MIAMITODAY

MIAMITODAY
WEEK OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015
SERVING SOUTH FLORIDA’S MOST IMPORTANT AUDIENCE
Most banks’ executive training programs have disappeared
It all changed: Raul G. Valdes-Fauli.
Natural progression: Erin Knight.
Bucking a trend: Claudia Rupner.
By Catherine Lackner
Formal training programs for bank executives – some lasting as long as 24
months – are a thing of the past in South
Florida, observers say. Some question
whether they were all that relevant to
begin with.
“Formal training has changed,” said
Raul G. Valdes-Fauli, president and CEO
of Professional Bank and chair of the
Miami Finance Forum.
It was a trend in the ’80s and ’90s, but
because the market is now dominated by
smaller banks, grooming rising talent has
become a more informal process, he said.
“The less-sizeable banks in South
Florida have fewer resources to throw at
training. Some of the big shops still do
it.” TD Bank, he noted, has TD University in Mt. Laurel, NJ, and other national
banks might have training programs at
their headquarters.
Professional Bank has instituted a rotation program, he said, that has been
successful. “We bring in young talent
and give them exposure to every depart-
ment in the bank; then they can understand banking in its totality,” Mr. ValdesFauli said. “We identify areas they’re
more interested in. Even though it’s not
formalized training, it creates wellrounded bankers.”
The evolution away from formal training “makes it all the more important to
hire seasoned, knowledgeable management that is eager to impart knowledge.
Mentoring fills a huge void.”
His bank has attracted such management, Mr. Valdes-Fauli said. “We’ve
done a really good job of hiring senior
management who are proud to be
bankers, really love imparting knowledge, and want to see the next generation
coming up. We don’t just hire deal
junkies.”
“It’s a natural progression over time,”
said Erin Knight, Miami market president of Stonegate Bank. “Some people
have innate talents for leading others,
and when a bank sees that, that person is
given additional responsibility in small
pieces.”
Someone who began as a bank teller
might become lead teller, then branch
manager, she explained. “There are
many stops along the way; I don’t think
it needs to be on a set path, or in lockstep,” Ms. Knight said.
Potential bank executives are also encouraged to be involved in the community, volunteer on committees and
independently seek out educational opportunities in the banking industry, she
added.
Commercial lending training is probably more rewarding professionally than
executive training programs, she said,
because it covers a number of topics and
builds comprehensive knowledge.
The American Banking Association’s
commercial lending school, for instance,
teaches lending best practices, loan-portfolio management, financial analysis,
credit training, dealing with the regulatory environment and more.
“You can stand above your peers” with
that kind of knowledge, Ms. Knight said.
“I personally believe that a leader has a
skill set that can be developed. But people who have commercial lending training can take a deal from start to finish
and understand all of its implications.
They’re not just writing deals.”
Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust seems
to be bucking the trend, though. It offers
two training programs, Claudia Rupner,
executive vice president and human resources director, said via email.
For the associate development program, “We actively recruit university
graduates and take them through an 18-
24 month training program during which
they are exposed to Gibraltar Private’s
business model,” Ms. Rupner said.
“This cross-disciplinary training program touches upon all areas of the bank’s
products and service offerings and aims
to develop well-rounded associates with
knowledge in a variety of client wealthrelated issues.”
A private shadowing program allows
trainees to try on another role. “They can
shadow an individual in another area of
the bank in order to gain knowledge and
understanding of the other associate’s job
functions, their role within the structure
of the company and the impact they have
on the organization’s success,” Ms. Rupner said.
“We value and encourage associates at
all levels to take part in our training programs and we are pleased to be able to
provide them with the tools and resources necessary for them to become
successful, well-rounded bankers.”