MFS Investment Management Senior Vice President and Global Advisor Maureen Leary-Jago was selected this year to receive the visionary leadership award for her contributions to the firm, clients and industry, as well as her work toward giving back to the community.
In 1996, Leary-Jago lost her sister to breast cancer, after which she made it her mission to raise awareness for this disease and launched the Friends of Jill Leary charity golf tournament as well as the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk-a-thon each year.
Through these initiatives, she not only congregated numerous industry leaders around the social cause, but she also managed to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars as well. Leary-Jago later received the Mutual Funds Against Cancer Contributor Award in 2010 for her services; one of the many reasons why NICSA says she was their choice to receive the award.
In her current capacity, which she assumed in January 2015, Leary-Jago spends her time working with colleagues to build and implement strategy, as well as serving as the strategic counsel regarding operations, technology and systems to senior management, the firm says.
For the 10 years prior to joining MFS, Leary-Jago served as the president of Massachusetts Financial Services Center. She was responsible for transfer agency operations as well as the retirement plan products and outside investments. Her experience also includes time as a senior managing director of investor relations with Equiserve and division manager for PFPC Global Fund Services where she oversaw the operations and technology areas for their retirement services division.
She is also a current member of the MFS audit committee, compliance committee, fund trader monitoring committee and risk committee, according to the firm.
She serves as the current chairman of the Investment Company Institute international operations advisory committee and previously served as both chairman and co-chairman of NICSA. Additionally, Leary-Jago is a member of the National Association of Female Executives, International Women's Leadership Association, Stock Transfer Association, ICI Operations Committee and NICSA.
Leary-Jago is a Master in Business Administration recipient from Nichols College and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Framingham State College.
