Lauren Murray knew where she wanted her career path to lead from the very beginning. She says obstacles were not deterrents.

When Murray, 36, first applied to Merrill Lynch’s Market Executive Leadership Academy, she wasn’t accepted. She didn’t let the setback, however, stop her. Instead, she went straight to the top.

“I was actually turned down my first time,” says Murray. “That makes you fight harder.”

Murray reached out to one of the top decision makers in the program and asked him to be her mentor. He accepted. The following year, she was one of eight students accepted into the prestigious program.

Currently, Murray is a market executive for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management’s Mountain West market—one of 100 market executives companywide. She supports a team of more than 65 advisers and 45 associates.

“My main goal is to act as their coach and help identify ways they can grow their practice,” Murray says.

Raised in Connecticut, Murray attended an all-girl Catholic school and graduated from Georgetown University in 2010. She majored in economics and minored in psychology and women’s studies.

“I’ve always been a huge advocate for women,” says Murray. “I think women supporting women is just so critical.”

Murray is a division ambassador on the national Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Diversity & Inclusion Council. The council serves as an advisory board consisting of employees who lead and advocate for the organization’s diversity and inclusion strategy.

Wendy Gregory, a market executive assistant at Merrill Lynch, nominated Murray and highlights her advocacy for females.

“Lauren’s passion for promoting the value of women in the industry has been recognized and celebrated,” Gregory says in her letter nominating Murray as a Journal Rising Star, citing her "exceptional achievements, unwavering dedication, and commitment to empowering women in finance."

Murray also serves on the board of directors at the nonprofit Women & Children’s Free Restaurant & Community Kitchen.

“It’s a vital safety net to fill nutritional gaps for women and children in need while fostering dignity and respect in the Spokane community,” says Murray. “If your food needs aren’t being met, what can you do? It’s one of those basic human needs, and I’m really happy to (serve) on it.”

Murray started her career as an administrative assistant at SAC Capital Advisors LP, in New York. She eventually moved over to the Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association.

While there, Murray assembled multiple discussion groups.

“I created a couple roundtables based on industry trends,” Murray says. “One of them was a social media roundtable discussing how social media is impacting the finance world and wealth management world.”

Furthermore, Murray organized lobbying efforts to discuss different trends that would impact wealth management.

“We would bring individuals together from all these different firms to come into the same room and talk about industry trends,” adds Murray.

She noticed that in those discussions, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch frequently were held up as an example of best practices. 

That’s when she realized she wanted to join the company.

“I saw an opportunity to apply to a role in San Francisco, and I took it,” says Murray.

Her career path continued to escalate from there. She moved from a practice management development manager in San Francisco to an associate market manager position in Seattle, where she completed the market executive academy.

Once she finished the program in 2023, she accepted her current job in Spokane.

“Within a year, I got pregnant, got married, moved to a new city, and bought my first house,” says Murray.

Murray says she makes sure her career is balanced with her family life with her husband, Alex, and her 21-month-old son, Aiden.

“I prioritize being there with my son and husband,” she says. “I want my son to see that I’m present with him. That’s a really important job that I have.”