Where Courage Meets Community

Long before Wing Wilson became a Chief Fiduciary Officer for Northern Trust’s U.S. Northeast and South Regions — overseeing every aspect of the firm’s fiduciary practice across 30 offices — she was a young girl growing up in a rural village in Kenya.

While her journey is one of remarkable resilience and fortitude, Wing tells it differently. She credits her success not only to perseverance, but to the generosity and opportunity offered by pivotal figures along the way, people she humbly refers to as her “angels.”

“Life there was difficult,” shares Wing of her childhood in Kenya. “There was no running water. Sometimes our school held classes under a tree.” Her world, she recalls, was small — but her imagination was not. Inspired by a cousin who had moved to the city and carried herself with confidence and possibility, Wing formed her very first career dream without fully understanding what it meant. “She told me she was a secretary,” Wing remembers. “I didn’t even know what that was, but I decided I would become one too.”

Education became her pathway forward. With the support of people who believed in her early, Wing earned a scholarship to attend high school — a rare opportunity where she grew up. “It wasn’t accidental,” she reflects. “It was a gift — from teachers, from institutions that believed in me long before I fully believed in myself.” After eventually working as a legal secretary in Nairobi, Wing made the courageous decision to come to the U.S. with little more than faith and determination.

She arrived with one small suitcase and just $100 in her pocket. “I quickly realized determination alone is not a strategy,” she says candidly. Wing found herself alone, in an unfamiliar country late at night, with little money for a cab, walking to the nearest hotel almost 15 miles away — until a stranger stopped and asked what she was doing. “In that moment, I chose to tell him the truth,” she says. What followed was not just a ride, but a week of extraordinary generosity — a safe place to sleep, food, guidance and help making phone calls to discover her next step. “That small decision that night,” Wing reflects, “to help a young immigrant who had nothing to offer in return, changed the trajectory of my life completely.”

From there, Wing rebuilt, one opportunity at a time. What sustained her in those early days was the kindness of strangers — people who opened doors when she had nowhere else to turn. Temporary assignments became permanent roles. A two‑week legal secretary placement became the foundation of a career she deeply cherishes. Later, when she applied for a role that required a bachelor’s degree she had not yet completed, Wing again chose honesty. “I told her I didn’t have the degree, but I was working on it.” The hiring manager paused and waived the requirement. “She gave me access,” Wing says. “There was no guarantee I would succeed — but access is what gets you through the door.”

These moments reflect a powerful pattern throughout Wing’s journey: People saw potential before credentials. “Talent is widely distributed,” Wing says, “but opportunity is not.” And with every door that opened for her, Wing felt a deep responsibility to honor that trust. “When someone opens the door for you,” she advises, “show them they were right to do so.”

As Wing reflects on her journey today, she does not describe herself as extraordinary. Instead, she shines a light on the quiet heroes who believed, supported and opened doors along the way. In doing so, she reminds us all that leadership is not just about achievement, but about access — and about having the courage and generosity to hold the door open for someone else.

Her advice is grounded in lived experience: Lead with honest vulnerability, pair it with commitment, and become a good steward of opportunity. And when the time comes — as it inevitably does — shift from receiving help to extending it forward. “At some point in your journey,” Wing says, “you move from needing help to being in a position to give it.”

Read on for a brief excerpt from their conversation, or watch the full thought-provoking interview to hear insights and reflections from Wing Wilson — including her journey from a rural village in Kenya to senior leadership at Northern Trust, the quiet heroes who changed the trajectory of her life, and why she believes access, not achievement, is what truly opens doors.

The following excerpt has been edited for clarity.

Wing Wilson: You know, as I reflect on my journey, there are three pieces of advice that I could share because of the help I received during pivotal moments in my life. The first one I’d say is lead with honest vulnerability. There is strength in being appropriately vulnerable, so don’t be afraid. Be transparent about where you’re going.

And be equally transparent about where you are in the moment. When you ask for help, do so without entitlement. And then pair that vulnerability with commitment. If someone opens the door for you, show them they are right to do so.

Steph Wagner: Beautiful. Well said. Because you almost took it as 'I have an obligation.' They gave you a chance, so you will darn well deliver.

WW: So that's the advice I would share. Be a good steward of the opportunities that you're given. Like my hiring manager — she gave me access. There was no guarantee that I would succeed. It's effort that determines if you're going to stay in the room. And so I would say, when you get a chance, overprepare. When you have temporary assignments, treat them like permanent auditions. Like your life depends on it. Make sure the people who open those doors become really proud of what they did. And then I would say be the person who opens doors for others.

SW: Thank you for saying that, because that's really the pivotal moment, right? When you as a receiver become the giver forward. So what's your advice for those that want to go and make an impact? It's a slippery slope sometimes because not everybody is asking for help. Some of the people that you've mentioned, those angels, they stepped in and were there and showed up even before you had to ask for anything. And that’s powerful.

WW: I agree. You know, they could have chosen indifference, but they didn't. They chose generosity. And with every step, it got me closer to the life I live today. So, I think the only way I can return the kindness that I received is to give. And to give is to pay forward. Extend your gifts to others.

Because at some point in your journey, you’re going to shift away from needing help, right? And for me personally, perhaps it’s the village where I came from, where there are many girls who are like me. I want to make sure I help them know that you can get out too. You can be in New York. You can be at Northern Trust someday. And in my professional life, I sponsor. I don’t just mentor.

SW: I'm so glad you brought that up, because there is such a difference between mentorship and sponsorship, right? Mentors are important. But all the people that you've talked about, they were sponsoring you through life. I'd love you to expand on that point because it is so differentiating.

WW: It can be as easy and as a simple as mentioning names in certain rooms where those people are not present. That is going to help someone. Always being an advocate is important. Again, always be the leader who is willing — just like that former hiring manager did for me.

And be thoughtful about seeing potential, not just credentials. I mean, I’ve had other hiring managers who've done that for me along the way. I would say that Laura Mandel, our Chief Fiduciary Officer here at Northern Trust, did that for me when she hired me.  She saw my potential and continues to support me today.

SW: And you continue to deliver.

Watch their full inspiring conversation.