Yvonne Kizner

Senior Vice President, Blue Hills Bank

Biography:

Yvonne Kizner is the senior vice president of Blue Hills Bank’s Asset-Based Lending Division, in charge of loan operations and underwriting, a group she co-founded in March 2016.  Prior to Blue Hills, Yvonne spent over six years at First Niagara Commercial Finance. In both her current role as well as at First Niagara, her specialized knowledge of liquidation values and asset valuation has been a critical factor in the management of the ABL portfolio.

Prior to First Niagara, Yvonne spent the bulk of her career in the liquidation community, serving as the president of HCP Asset Advisors, LLC. Prior to HCP, she spent almost 10 years at Gordon Brothers Asset Advisors, ultimately serving as the managing director of the valuation group.   Yvonne is a graduate of Babson College and began her career at Coopers & Lybrand as a senior associate, earning her CPA. Yvonne is a member of the Secured Finance Network, formerly Commercial Finance Association, and the Turnaround Management Association, and received the Phil Frieze Award while at Gordon Brothers for her philanthropic activities with the Womens Union, a Boston non-profit organization.  She resides in Wellesley, MA with her two teenage daughters, Samantha and Danielle.

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

My advice is to have an open mind.  Although you may have a specific career path in mind when you start out, many times the people we meet, both within our organization but also professionals outside the organization, present opportunities completely outside that path. I would also suggest asking lots of questions up front and generally being a really good sponge.  There’s so much to learn from your more-seasoned colleagues, but we’re all so pressed for time that, unless asked, you will miss out on learning from their experiences.  No one expects those starting out to know everything, so use every meeting as an opportunity to garner new perspectives and listen to those “war stories.”

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

 I think I learned this fairly early on, but one item that will define those that excel and those that may not is learning how to leverage your network.  Of course, working hard and making sure you have the knowledge and time management skills to meet your deadlines, and striving to go above and beyond what you’re asked is the hallmark of most successful people. But I have seen many hard-working friends who are still in the same place 10 years later.  Those that look beyond where they are now, periodically gauge how their industry is changing, evaluate what skill sets they possess and determine which skills they are striving to add to their “toolbox,” and ultimately build off their current network to get them to that next stage will see growth in their career.  Also, get comfortable in front of a crowd – no one likes public speaking in the beginning, but it’s important.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

 These have been game-changers for me. When I started out working for PWC, it was grueling working 80-plus hours a week and I knew early on that I preferred to use my financial knowledge in a different way than auditing.  I was fortunate to be assigned to a deal with a manager who helped me understand the various options I had, and ultimately made me open my eyes to moving to a completely different industry, which at that time was going to Gordon Brothers and learning the liquidation business.  I had a fabulous mentor there, who would spend time with me going over details of agency agreements, why we go for certain strategies depending on the deal, and helped me learn very quickly (again, be a sponge!).

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

That is a tough one; going into commercial finance may not sound as appealing as working for something in social media or the e-commerce sector.  I think today’s graduates will need to be convinced this is a career move that will be gratifying, so we need to institute more training programs and provide insight into how this career path can offer challenge and growth.  Maybe inviting college finance seniors to one of our industry panels followed up by a networking social is one idea, but passing on our own “war stories” to the younger generation and becoming those mentors ourselves is something we should all take on.