Academics
Mathematics Alumni in Business/Finance/Investment Banking Careers
Chris Higgins '06
I am working in the financial district of Boston as an Investment Associate at UBS Financial Services. I also have my Series 7 and Series 63 Licenses, and I'm currently pursuing the CFA program, a graduate level program for investment professionals. Some of my job responsibilities include: putting together asset allocation models for existing clients; entering and executing both fixed income and equity trades; putting together marketing pieces to present to existing/prospective clients; tracking all of our equity and mutual fund holdings.
I would say taking challenging math courses (almost all of them are challenging) really develops one’s problem solving skills and one’s ability to analyze very complicated problems. Finance is a very complex field that requires exactly the type of analytical skills I developed at Saint Michael’s in the math department. Any job in finance requires excellent quantitative skills, which is exactly what the math professors gave to me.
Matt Baker '97
I have been at the Chittenden Bank, a division of People's United Bank, for 11 years. I am a Business Analyst in Burlington, VT, where my daily activities include system analysis, business performance reporting, project coordination, and system application security among other various responsibilities.
I find that my math background from Saint Michael's, along with the support and expertise from all of the professors in the math department, has given me the knowledge and opportunity to succeed. At Chittenden, we are currently working on a system core conversion which will take us into spring of 2010. I find it a great challenge to coordinate and integrate our current structures and procedures into a new system architecture, but know that I have the tools to get it done. I must admit though, that the true application of 'Real Analysis' out in the real world for me has been learning what 'limits' my kids can push me to before I give in and spoil them. It ends not being a very complex problem the end. They always win!
Jamie Pitney '95
My last title at Fidelity Investments was "Director – Corporate Executive Customer Strategy." In that role, I was responsible for the development of the strategy and execution of how to better develop corporate executives (emerging, mid and C-Suite level execs) as customers. Specifically, how do we better retain equity compensation (i.e. stock options) as assets within Fidelity accounts when the options are exercised. I completed my MBA from Clark University (Worcester, MA) in 2000.
My mathematics education from Saint Michael's was very important to my career. Overall, I have had a much stronger and more comfortable understanding of numbers, in general, than most. A good and recent example is with my most recent role. In trying to retain stock options as assets, we were first trying to figure a way to help the exec maximize the value of the options. The Black-Shoals model is a common way to value stock options. Using that in the service model and customer strategy (and understanding how it worked) was very important.
You can visit my LinkedIn profile page and see my full career path. I would highly recommend that recent or soon to be graduates start to build their profile page and "get connected" to the Saint Michael's Alumni LinkedIn group. It's a great way to network with alumni in their professions.
Michele Williams Hudson '95
I am currently a Principal Business Analyst – Technology Training for Liberty International Underwriters. I will be creating a technology training strategy and implementing structure around the technology training process for Liberty Mutual’s International Underwriting division. In addition, I will be providing instructional design and development for new courses in both instructor-led and web-based formats. We provide training and assist with reference documents for the software systems that are used in the field to research and generate insurance policies for special business needs.
I am two classes into my MBA at Suffolk University, after having taken various master's level classes over the years on topics that were relevant to the jobs I held at those times.
In addition to my mathematics education at Saint Mike’s, I also took a few computer science courses and focused on secondary Education. This combination was very well supported by all of my professors and has led me in some very interesting career directions. I have actually applied my statistics courses as a Statistical Process Control trainer and analyst. I have had the chance to merge my technical and teaching backgrounds through various IT software training positions, including the position I am now in. In addition, my well-rounded education from Saint Mike’s has allowed me to hold management and leadership training positions, where I created and facilitated training on subjects ranging from coaching employees to interviewing job candidates. I am certain that the wealth of opportunities and well-rounded education that I received at Saint Mike’s has been a key factor in allowing me this career flexibility.
Eric Caputo '92
I am a Transfer Pricing Director for the accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. I completed a master’s degree in mathematics at the University of Vermont, an MBA at Northeastern University, and I have worked in transfer pricing for more than 12 years. My projects include: establishing global cost sharing and intangible property migration strategies (for multi-billion dollar manufacturers of semiconductors and pharmaceutical and consumer products); performing economic analysis relating to intellectual property structuring and migration (for software developers and other manufacturers); and preparing transfer pricing support (for IRS audits, advance pricing agreements, and competent authority proceedings).
One thing I've learned is that having a strong quantitative background and education is immensely valuable for any career. Although I may not daily use my college and graduate mathematics directly in my job, the solid foundation and training that I received at Saint Michael's College has benefited me throughout my career.