From Building Trust to Learning to Trust Myself: Reflections On My 16 years at Chatham Financial

As most people in my personal and professional network already know, my last day at Chatham Financial was September 30, 2023.? June 7th marked the one-year anniversary of my resignation.? I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my 16+ years at Chatham as well as attempt to address the most common questions I have been asked over the last year: (1) why did you leave? And (2) are you retired??

I hold Chatham and all Chathamites?(that's what we call each other) both past and present in the highest regards.??Chatham is truly world class in everything it does.

Reflections on an amazing 16 years:

My 16 years at Chatham were truly incredible and life changing.??Chatham came into my life through some serendipity.??I was a CPA working for EY on the audit of a Baltimore area bank, when I came across work from a firm called Chatham Financial.??As my interest in derivatives and risk management grew, I was able to attend an EY derivatives training in Houston, where I again heard the praises of the work being done by Chatham Financial.??After losing yet another audit account, tiring of the travel and hours that come from public accounting work, and having a desire to start a family, I was looking for a career change. Thankfully my college friend, now accomplished author and columnist, Henna Pryor , was working as a recruiter and had recommended I apply for a job at Chatham.??After considering 2 other job offers, I realized there was something unique about Chatham’s mission and PVC (Purposes, Values and Culture) and it would be worth taking the chance on a relatively small company in rural Kennett Square, PA that was equally willing to take a chance on me.

Fast forward 16+ years and more important than any of the billions of dollars of derivative product notional value I traded on behalf of the clients I served were the relationships I formed with those clients, my colleagues, the sales and trading representatives at the counterparty banks with whom we partnered to help clients achieve their risk management objectives, and the countless other people who make the interest rate and foreign currency risk management ecosystem what it is. At the end of the day, it is the relationships that matter.

I like to believe I was invested in the success of others, whether they were my clients or fellow Chathamites.? I know I wasn’t perfect along the way, but I am truly grateful for all of those who put their trust in me, I can only hope that you feel like that trust was well earned.

I am especially thankful for Michael Bontrager , who created a company that represented the interests of the end users of hedging products and focused as the expert on the client’s side, becoming part of the team.? A company that has gone on to represent some of the largest companies in the world, working on solving problems related to some of the largest and most complex transactions in the world.? A company that continues a legacy of building trust over the long term.? Charlie Munger was right when he said: “Trust is one of the greatest economic forces on earth.”

Looking back 16+ years after stepping into a truly unique and largely entrepreneurial company there was so much to learn and so many opportunities to grow.? There were so many things that I thought I understood about capital markets, risk management, trading and accounting, but I was constantly humbled. If you are ever in need of a humbling experience, try your hand at 800 pages of derivatives and hedge accounting guidance, ISDA agreements, derivatives regulation, and trading during Covid, amongst other experiences.

I am also grateful for the opportunities I had to positively impact markets and clients.??I am sure many people can relate to the trying times in managing risk through the GFC, the re-regulating of the derivatives markets, the COVID pandemic and the phaseout of LIBOR, just to name a few.??I was fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Chatham in serving end-user interest during the Dodd-Frank legislative process, serving on the CFTC’s Market Risk Advisory Committee and working tirelessly on the industry’s transition away from LIBOR.

How lucky I was to have the good fortune to work with such incredible people during such an interesting time in the derivatives markets.? All along the way?I was constantly surrounded by incredible teammates who were honest, selfless, collaborative and cared about doing excellent work.??I worked with clients who shared many of those same attributes. I learned so much each and every day.

Why did I leave Chatham??

Working in financial services and risk management can be rewarding but also challenging.? The field requires extensive technical knowledge, constant adaptation to changing markets, and the ability to handle increasingly global, 24/7 transactions.? Staying at the top of your game requires intense focus and sacrifice.? My typical workday involved a lot of stimuli and required me to move from problem to problem, using a lot of energy.? While I was typically able to maintain my energy through the relationships with my colleagues and clients, it was fatiguing.

For many years I was able to recharge my battery through the joy I found in learning and in working to solve the various problems my clients faced. However, over time, my work stopped being the spark that was reigniting my flame.? Although work was meaningful and had its place in my life, I was left with little energy for the people and things I most loved.? Work no longer inspired me to be the best version of myself. To maintain the level of physical, mental, and emotional investment I deemed necessary to meet my client’s needs, I realized that continuing would mean suppressing my true self and my own definition of success—a compromise I was no longer willing to make.

There's a saying that everything in life has a price, and not all prices are on the label.? When I lost the love of the work I was doing, I knew I was ready to stop paying the price associated with career success.? I was ready to put down my "to-do" list to focus on my "to-be" list, trade-off professional success in pursuit of finding more personal joy and fulfillment and to immediately be of service?to the people who I value most in my life, my wife and kids.

Many of you can likely relate to how your work becomes your identity.??I recognize that my identity to many people is what I’ve done professionally.??When your identity is what you do, it becomes hard to quit what you do, even when it no longer lights a fire inside you.??I realized my work did not and does not define me as a person. It wasn’t an easy decision, and it?is scary to?step off the ledge with an abyss below. That said, I am confident crossing that abyss is the quickest path to my definition of a successful life.

I had achieved more than I ever dreamed of when I started at Chatham all those?years ago.? The decision to leave was entirely personal, I knew the time had come for me to start a new journey.??Perhaps with additional time my love for my previous work will return, I would like to think a return to the risk management advisory business and capital markets is a door that I will never fully close.

Sometimes you have to prune the vine so it will bear more fruit.

As for retirement???Am I retired??

No.? At present I am continuing to be a lifelong learner while enjoying the opportunity to spend time with my family and friends while pursuing my interests and hobbies. I am also working with a great group of coaches and individuals who are helping me bring out the best of my gifts. I have something in the works that I’ll be ready to share in the coming weeks and months.??I know I have more to contribute to the world. While I’d like the sphere of contribution and influence to reach a wide audience, I will also be satisfied if the sphere of that contribution only ever encompasses those whom I care the most about.

All I can say is stay tuned!?