Chris Jensen

Vice President, Asset-Based Lending, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

40 Under 40 Category: Underwriting

Biography:

Chris Jensen is a financial services professional with 13 years of experience across a variety of business lines. He presently is a vice president on the Structuring team in SunTrust Robinson Humphrey’s (STRH) Asset-Based Lending (ABL) Group.

Prior to joining STRH’s ABL Group in 2011, Chris was with Wells Fargo’s Regional Commercial Banking Office (RCBO) in McLean, VA for two years, where he served as a credit professional and authored a white paper entitled “Lending to Government Contractors” that became the framework for the institution’s lending policy in the federal services market.

Chris began his career in institutional fixed income sales and trading with RBS Greenwich Capital, providing sales coverage for government, asset/mortgage backed and credit default swap products.  While earning his BA and MBA from Wake Forest University, Chris completed an undergraduate internship on J.P. Morgan’s institutional equity sales desk in Boston, MA and was an MBA summer associate with private equity firm The Halifax Group in Washington, D.C.

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

I would alert my younger self to the reality that “sometimes the borrower-prepared projection model has a bust.” On a couple of occasions early in my career I spent countless hours trying to get my financial model to tie to management’s forecast. Paralyzed by indecision and self-doubt, I opted to futilely spin my wheels and hope for a resolution, rather than consult a colleague or reach out to the borrower for guidance. While success in the commercial finance industry is predicated on “learning by doing,” I can’t overstate the importance of having the courage to ask for help. I have found that professionals in our industry want to help each other because nobody has gotten where they are without some assistance.  

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

While interviewing with the ABL team at SunTrust, a managing director told me, “Work ethic and intellectual curiosity are essential to succeeding in this business.” Those words have stuck with me ever since.

At the beginning of a new engagement, I ask myself “What interests me about this business?” and use that as the jumping-off point for my due diligence. Although my underwriting responsibilities focus on identifying deal merits and mitigating risks, I never lose sight of the opportunity for learning and personal development afforded to me by each transaction. Every day I get a chance to learn something new about a company and their industry. The most rewarding part of my work is applying the breadth of knowledge I have accumulated on the job to my everyday life. For example, I haven’t looked at the beer aisle of a grocery store the same since I underwrote a credit facility for a beer, wine and spirits distributor. I am grateful for a career that allows me to never stop learning.

What role has mentoring played in your career?

Throughout my career I have benefitted from relationships with mentors who have exhibited a commitment to my personal and professional development. Having worked in a unique cross-section of the financial services industry, I am no stranger to the challenge of getting up-to-speed when starting in a new role. When facing new challenges, my mentors have always encouraged me to lean on the knowledge I have accumulated rather than focus on the steep learning curve ahead.

Today, my mentors offer me perspective when being too close to a situation hinders my ability to be objective. The lessons my mentors have gathered throughout their own careers and bestowed upon me, allow me to avoid mistakes and make better decisions.

Given the importance of mentoring in my own career, I am proud to serve on the leadership committee of STRH’s ABL analyst training and mentoring program. My hope is that younger professionals can benefit from my experiences the same way that I have benefitted from those of my mentors.

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

I believe opportunities in commercial finance, especially entry-level roles, are often erroneously associated with tedious paper-pushing and bean-counting exercises. While our line of work requires precision and executional excellence, it is far from monotonous. Young professionals should know that the essence of commercial finance is identifying problems and developing collaborative solutions. We are the engine that facilitates economic growth and job creation. Commercial finance offers as much creative latitude and opportunity for advancement as any other segment of financial services. I can’t think of a more solid foundation on which to build a career.