
Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.
Medina Jett left a career as a corporate compliance officer to form Integrated Compliance Solutions Group LLC in large part to help women and minority-owned investment advisors attract clients.
Seventy-trillion dollars are managed in this country, but only 1 percent of that money is invested by women and minority-owned firms, she said.
“Smaller investment advisors often don’t have the compliance infrastructure to attract institutional capital,” she said. “We create a model for them that will make it cost-effective and help them build a compliance program, which is what institutional investors want to see before they’ll give them assets to invest.”
Since 2008, Farmington-based ICSGroup has been breaking down the intricacies of securities regulations to help companies put compliance rules and procedures in place.
Jett started with a handful of clients. Now she and her team of seven consultants work in offices in Farmington, Atlanta and Austin, providing counsel to investment advisory firms throughout the United States as well as Africa.
They have 30 clients right now.
Jett, 54, attributes her success over the past 12 years to providing not only the highest quality consulting services but also to the power of word of mouth.
Her first client was JoAnn Price, co-founder and managing partner of West Hartford-based Fairview Capital, who said recommendations are important in any business but particularly in compliance.
“I would not have taken the chance on Medina had I not been convinced of her integrity and ability,” Price said. “She’s very structured, disciplined, works cooperatively and is an exceptional listener, taking the time to understand a business and what it needs.”
As the only black woman-owned compliance company in the world, Jett has faced obstacles.
“Black people and women have never been a large part of the asset investment industry,” she said. “The first reaction is often a question as to my level of expertise.”
Although some clients just want a quality product, Jett said she has frequently had to defend herself and refer to her 30 years of professional experience as an attorney and compliance officer in the asset-management industry.
“It’s a cost I have to bear,” Jett said, which has inspired her next goal — to take what she’s learned and pay it forward. “Given where I’ve been — corporate America and starting my own company — I want to empower women by sharing the strategies that worked for me that will help them climb the corporate ladder: networking, building relationships, taking risks and, of course, always knocking the ball out of the park.”
These are skills many women may not have learned from their parents or in college, Jett said, so she wants to share knowledge and serve as a role model through Jett Speaks LLC, her latest professional endeavor.
Jett has a long history of helping others. With her other companies, she offers pro-bono consulting to minority and small business owners through Jett Consulting LLC and financial literacy training for young adults in underserved communities and professional athletes through Financial Literacy for All Inc.
What’s been your biggest professional accomplishment so far?
ICSGroup. I started an asset management compliance firm in 2008 at the onset of the recession. Consider that 95 percent of all businesses fail within five years.
To be the only African-American woman in the country to own a compliance firm in this highly regulated, white-male dominated industry for 12 years and counting is an accomplishment that makes me extremely proud.
What’s the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally?
My 30 years as a corporate executive and entrepreneur and my desire to propel others led me to develop a system to help diverse professionals achieve greater professional and financial success.
Through my newest venture, Jett Speaks LLC, and my book, ‘GPS: A Woman’s Guide to Professional Success,’ my next big goal is to help women and minorities ascend the corporate ladder and shrink the wage and wealth gaps.
What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over?
I strongly believe that to whom much is given, much is required.
There are so many young women and people of color who didn’t grow up learning about finances and who didn’t have exposure to corporate careers or entrepreneurship.
I want to create a path to success for those people. I want to leave a legacy of inspiration and actual strategies — playbooks if you will — that can change lives for generations to come.
What are your keys to maintaining business success?
Excellent customer satisfaction is at the crux of any business’s success and it’s no different for me and ICSGroup.
Exceeding our clients’ expectations each and every time so that they want to tell others about their experience working with us has been a key part of the success equation.
The Hartford Business Journal 2025 Charity Event Guide is the annual resource publication highlighting the top charity events in 2025.
Learn moreHartford Business Journal provides the top coverage of news, trends, data, politics and personalities of the area’s business community. Get the news and information you need from the award-winning writers at HBJ. Don’t miss out - subscribe today.
SubscribeDelivering vital marketplace content and context to senior decision-makers throughout Connecticut ...
All Year Long!
The Hartford Business Journal 2025 Charity Event Guide is the annual resource publication highlighting the top charity events in 2025.
Hartford Business Journal provides the top coverage of news, trends, data, politics and personalities of the area’s business community. Get the news and information you need from the award-winning writers at HBJ. Don’t miss out - subscribe today.
Delivering vital marketplace content and context to senior decision-makers throughout Connecticut ...
All Year Long!
In order to use this feature, we need some information from you. You can also login or register for a free account.
By clicking submit you are agreeing to our cookie usage and Privacy Policy
Already have an account? Login
Already have an account? Login
Want to create an account? Register
In order to use this feature, we need some information from you. You can also login or register for a free account.
By clicking submit you are agreeing to our cookie usage and Privacy Policy
Already have an account? Login
Already have an account? Login
Want to create an account? Register
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Our privacy policy
To ensure the best experience on our website, articles cannot be read without allowing cookies. Please allow cookies to continue reading. Our privacy policy
0 Comments