Terri Lins has had an impressive career arc. She began her professional journey in public accounting before joining Barclays Business Credit as a field examiner, where she found her passion for the finance side of business.

After obtaining her Series 7 and Series 63 licenses, as well as an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Lins moved to Salt Lake City in 2000 to start a buy-side asset-based lending desk at Washington Mutual Bank. This experience allowed her to gain business development, relationship management and underwriting skills.

At Washington Mutual Bank, Lins and her partners grew the portfolio from zero to roughly $500 million. In 2011, when Lins learned that TAB Bank was placing more focus on ABL, she joined the institution and helped grow the business line while also curating an underwriting department, eventually ascending to the role of chief credit officer.

Like many women in the workforce, Lins says she has struggled to “do it all.” She did not want to choose between her career and her responsibilities as a mother and found herself having to “outperform to alleviate the negative mom bias.” When Lins began her ABL career, she was the only female field examiner in her office. As she obtained leadership roles, she soon realized that she could influence policy and culture to encourage other women to stay in the ABL industry.

Lins was fortunate to benefit from the women who forged the path before her and hopes she can do the same for those who come after her. “When all is said and done, I am proudest of my continued efforts to hire and mentor other newcomers to ABL, especially women,” Lins says.