Brian Baker

Senior Vice President, Citizens Business Capital

40 Under 40 Category: Underwriting

Biography:

Brian is a senior vice president for Citizens Business Capital’s underwriting team.  His primary responsibilities include completing due diligence and documenting ABL transactions for new client acquisitions.

Brian joined Citizens Bank in 2000 and completed the Credit Analyst Training Program.  In 2001, he joined the Business Capital group as an analyst.  After gaining further experience as a portfolio manager, Brian moved into underwriting in 2006.

Brian received his Bachelor degree in management with concentrations in finance and accounting from Boston College in 2000.

Brian, his wife Carolyn and daughter Sophia reside in Redding, CT, where they enjoy gatherings with friends and family, swimming and golfing as the seasons permit, and most of all playing all kinds of crazy games that Sophia creates.

How did you wind up in the industry?

As I was completing college, I interviewed for a number of positions in financial services.  I knew that I wanted to remain in Boston, and Citizens was a great fit as it was an exciting time for the bank with the recently announced acquisitions of the US Trust and State Street Bank commercial lending portfolios. While in the Credit Analyst Training Program, I was advised to complete a rotation within the asset-based lending group since understanding ABL is a great foundation for all lending groups within the bank, providing a deep dive into credit analysis.  I took that advice and, after receiving a full time offer upon graduating from the training program, have been part of the Citizens Business Capital team ever since.

What roles has mentoring played in your career, what is the best professional advice you have been given, and how have you implemented it?

I have been very fortunate to have had several key mentors throughout the years, which, combined with great colleagues in general, are the primary reasons I have been with Citizens Business Capital for my entire career.  The best professional advice I was given very early in my career, in addition to obtaining ABL experience, was to be inquisitive, absorb as much information as I can, and always strive to continue learning.  It can be challenging to do this on every transaction opportunity due to the tight deadlines that we all operate under, but doing so not only ensures that credit risks are properly identified and mitigated for the current opportunity being evaluated, but expands your knowledge base to better prepare you for the next one.  I really appreciate the mentors I’ve been lucky to have had throughout my career, and try to pay it forward with guidance and as a sounding board for younger colleagues on our team.

Is there a piece of professional advice that you would give yourself if you could go back in time?

The biggest piece of advice that I would give myself if I could go back in time, and which I have to remind myself often with only mixed success, is to keep priorities straight and maintain perspective.  It is so easy to feel overwhelmed when facing challenging underwrites and deadlines rather than taking things one step at a time.  More often than not, things tend to work themselves out and the elevated stress levels prove unwarranted.  In those cases when the high stress is absolutely warranted, finding a little time with friends and family to maintain perspective goes a long way to meeting the professional challenges as well as maintaining a strong work life balance.

One other piece of professional advice that I would give myself would be to focus more on network development earlier.  Although my network has expanded over the years through my membership in the New England Chapter of the SFNET as well as through experiences on many transactions, I recognize that my network could be stronger at this point in my career and for a younger professional, more focus on building a strong network earlier could lead to additional professional opportunities.