Erica McGinnis, president and CEO, AIG Advisor Group

McGinnis leads Advisor Group, which has 5,400 investment advisers among its four broker-dealers — Royal Alliance Associates, Woodbury Financial Services, FSC Securities Corp. and SagePoint Financial.

Overcoming barriers: “It’s an aspiration to have a 50-50 male-to-female ratio of advisers. I started in the business 20 years ago, and it was a Type A personality, salesperson culture. It’s a relationship business (now), not just a sales position, but barriers to entry are still steep (for women).”

Reception: The 2015 Most Influential Women in Arizona Business will be recognized at the Most Influential Women in Arizona Cocktail Party on August 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Chateau Luxe. Click here to purchase tickets.