The Power of the Pirate Network: Recap of the 16th Annual Jim and Judy O'Brien Capital Markets Colloquium

The 16th Annual Jim and Judy O’Brien Capital Markets Colloquium, which took place February 28 at Jubilee Hall, was once again an extremely energizing and impactful event for the Seton Hall community. More than 300 students and alumni of the Stillman School of Business participated in the day’s activities, including Bloomberg and CFA workshops, a BlackRock alumni guest panel, a networking luncheon, and a Business Career Expo featuring 39 New York-area employers.

Students from a plethora of different academic and personal backgrounds gathered that morning with the choice of beginning their Colloquium experience with a workshop by Bloomberg representative and Seton Hall alumnus Brett Christian-Burgess ’21 or CFA Institute presenter Rob Langrick and fellow CFA representatives Victoria Mamatova and Julia Susanne Orlich.

About 60 students packed the trading room to learn about the many valuable uses of Bloomberg terminals from Brett Christian-Burgess ’21. The Stillman alumnus, who now works for Bloomberg as an account manager, was delighted to share useful tips.

“Being able to understand the resources that we have available helps students advance their knowledge of financial markets and they can apply it to their resume,” Christian-Burgess said.

Attendees learned about using Bloomberg terminals to access market news, data, analyst reports, tool kits and even new A.I. functionality. Having these tools at their disposal, users gain insights into investment opportunities, market trends and potential employers.

“You can create a list of Seton Hall alumni who work at, say, J.P. Morgan,” said Finance Professor Ben Lowe, M.B.A., “So, not only can you network, but you can see what employers have been hiring fellow Pirates.”

CFA Institute representatives Rob Langrick, Victoria Mamatova, and Julia Susanne Orlich led a workshop that provided insight on the Institute’s CFA program and advice on how to approach the CFA exam and preparatory program. Presenters spoke of the program’s skills-based curriculum, as well as the different career pathways within the industry both in the accounting and finance realms. It offered students a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of CFA career paths and the responsibilities involved.

“It helped a lot of finance and FinTech majors, and people in finance classes,” shared Shayla Rivas, a junior studying both accounting and finance. “We got to learn from and interact with professionals. We realized that there’s a CFA scholarship, so it actually opened doors to many undergraduate students.”

Attendants gained valuable career insights and advice, such as skills-development in computer programming and financial-model building, and how to connect with industry professionals. The student engagement within the workshops that took place spoke to the value and impact of the colloquium, both for students and alumni as well as the speakers who were in attendance.

“Having CFA Institute and Bloomberg come to campus is a testament to a kind of magnetism within Seton Hall,” Langrick said. “It's great that they could bring these employers to campus. They did very well to assemble a high-powered agenda for the day. I see the engaged students and I think it's tremendously valuable.”

Following the workshops, Colloquium attendees filled up the Jubilee Hall Atrium for a guest panel of BlackRock employees who are all Stillman School of Business alumni. Sean McLain ’05, Vina Reddy ’17, Jennifer Taboada ’05, and Gregory Rosta ’98, M.B.A/J.D ’02 may all work for the same company and attended the same college, but the similarities end there. McLain is a vice president focused on fixed income investments, Reddy serves on the sales practice and operations team, Taboada is a national speaker on financial wellness, and Rosta, a regulatory expert and “triple alumnus” of Seton Hall, was recently promoted to Global Head of Electronic Communications Surveillance.

The alumni guests shared their experiences on how their education had prepared them for diverse professional roles aligned with their strengths and interests. The speakers also took the time to address student inquires about their individual career journeys, as well as current industry trends, including the implementation of AI into the presenter’s roles throughout BlackRock.

All four stressed the importance of networking to help land the right job. “When you're meeting and networking with individuals, ask them what the culture is like, and don’t just scratch the surface,” Rosta advised. “Ask how the firm has impacted their life.”

Following a luncheon in the Atrium, the day’s events concluded with the Business Internship & Career Expo at the University Center, featuring 39 diverse employers, including KPMG, BlackRock, Charles Schwab, Bloomberg, EY, and Prudential.

The Colloquium provided Seton Hall students with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn and network with industry professionals and gain insight towards propelling their own futures in the accounting and finance workforces. “It's because of opportunities like this, that you're really able to get a lot from your education at Seton Hall,” Amanda Gilbert, junior accounting and finance major, shared after the BlackRock employee panel.

The experiences these students received could not have been possible without the support of Jim O’Brien ’82 (a former Regent of the University) and his wife Judy O’Brien, whose commitment and generosity to Seton Hall is unparalleled.

“One of the priorities that we currently have, and always have had, but we really want to focus on going forward is high-impact experiential learning,” said Joyce Strawser, Dean of the Stillman School of Business. “That means connecting these students with practice, with business professionals, with themes and current trends and issues. Through their Colloquium, the O’Briens are bringing all these people together, and it is an experience that is amazing.”

Categories: Business