Courtney Jespersen

Vice President, Asset-Based Lending, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.

40 Under 40 Category: Business Development

Biography:

Courtney Jespersen is a vice president in the Assed Based Lending Group for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.  Courtney is responsible for ABL originations for the Florida, Greater Washington, Maryland and Ohio Commercial Markets.   She joined SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in August 2013. 

Courtney has 12 years of banking experience, primarily in asset-based lending.  Prior to SunTrust, she was a vice president with Wells Fargo Capital Finance (formerly Wachovia) in asset-based lending.  Her prior experience in underwriting and portfolio management brings a full skillset to the origination of ABL loans for publicly and privately held companies in a diverse range of industries and capital structures.

Courtney holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a native of Charlotte, NC where she currently resides with her husband, Pete, and their two young sons, Reed and Henry.

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

If you do not know the answer to a question posed to you, whether it is in a credit committee meeting or a client/prospect meeting, admit that you do not know the answer and follow up once you have figured it out.  The senior people in our organizations have a wealth of knowledge that they have gained from years of experience; therefore, they may have prior experience that raises a question you have not yet considered.  Following up after further research will gain much more credibility than venturing to guess an answer.

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

In my mind, a good leader will never ask a teammate to do a task they are not willing to do themselves.  While we progress and grow in our careers, it is important to remember the earlier times in your career when you had to do more menial tasks.  I think it helps to relate to the younger generation and they are much more apt to want to help you and be invested in the work product they deliver to you.

What advice do you normally give to the junior talent you mentor/what advice would you give to forthcoming generation of talent aspiring to win this award?

My advice to junior talent is to try to work in all aspects of our business to gain better perspective.  Originations, underwriting and portfolio management are very different roles, but it is helpful to know what is important to your teammates when working on transactions together.  I have heard people say “Originations is easy” – then, I moved into the role, and realized that is not the case!

When interviewing junior talent, what do you say to pique their interest in accepting a position in this industry?

The most intriguing aspect of our business to me is that we are able to work with clients across a broad spectrum of industries.  The ABL financings we structure are tailored to each industry.  In order to accurately meet the client’s needs, we need to first learn about the industry the company operates in.  Each transaction has its own nuances due to the industry, ownership or capital structure, which allows us to learn something new with each deal.  While we work in “banking,” we are exposed to so many other businesses and that always keeps it interesting!