MAKER Julia Yue: Fostering a Sense of Belonging

Julia Yue grew up in the small town of Gosport in the U.K., where her father had immigrated to after leaving Hong Kong in his twenties and found success as a restaurateur. She worked alongside her father in his restaurant, starting at age 10.

“I had a lot of interest in the financials of his business,” says Julia. “We’d strategize and try to find ways to make his business more profitable and attract more customers, from price adjustments to promotions.”

Those early experiences helped her realize that her “passion was always in marketing,” says Julia, now Head of Ultra High Net Worth Business Development, responsible for client engagement and segmentation across Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management division. “Understanding consumer behaviors and creating strategies tailored to particular client needs are fascinating to me.”

At 16, Julia lost her mom to cancer, and she and her father moved to the U.S. After earning her bachelor’s in International Business and Marketing from the University of Maryland, Julia was hired into a financial analyst rotational program on Wall Street. She made her interest in marketing well-known and was thrilled to land a rotation in Ultra High Net Worth marketing, a client segment she’s supported ever since.

While rising through the ranks, Julia earned her MBA in Marketing from Fordham University. In addition to her advanced degree, having access to dedicated mentors and sponsors really helped propel her up the corporate ladder, she says. “I was incredibly fortunate to have a strong circle of people who heavily invested and continue to believe in me. Now it’s my turn to empower and uplift others and pay it forward.”

AN ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN AND THE AAPI COMMUNITY

One of the ways she does so is by supporting and championing diversity at the firm, with a focus on empowering women and the firm’s growing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. She particularly enjoys mentoring young people, “helping them gain exposure to senior leaders and showing our junior talent a path forward,” says Julia, co-chair of Women in Wealth and a highly involved member of the firm’s Asian Employee Network.

Julia is hyper-focused on advancing opportunities for women. She has been a transformative co-chair of Women in Wealth, one of the firm’s largest employee network (with 46 chapters across the U.S. and more than 5,000 members). Membership is up 20 percent under her leadership. “Our mission is to advance, support and celebrate women, not only within the firm but our communities,” says Julia, who has forged partnerships with other women-focused employee networks, such as the Women’s Business Alliance and the Emerging Women Leaders. In addition, she’s extended the Women in Wealth content and programs to the firm’s clients. “Morgan Stanley is deeply committed to being the firm of choice for women,” says Julia. “We take the time to understand their needs and equip them with the resources they need to be successful, whether as a leader, a mentor, an advocate or a working mom.”

She also partners with others outside the firm to “cultivate the AAPI community, increasing the circle of trust, strengthening relationships and bringing people closer together, whether it’s around mentorship, professional development, networking or other special programming.” Her efforts were recognized in 2022 by the Asian American Business Development Center, which named her a Pinnacle Awardee among the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business.

Being a parent with her husband to her twin 11-year-olds is a treasured role for Julia. Her son and daughter both challenge and inspire her every day. When she’s not at one of her son’s basketball or soccer games, her daughter’s dance or theater rehearsals or their Taekwondo tournaments, she’s immersing herself in culture or volunteering her time helping disadvantaged youth.

A MORGAN STANLEY MAKER

For her efforts, Julia has been named a Morgan Stanley MAKER, joining a community of advocates, innovators and groundbreakers for women’s advancement, all nominated by their peers. She’s proud to be part of the firm’s MAKERS Class of 2024, recognized among others for “creating inclusive environments, empowering others to succeed and inspiring the next generation of rising stars.”

In her position, Julia continues to be engaged with people across the globe and experiences that help her understand and appreciate different cultures and customs. Colleagues recognize her passion for diversity and have recruited her for various initiatives, such as the firm’s Asian Leaders Forum, the Wealth Management Diversity & Inclusion Team and the Diverse Leaders Forum Innovate Competition, which she helps judge.

She thrives in her role and fully embraces a corporate culture that encourages every employee to be their authentic self. With this welcoming culture as a foundation and her strong sense of belonging, Julia has helped “foster connectivity and deep levels of trust among colleagues.”

“At Morgan Stanley,” she adds, “I’m able to blend my personal and professional passions in a way that excites me, fulfills me and allows me to devote myself 150 percent.”