Shot” PGA campaign. Its aimed at younger audiences and growing pro golfers as brand ambassadors for the bank.

Read the full article from The Financial Brand.