Who: Ruth Porat, Morgan Stanley CFO

How she fiercely influenced finance:  Porat is considered to be the most powerful woman on Wall Street right now, as noted by FierceFinance. For more than 25 years, Porat has developed into a powerful player on Wall Street, with an IPO resume that boasts eBay, Amazon.com and Blackstone Group, notes American Banker.

She joined Morgan Stanley in 1987 and has advised on some of firm's highest profile cases, including the government takeover of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG.

Porat became CFO last January, during an important time for the company. Morgan Stanley has been transforming itself "into more of a steady producer than an investment bank susceptible to swings in the market" and Porat remains at the helm of the rough transition, according to the New York Times.

What's more, she was named one of this year's 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury&Risk for her crucial role in determining how to position Morgan Stanley for the future.

What's next: According to the Morgan Stanley CFO, the firm has "seen signs of activity beginning to pick up in September across [its] businesses," but she warned that it's "too early to assume that these trends are going to continue," notes Wall Street Journal. However, Porat has assured investors that Morgan Stanley's investment banking pipelines remain healthy across various segments.