October 2021 Member Spotlight: William "Bill" Wiedel Jr.

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Member Spotlight: William (Bill) Wiedel Jr.
 
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer, Director
 
Company: CFG Bank
 
Length of time you’ve been a FEI member: More than five years
 
Work email: [email protected]
 
Work phone number: (410) 769-596
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
After college I worked for Ernst & Young for 5 years which was a great entrée into the business world. I learned what it meant to be a professional, but at the same time it was a lot of fun. My primary client at E&Y was a bank, so I automatically became a “banking expert” which led to my next job at Provident Bank, where I continued my career for the next 23 years while earning my MBA. I started as the assistant Controller, and then worked as the CFO of their mortgage banking subsidiary and then continued into the profitability area.

My experience in all these different areas of finance led me to become the CFO of a community bank (one of my goals) at Patapsco Bank. This was in 2008, in the midst of the financial crisis, which taught me a lot about bank regulation as new regulations were continually being issued. In 2012 I became the CFO of CFG Bank. As it was a private company, I didn’t know much about the organization, but I quickly learned what an amazing company it was. There were some unique challenges at the bank, and colleagues appreciated my problem-solving approach.  During my tenure, we hired a president with a credit background.  The vast majority of my previous bosses were CPAs.  Me being a CPA, I could only learn so much from another CPA. This opportunity to learn bank credit gave me the confidence to assume more responsibility. When the Bank’s owner asked me to be the President three years ago, I felt I was ready to do the job well. I was basically handed a high-performing company, but have been able to take that and expand into new opportunities. We’ve been on a pretty good roll and I look forward to continuing to find more opportunities to help us thrive even more.
 
What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
 
You are involved in all aspects of the company, which allows you to learn a tremendous amount and to contribute to the success of the company.
 
Do you think it takes a certain kind of personality to thrive in finance? What traits are most important?
 
In finance, you work with the entire senior management team and you encounter many different personalities. It’s important to adjust to the various personalities but at the same time not to compromise your principals. 
 
What is your best networking tip? 
 
When someone wants to meet with me, the answer is rarely “no.” You will usually be able gain something positive from the interaction even if it’s not directly on point with what you’re trying to accomplish.
 
What personality traits and intangible qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent?
 
Beyond the basic requirement of being qualified for the job, it is absolutely critical that the person fit into our company culture. It’s so important for people to be able to work together in a collaborative and productive way. If I sense that a person doesn’t fit into our culture, I will not hire them.
 
What is your best tip for how to stand out in the finance field?
 
Spend a lot of time thoroughly understanding general business, your industry and your company. Then, figure out how to best contribute to your company. It’s essential to understand how the business operates and succeeds. If you can help the business managers to succeed in their jobs you will be successful as well.
 
What are some of your personal hobbies outside of finance?
 
Music and concerts, reading, and playing golf, tennis, and pickleball.