SFNet 40 Under 40 Award Winner Catch up With Jan Tammen

How did receiving the SFNet 40 Under 40 Award help your career/visibility?

The 40 Under 40 Award increased my visibility within the peer group and my own organization, and allowed me more confidence in the approach I was taking to my current role as a regional field exam manager and basic training course instructor. This ultimately resulted in me being offered the position, into which I am currently in the process of transitioning, of National Recurring Field Exam Manager for PNC Business Credit.

What changed for you professionally after receiving the Award? How do you think the Award helped your professional life, either directly or indirectly?

There was not a lot of immediate change, but I have the benefit of working in an organization that acknowledges and rewards hard work, though it never hurts to also have more recognition. Having the award gave me the recognition of my peers and thus the ability to pursue some of the ideas I had been working on in recent years.

Please explain more about your new role at PNC.

In my new role at PNC Business Credit, I will oversee all aspects of the field exam department as it relates to recurring business/exams across the bank’s national footprint. My responsibilities will mainly include oversight of the Regional Recurring Field Exam Managers, but also involve working with our business partners within the bank and our internal resources on efficiency and organizational matters relating to recurring field exam. Beyond this, I will continue to personally teach our internal field exam basic training classes for all new hires brought into PNC Business Credit field exam.

How can young professionals seek out opportunities to build their recognition in this industry, whether they received a 40 Under 40 Award or not?

This varies slightly for every personality type, role, and person. For me personally it was hard work, initiative, and a willingness to apply what I had learned in one role or area to problems encountered in others. I was able to build a tool chest of approaches and ideas, and then adapt them to situations as they arose. This allowed me to build efficiency in my primary day-to-day tasks, which in turn then gave me more time to work on other initiatives and ventures, such as the training role.

Did winning the Award encourage you to get involved in other professional organizations or groups outside of work?

Following the 40 Under 40 Award, I have begun volunteering with the CFA as an instructor for field exam and ABL-related course materials. I taught a course on collateral in the fall of 2018, and have been part of a team effort to create a universal field exam glossary of terms for the CFA and its members. I look forward to future teaching and volunteering activities in the future, as it is challenging and enlightening to work with other members of the broader ABL community.

What advice would you give to our upcoming 40 Under 40 award recipients in 2020?

In everything you do, try to have a vision and purpose. Think about how the decisions you are making will not only affect what you are working on right now, but the broader organization and, in some cases, the future trajectory of your team or your own career. If you only think in the now, you may be missing opportunities to create something greater in the future.

What are your favorite vacation spots? Do you have any good book recommendations?

One of my favorite vacation spots is Portugal, the “other” Iberian country. It’s a beautiful country with great history, nice weather, and good food (as long as you don’t mind the occasional salted cod). The people are nice, albeit a little more reserved than Spaniards, and it’s a small country, so getting around and seeing what you want to see is fairly easy. I would recommend going in the spring or fall, since the summers can get a bit hot.