Alumni Spotlight: Shirin S. Baradaran

Shirin S. Baradaran graduated from IU in 2013, just after the Global Financial Crisis.

“That was a time of change and a time of people grappling with really big questions about our financial structure,” says Baradaran. “Now our financial markets are in turmoil again so everyone is once again asking, ‘How can we improve this balance between business interests and protecting investors?’ It’s an interesting time.”

Baradaran currently acts as legal counsel for Fidelity Investments, with her area of focus being asset management and, specifically, registered investment funds.

“Functionally, what that means is that I help clients with their business problems and help them develop and execute their strategies in a way that complies with applicable laws,” says Baradaran. The industry is highly regulated, which means businesses in this industry have to comply with a long list of statutes and rules.

“There are a large number of laws enacted by different regulatory bodies that are sometimes contradictory and always painfully complex,” Baradaran says. “My job is helping the business understand its obligations, develop strategies for complying and meeting those obligations, effectively communicating those strategies to internal and external stakeholders, and then basically helping to keep the lights on!”

Being a corporate lawyer is not easy work. You’re expected to master so many different learning curves quickly, have a firm grasp of business concepts, and be an incredibly strong critical thinker while also demonstrating creativity, collaboration and technical perfection.

“That’s a tall order for anyone,” says Baradaran. “But my background in BEPP—in particular, the technical skills it taught me, the critical thinking, economic and business concepts, and teamwork—prepared me well for that challenge.”

She admits to being constantly surprised by how much public policy impacts her day-to-day job.

“I always thought I’d mostly need my economic skills, but actually it’s the big picture of public policy—the understanding what governments do and why—that has been a really important skill,” says Baradaran.

During her senior year at IU, Baradaran and her team won a business case competition in which the grand prize was scoring courtside seats to the men’s IU basketball game on Senior Night.

“My boyfriend [now husband] was student teaching in northern Indiana and drove back to campus through a snowstorm to go to that game with me because that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!” she says.

Baradaran met her husband, Anthony Zeese, freshmen year through debate, and they became debate partners.

“Those have been skills that have carried through in our marriage!” she says. Living in New England, they love to explore all the great beaches and breweries. The couple have a Golden Retriever puppy named Lucy despite Anthony lobbying to name her Hoosier.

Baradaran, an avid reader, also serves as an elected official in her town of Dedham, Massachusetts, as she is the chair of the town’s board of library trustees tasked with overseeing the library’s operations.

“I enjoy representing different stakeholders and dealing with a lot of really important issues,” says Baradaran, who just finished reading Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America. “Libraries are in the news all the time right now related to banning books and representation. We have to make sure we’re still relevant in our community, and I get to help the organization navigate some of those challenges.”

One of Baradaran’s IU professors once told her, “You never want to be the smartest person in the room.” For the longest time, she didn’t understand that, but she’s come to realize what he meant.

“When you’re not the smartest person in the room, then that’s an opportunity to grow, learn and be challenged,” she says. She has also recognized what a privilege it is to learn when someone is willing to teach you.

“We get busy, learning is hard, and maybe we’d rather not do it, but if someone is willing to teach you something, it’s smart to take advantage when that gift is given.”