Sunday, July 26, 2020

QA with Fred Bunker, VP of Finance Viewpoint careers advice blog

QA with Fred Bunker, VP of Finance Fred Bunker is the Vice President, Finance at New York City Football Club. Fred has spent 15 years of his career working in the sports industry. He began his career with the New York Jets, and spent time at NBCUniversal as the Director of Finance, Facilities, Sports Olympics. 1. Can you talk us through your career journey to date and how you reached your current position? I’ve been fortunate enough to spend my entire career working within multiple aspects of the sporting industry. I started out as a finance intern at Madison Square Garden and then moved on to the New Jersey Devils in 2003 as a Staff Accountant. After that, I progressed into a management position at the New York Jets and was there for almost 4 years. I then returned to Madison Square Garden as finance manager and after 2 years I moved to NBC Sports Group where I was Director of Finance, Sports, Facilities and Olympics. I’m now the Vice President of Finance at New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and have been with the Club for coming up to four years. 2. Have you actively planned your career/followed a career plan? I’ve not followed a specific career plan, but I would say that there’s been a common theme throughout all my roles. With every career move I’ve been actively seeking out a challenge, as I believe that with challenge, comes growth and development. So, I’ve never shied away from a challenge I’ve embraced them throughout my career, as I’ve always known that would be what would allow me to become a more-well rounded finance professional. I’ve also tried to gain as much experience in multiple aspects of finance such as accounting, FPA, and banking, all of which has been massively helpful in getting me to where I am today. 3. What aspects of your role are most challenging and how do you overcome those challenges? I’d say that working in a fast-moving, global organisation such as NYCFC brings amazing opportunity, but also some challenges. It can be incredibly difficult to keep up and maintain some level of control and process when the organisation is growing so fast. I’ve found that the best way to overcome this is to build strong relationships with our operators and get involved in the business as much as possible â€" this has built a level of trust which is invaluable in such a fast-changing and constantly evolving environment. 4. What do you think are the most important skills for people working in Finance to have now, and in the future? The foundation starts with strong financial and technical skills. Beyond that I think it’s important to spend time with the key business operators to better understand their needs. Those learnings are critical for building trust and forming strong internal partnerships to meet financial objectives. It’s also clear to see that business is shifting towards tech and data, it has definitely been a key investment space for us at NYCFC. So, it’s important for finance professionals these days to have the skills to be able to understand and support those areas. I’d recommend readers start to think about how data can help them. 5. What advice would you give to those embarking on or in their early years of a finance degree?   Be open minded and learn all areas of finance. There’s a lot of diversity in this area and even though accounting may not be for you, FPA might be or banking or some other area. By doing so, you’ll be able to find that one key area that interests, motivates and inspires you to progress your career within that specific space. 6. What’s the best piece of career advice you have ever been given? Understand that your career is not linear. With today’s rapid rate of change, it’s important that you get embedded into the business and build strong relationships. I’d also say that you need to be open minded and adaptable in order to succeed. Again, with the rate of change, projects and priorities move quickly, so you should have no expectations around the types of roles you might undertake. Be open minded and embrace change. 7. What do you think are the top three qualities that make a good leader? A clear vision â€" it’s vital to have a clear vision for everything you do, and that you are able to see the long-term benefits that could arise Communication â€" you need to be able to very clearly communicate your vision to your team for them to understand and support it, otherwise you will be constantly faced with challenges and blockages Empathy â€" leaders need to understand what works for them, while considering the challenges they’re facing as well. You should be able to tailor your approach to the needs of the organisation, but also to the needs of your employees 8. What are you most proud of in your career? I am incredibly proud of the incredible organisations that I have been a part of, as well as the amazing colleagues I have met along the way. There has not been a single day I have gone to work and have not been impressed, pushed and motivated by my peers. I feel incredibly blessed to have had such talented people and interesting businesses to work with every day. Did you enjoy this blog? Here is some related content that you may be interested in: Six qualities you need to be an inspirational modern leader QA with Brad Sims, CEO, New York City FC QA with Jon Stemp, Chief of Infrastructure, City Football Group

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