Meet the Team: Chantal Perez

Chantal Perez has joined the Yeske Buie team as an Executive Assistant in our San Francisco office, and her positive attitude and can-do mentality have already resulted in strong support for our team. Chantal brings over a decade of experience in the financial services industry during which she’s gained a deep skillset focused on building quality relationships, having a high attention to detail, and being adaptable.

Those in the Yeske Buie community will have the chance to connect with Chantal when calling in or visiting our office, and she looks forward to the opportunity to connect with you! In the meantime, we use this space to help you learn more about Chantal both personally and professionally. Welcome to the team, Chantal!

Yeske Buie: Welcome again, Chantal! We look forward to getting to know more about you in this Meet the Team feature. I’ll start with the first question we ask Clients in our Discovery Meetings: tell us about yourself.

Chantal Perez: Thanks, Lauren. It’s wonderful to be a part of the Yeske Buie team! I love working with people and the ideals and core values that Yeske Buie hold dear are all things that are very important to me, as well. I’m looking forward to learning more about our Clients.

As for my background, I have lived in the Bay Area for over 10 years and before that I lived in New York City. I’ve spent my career working as an Executive Assistant in various sectors of the financial services industry. I am happily married with two fur babies – Kihei the Cat and Piper the Mini Bull Terrier. When I’m not working, I enjoy music, hiking and exercising (specifically Lagree, a form of Pilates more focused on strength training and building muscle), and spending time with family and friends.

Yeske Buie: Thank you for that introduction. Can you tell us more about your journey into financial services and executive support?

Chantal Perez: Of course. Becoming a support team member came out of a necessity for a job. I interviewed for support roles where my skillset fit the mold, and my first opportunity was in the financial services world – and I found that I really enjoyed it! First and foremost, I like to help my team succeed, and this genuine passion influences how I approach my work. I enjoy scheduling travel (I love the idea of travel, in general) and I enjoy event planning (I find it rewarding to get the team together, set people up for meetings and conferences, and work with third-party vendors and professionals to see an event come together). Both of these responsibilities require you to come together with so many people and I find that work both fun and fulfilling.

Yeske Buie: That’s beautiful – your passion for support is really coming alive! In your experience, what do you think is the most important skill for a successful support person?

Chantal Perez: I think what’s most important is to come to each and every person, whether a Client or team member, with kindness. That’s how I seek to approach every situation whether it’s getting to know someone, dealing with something stressful or sudden, or otherwise. I have a strong interest and desire in getting to know people both because I care about them as people and because I believe allows me to best support someone (for example determining what someone needs if they’re not available to ask and to make personal suggestions for special touches to make someone’s day).

Communication and follow-up follow suit as important skills behind kindness. I believe in the importance of addressing situations with someone directly, communicating with people who need to be aware of different situations, and focusing on attention to detail to solve problems and get things done to the standard. I’m certainly not perfect in all of these areas, but I aim to be a calm and stable presence with a high sense of awareness.

Yeske Buie: What a heartening and genuine response – thank you! Shifting the focus to Yeske Buie and our Clients and values, tell us a bit about why you wanted to join the Yeske Buie team.

Chantal Perez: The values of the firm and the Founders really attracted me to the firm. The fact that Elissa and Dave have built this business from the group up and then built a team that they trust to pass the torch to tells me a lot about who they are as people. It tells me that they want good people in their firm to help the Clients they love and cherish with their life plans. It’s walking the walk when it comes to “Live Big” – it’s not about the size of your wallet, but about how you approach life and choose to take care of yourself and your family.

Additionally, the caring nature of those at Yeske Buie touches me. I feel like it’s changing me. I’m getting more compassionate, vulnerable, and calm. That’s not what I’ve experienced in my other experiences within financial services. From my experience, the finance world can be very transactional – when the deal is done, it’s done. But at Yeske Buie, I think it’s amazing that the firm genuinely cares about their Clients and even the multigenerational side in getting to know Clients children and loved ones, too! I’m learning that things are fast moving at Yeske Buie, but it’s about the quality of service and work that you do, and that’s been really meaningful for me.

Yeske Buie: We’re so glad you’re feeling that way already! Let’s talk more about Live Big. What is your view of the Live Big philosophy and what are a few of your Live Big goals?

Chantal Perez: I love the Live Big philosophy and the idea that you can have a limitless vision for your life. I think a lot of people can pigeon-hole themselves into feeling like their goals aren’t achievable when they ARE if they plan appropriately.

When I think about my Live Big life, I know that I want to be happy in my job for the rest of my career and to be able to spend time with my family and live a full life with them. I want to travel, to have events together, to watch my nieces and nephews grow, and give a home to some more animals when our new house is built – I’m planning on getting a backyard bunny from a local vet when I have the space! I also want to help ensure my parents are well cared for into their later years. They’ve worked so hard to help me be the lady that I am and I want to return the favor.

I also mentioned earlier that I love the idea of travel. I’d love to travel to Europe, Alaska, and Australia. I have lots of friends who have visited South America and I would love to explore there, too. Madagascar is also on my bucket list – there are animals there that you simply can’t see anywhere else. I think my love for travel started at a young age. I am the daughter of a career Army veteran and I was born in Germany (people wouldn’t think that with my Jersey accent – ha!). My memories from my time in Germany include playing with local toys, my sister getting annoyed with me because I’d take all the animals off her bed and drag them around in the laundry basket. I also remember it being a beautiful, green country. It was hard not to fall in love with adventure after that!

Yeske Buie: What a beautiful embodiment of Live Big! We look forward to the opportunity to be a part of your Live Big journey. As our last question, what inspire you? What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Chantal Perez: I like the mystery of what could transpire in a day. We often go about our daily routines in life and take things for granted. Instead, I try to challenge myself to view the day as if I’m going to create a new memory – I could meet my new best friend, I could save a life, I could help someone out in a distressed situation, I could do something amazing at my job. Getting up and not knowing but hoping for good things motivates me. And, of course, the love of my husband and my animals also inspires me every day.