Andy Forsythe

Controller, Siena Lending Group

40 Under 40 Category: Operations

Biography:

Andy graduated from West Chester University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in accountancy in 2006.  He began his career as an auditor with the Philadelphia-based public accounting firm, Kreischer Miller, where he earned his CPA license and was exposed to a variety of industries including construction, healthcare and manufacturing as well as corporate and individual tax planning.  While working at Verizon Communication’s Tax Methods Department, Andy furthered his education and earned a Master of Business Administration from Philadelphia University (Jefferson).  Prior to joining Siena Lending Group as their controller in 2014, he worked at the Berwind Corporation as their corporate accounting manager. In addition to his role as a controller at Siena, he also assists in IT systems and network management, office moves and buildouts, as well as helping out in the other departments as needed. Andy lives in Stamford, Connecticut with his wife, Caitlin.

How would you define what a good leader is, and what can you do to reflect those characteristics as you progress in your career?

A good leader is someone who leads by example.  They show up every day and hit the ground running with a relentless drive for their goals.  They make a commitment to themselves and to everyone around them for continued improvement and success.  When you are in the presence of a good leader, they provide a magnetic energy that commands respect and makes people want to emulate them.  I also believe that good leaders are good teachers and communicators.  They have the ability to convey knowledge and information to their people that allows them to process and use it for overall organizational benefit.  Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a lot of excellent leaders.  Each and every one of them has had a different personality and a different way of dealing with challenges.  Because no single leader possesses all of the same qualities or skills, through my career I have tried to take pages out of different mentors’ books and have tried to apply them in specific situations that have come up along the way.

How do you think the commercial finance industry can attract more young professionals?

To attract more young professionals, I believe the commercial finance industry needs to refresh its image on college campuses.  The next generation of graduates needs to know that there is a variety of job opportunities in the finance industry that fit a multitude of personalities and skill sets.  The term “finance” is scary to many recent college students as it makes them think of the traditional number crunching, stock analysis, and your typical Wall Street persona.  A financial instrument is exactly the same as any other product or service offered in the market place and requires marketing, sales, and various back office support that that the average college graduate doesn’t even know exists.  Even as a trained accountant and having exposure to various industries, I never considered a career in finance until I was presented a great opportunity with Siena Lending Group. 

What is the best professional advice you have been given and how have you implemented it?

The best professional advice I have ever been given is to never stop learning.  To be successful in any professional environment you need to continuously update your skill set.  There are many places that this learning can be achieved.  I have personally implemented this by attaining an advanced degree in the evening while working full time.  Additionally, I have maintained the continuing professional education required for my CPA license, which has been extremely valuable in staying current on all accounting and tax issues.  But the most important way to learn is from your colleagues.  I have been very lucky in my career to have worked with some very experienced professionals who have been generous enough to share their knowledge with me. There is a very slim chance that you are the first person on earth to be encountering a specific business challenge and the guidance to overcome that challenge is most likely sitting in the office beside you.