GirlGeek of the Week
August 1999

Jennifer Paik

I am Vice-President at JP Morgan & Co in New York. A Korean-American, born in Toronto, Canada, I have traveled quite extensively and have taken up residences in such places as California, New York, Boston, and London.

I was educated at Tufts University and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science. Upon graduation, I accepted a position in the technology department at JP Morgan.

My career spans seven years during which I have developed numerous global trading systems across the Fixed Income and Equities businesses. I have also completed several extended overseas assignments in London, Hong Kong, and Frankfurt. Currently I am investigating e-commerce and on-line trading opportunities for the Equities business.

In the immediate future, I am looking forward to a wedding late in the summer and attending business school in the fall.

When did you first discover your love and/or obsession with computers and technology?

It wasn't until college that I became serious about computers but even as a kid I was fascinated by them. Computerized games always topped my list at Christmas time!

I didn't start programming until college which was probably when I realized I had a knack for computers. When I discovered I could make a pretty good living doing it, I jumped at the chance.

How do you earn a living?

I develop trading systems for an investment bank on Wall Street. Currently, I am overseeing e-commerce and client connectivity initiatives for the Equities business. This includes setting up on-line trading for our clients and building electronic links to the stock exchanges and alternate trading systems. I guess you can liken it to what Charles Schwab has done but for larger institutional clients. We have also just purchased stake, along with E-Trade, Goldman, and Southwest, in an Electronic Communications Network ("ECN") called Archipelago which facilitates anonymous trading between buyers and sellers. I am currently working on establishing links between the two systems.

Do you consider yourself a Geek?

I did in college. You can call yourself a Geek when the first place your friends go to look for you is the computer lab, and not the pub. I've gotten much better since then.

What is your favorite Web site?

Hmmm...too many to choose. One that I use religiously is itn.net. A colleague at work turned me on to it.

What do you do when you are not working?

Move around. I travel A LOT. But when I'm not on the road, I try to take advantage of NYC. I love to attend plays, musicals, concerts, sporting events, etc. I also LOVE food and love to eat...living in NYC is dangerous for me in that sense. When I can get out of the city, I love to golf, ski, and lie on a beach.