The Secured Lender: CFA 40 Under 40 Awards Honors Michael Ticehurst
Michael Ticehurst is a partner and field exam manager for Rosenberg and Fecci Consulting, LLC, with 17 years of field exam experience. He handles routine field exams across all industries as well as effectively managing large, complicated multi-location or multi-entity requests. In addition to Mike’s general industry knowledge, he specializes in technology-related field exams in both the Asset-Based and Recurring Revenue (MRR) structure. Michael plays an essential role in the growth, mentoring and development of the field examiner staff at R&F. He is very involved in developing the company’s field exam policies and procedures and is also heavily involved in business development. Michael holds a BS and a MBA in finance from Monmouth University. Michael is currently on the Executive Board of the NJCFA. Michael resides in Hamilton, NJ, with his wife, Jennifer, and his two children, Brayden and Olivia.
How did you wind up in the industry?
We know most kinds don’t say “I want to be in commercial finance when I grow up.” Like many college graduates, I had an indistinct idea of what I wanted to do in my professional life. I left school looking for a “job” because I had little-to-no direction in regards to what I wanted my “career” to be. I left school confident in myself, my education and my drive to succeed but with no specific career goal. I left school solely with the intention of putting my undergraduate degree in Business-Marketing to good use. Following graduation, my first “job” was doing derivative trend analysis for a financial economist in Boston, MA. While not my dream job or a career, I learned enough to become more interested about the world of finance. My second “job” was in marketing/advertising for a Fortune 500 publishing company in NYC, which was more in line with my “career intentions”based upon my college degree. During my time with this company, I gained valuable experience and refined many skills. Most importantly, I was afforded the opportunity to begin my work on my MBA, which I would pursue with a concentration in Finance. Once I started the MBA program, I began to look for opportunities where I could utilize both my Marketing and finance degrees. That is when I found Rosenberg and Fecci Consulting and was offered a “job” in field examination. At the time, I thought this position would be a valuable resume item to get me into banking/lending, my newly-identified potential career path. When I started with Rosenberg and Fecci, I quickly realized that this firm was not giving me a “job”. They were offering me a career opportunity. Since joining R&F in 2005, I have been given the opportunity to grow professionally. I continually climbed the ranks from Junior examiner, to senior examiner, to field exam manager, ultimately culminating to being named a partner of R&F in January 2015.
What role has mentoring played in your career?
First, mentoring is a two-way street. You continually learn from those with experience and you pass off your knowledge to those who are learning. When I came to R&F twelve years ago as a junior examiner, I had very little knowledge of what field examination entailed. I was confident that in time, my education and experience to date would allow me to be successful. I was the only junior staff examiner at the time and my time was split working with the five senior examiners on staff. Working with this group of five senior examiners, I quickly realized that each of these senior examiners had a unique set of skills, knowledge and experience that they have accumulated over their professional careers, which they were more than willing to share with me. While I was new and learning the procedures, these senior examiners mentored me in refining my skills, explaining things to the point of comprehension, and providing both positive and negative feedback to help constructively advance my value to the firm. As the saying says – “pay it forward”. Twelve year later, I am very proud to be considered a mentor to several members of our firm. I work very closely with junior examiners through the training program and with senior examiners making myself available as a resource when needed. As a mentor, I stress the importance of communication. The key to being a good mentor is to not only to teach but to also listen and respond. As a mentor, I have to be assured that those being mentored by me are comfortable to ask me questions. Whether formal or informal, having a mentorship program within your firm or organization is very valuable to develop the culture of success for employees in their pursuit of a “ career”instead of a “job”.
This article appeared in September 2017 edition of The Secured Lender: CFA 40 Under 40 Awards Issue
