Yie-Hsin Hung, president and CEO, State Street Global Advisors

Yie-Hsin Hung, the president and CEO of State Street Global Advisors, credits the "immigrant spirit" that came with being a first-generation American for the mental armor that helped propel her over a 37-year career in investment banking and asset management.

At SSGA, Ms. Hung said she's working to systematize the kind of experiences she "sort of stumbled on," providing a level playing field for people coming from diverse backgrounds — the heart of diversity and inclusion, she said.

Ms. Hung, who became CEO a year ago after more than seven leading New York Life Investment Management, said as an immigrant, being conscious of being a woman or a person of color "just wasn't part of my thinking."

There was more of a sense of "OK, I'm kind of the new person here on the block and even if it takes me a little bit longer, I'm very pleased that I have this opportunity. … You run into challenges along the way, you just get back up and get back at it again."

Today, Ms. Hung says she's passionate about doing her part to make it easier "for those that are coming up behind me" to overcome challenges she sees in hindsight, even if she didn't see them at the time.

Ms. Hung said any influence she has reflects the great team she leads at SSGA. But to the extent her recognition "can encourage other women or people of color to say, hey, I can see it, therefore I can be it? Yeah, I'm more than happy to be in this position."

SSGA reported assets under management of $3.8 trillion as of June 30.