Lynne Ciaccia

SVP, US Bank

Lynne Ciaccia has more than 30 years of asset-based lending experience, most recently with U.S. Bank for the past six years.  She is a senior vice president, asset-based finance portfolio team leader and her current responsibilities include managing a team of five individuals who oversee a portfolio of large corporate asset-based relationships. This involves coordinating credit and relationship needs with relationship managers, other internal product partners, as well as clients, to deliver best-in-class execution, advocating for clients within the bank, while appropriately managing and balancing credit risk.  

Lynne is a Chicago native and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with a specialization in finance, from Marquette University, where she met her husband.  Lynne lives in a suburb of Chicago with her husband and two sons.  She is active in both work and community organizations, including being a member of the U.S. Bank Women Business Resource Group, SFNet Midwest Chapter Education Committee, SFNet Women in Secured Finance, the Holy Ghost Church Finance Committee and is currently president of the Addison Trail High School Citizen’s Advisory Council.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

Know your strengths and your weaknesses and work on both at all times. Also, keep a sense of humor and don’t take yourself too seriously. You don’t have to be perfect and know everything. Be comfortable not knowing and asking questions. It is not failure or weakness, but quite the opposite. Success and knowledge are a lifelong journey. The desire to learn and grow are important traits that will get you noticed over the course of your career.

Additionally, success is not all about the title and money. It is doing something you love every day and building relationships.  

Finally, believe in your worth and have confidence in speaking up for yourself.  No one has more to gain from your success than you do. If you want something, ask for it and believe you deserve it. Make your case logically and with solid reason. Additionally, keep in mind that timing is everything and you may not always be successful, but at least you had the conversation and it may work out later.   

What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

First, be open to new ideas and embrace change when it comes. Over the course of your career, you will experience a lot of change. Also, recognize and accept that change can come from your own perspective as well. I believe that, if you don’t welcome and accept change, growing and advancing may be more difficult. Advancement in your career doesn’t always mean a promotion. If you’re learning, you’re advancing. All of your collective experiences are important to becoming well-rounded, happy and successful.   

Finally, networking is extremely important. Always find the time to keep in touch and help others whenever you can. It’s very easy to get so busy you let networking slide. Schedule time; set aside an hour a week and be intentional. As big as this industry seems, it is actually very small. Building a strong network will provide you with a ton of benefits throughout your career, as well as make work more enjoyable.   

How do you balance work/personal time? 

My mantra has been work first, play later through most of my career; however, I now understand that I do not have to be on the job 24/7 to be really good at what I do. The work will always be there, so putting off play time is a mistake because then play time never comes.  Draw boundaries, learn how to say no and, if you’re not sure how to prioritize, ask someone for help. 

I have joined networking groups and attended seminars on ways to better balance work and personal time and that has helped put things into perspective quite a bit.  

What effect, if any, has working remotely had on your career and/or your industry? What have been the challenges and how have you worked to overcome them?

I believe more people working from home during the pandemic will have a positive impact on the industry in terms of teaching companies that employees can be more productive, happy and loyal if they have this flexibility.

I hope employers have developed an appreciation during this challenging time and continue to offer remote work.

While the pandemic has been difficult and tragic in so many ways, I have really enjoyed learning more about my co-workers through our video calls and chats, and I think it has taught us a lot about ourselves and how we manage through a crisis, both personally and professionally.