Avery Sheffield
New York, New York
“The quiet building of unshakable confidence through a nonlinear journey defined by resilience, curiosity, and purpose.”
The Confidence You Build, Not Inherit
When I first walked into Avery Sheffield’s office at the iconic Rockefeller Center, I expected busy energy and the voices of financial analysts vibrating through the glass windows of her conference room. After all, she is the Chief Investment Officer and Co-Founder of VantageRock, an investment strategy that’s part of Rockefeller Capital Management. Instead, what I noticed was a serene kind of quiet. Avery, completely at ease in her space was calm and assured with a steady presence. It felt as though she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be. This quiet confidence, I came to learn, was built over time with a determined resilience and perseverance through proving herself in a male-dominated world.
Avery Sheffield’s path into the financial world was not conventional, she did not check the box of what was expected. She studied neuroscience and found herself in Silicon Valley working in product marketing and recruiting. Only later, circuitously, did she arrive in investing—a world she had glimpsed in childhood through the lens of her grandmother, a self-taught investor. It wasn’t until Avery encountered a new kind of investor—people who approached markets not as a game of chance but as a disciplined, long-term craft—that something inside her clicked.
Her career transition did not happen overnight. “People told me, you’re a neuroscience major, you’re not built for investing,” she recalled. But she was not deterred. Avery applied to the Wharton Business School. She jumped into equity research. She listened and learned. Over time, she didn’t just belong in the room—she built one of her own. Avery was never motivated to “chase money” she was motivated by curiosity and as she put it
“I was chasing learning.”
Investing, as in life, does not reward precision. Avery shared her perspective of the market’s unruly nature—how you can do everything right and still be wrong. “In investing, you could make the perfect call,” she said, “and the market might just not care.” This profession humbles you, where the outcomes can defy effort, despite all the research you put in to make the right call. What she has built isn’t a track record defined solely by wins, but by how she responds to the losses—with reflection, resilience, and resolve. Avery blends data with instinct. She trusts her intuition, especially when it comes to people. “The most important decision I made early in my career was who I worked for,” she said. “It’s not always about the role—it’s about the person who sees something in you before you do.”
A recurring theme in her life: the transformative power of belief—both from others’ and her own. She has surrounded herself with people who have supported and believed in her potential. For Avery, mentorship is never transactional. And she believes in paying it forward to the next generation of female investors.
The world of finance is mostly male, especially at the most senior levels. Avery isn’t content simply to rise through the ranks—she’s intent on redrawing the map. “There are still so few women in leadership in this industry,” she told me.
“I want to show what’s possible.”
And she is—one hire, one fund, one story at a time.
Avery’s story isn’t just about breaking the glass ceiling; it’s about how she approaches her whole life. She speaks not of “work-life balance”, but of “work-life harmony.” It suggests fluidity and flexibility and a recognition that you cannot balance everything at the same time. But you can prioritize what matters the most, in each moment.
When I asked how she defines success, she paused: “Success for me is about learning continuously, staying true to your values, and being able to balance ambition with family,” she said. There was no mention of wealth or fame or winning. Just growth. Integrity. Alignment.
Avery’s story tells us: Success isn’t a destination. It’s a life stitched together with purpose and persistence.
