Meet Nikhil
Valuation Services
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Matt Kisiel
University of Arizona – Eller College of Management
BS Finance, Management Information Systems, and Operations Management
Although I had three majors in college, I thought my career would be in finance. But I changed my mind after a few internships at big banks and in wealth management. The internships exposed me to client-facing work, which I really enjoyed. But they didn’t expose me to solving intricate problems, which I also wanted to do.
It was pretty clear that I should go after some type of consulting career. So I ended up turning down the full-time offer from my last internship and applying for consulting jobs instead. I was excited to see the opportunity at Equity Methods because it seemed like I’d get to work with a lot of high-profile clients while expanding my technical skills.
I started out as an associate in Equity Methods’ financial reporting group. Since then, I’ve worked with many large public companies and pre-IPO companies. I’ve also been able to do a lot of different implementations, which are especially interesting projects. In the interim, I was promoted to consultant.
For me, a chief aspect of professional growth has been the ability to tackle complicated subjects with a lot of people, some of them very senior, across many different organizations. Outside of Equity Methods, I don’t think it’s common for young professionals to have that kind of visibility. It’s one reason why we have very strong mentorship from more senior consultants and managers. They help you craft good messaging and convey technical information in a readily accessible way.
Another area of development has been the ability to hand off project work. That often involves helping newer members of the team get up to speed on what needs to be accomplished. In effect, you want them to be better than you so they can keep the improvements coming. One of the most satisfying aspects of my role has been watching some of my associates pick up responsibilities based on what they’ve learned by working with me and the rest of the team.
Besides client work, I’ve also been very involved in the Architecture Task Force. That’s an internal initiative to build automated tools to support our work. The aim is to continually improve the speed and efficiency with which we get things done for our clients. I also conduct regular training sessions to help the financial reporting team improve their coding abilities. It’s another opportunity to improve my public speaking and communications in general.
What skills do you think makes someone successful at doing what you do?
To succeed, you’ll have to want the professional development that comes with the job. Because communication and problem-solving are the two biggest things you’ll need to get better at every day.
Are there any client projects that stand out?
I worked on one of the bigger spin-off transactions that occurred in the US market. When a company spins off a portion of its business, there’s a conversion that gets applied to all the shares. We had to calculate the conversion, then provide it to the stock administrator to perform the conversion. The work was so complex that Equity Methods was brought in to handle it. I was on that project for only six weeks or so, but it was one of the most challenging I’ve ever had.
What do you like to do outside of the office?
I spend a lot of time outside. Rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, snowboarding, mountain biking—I pretty much do it all, whenever I can! I also play a lot of board games.
What’s the last book you read?
The Stormlight Archive. It’s an epic fantasy series. I actually listened to it on audio. I like listening to audiobooks while doing something else, like working out or cleaning.
What’s something people wouldn’t necessarily know about you?
I happen to be really good at yo-yoing. I won the Equity Methods talent show at the holiday party a couple of years ago. For yo-yoing. Yep.
If you had a special guest, what meal would you prepare for them?
Whenever I have people over, I set up my version of a burrito bar. I prepare everything from scratch—beans, rice, proteins, vegetables, all the fixings. It’s a lot of fun, and it never fails to be a hit with my guests.
