University at Buffalo School of Management

Buffalo Business - Autumn 2013

The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management

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Autumn.2013Final_layout 8/1/13 12:49 PM Page 28 Alumni Impact The Power of Connections The School of Management is fortunate to have a significant number of alumni who help recruit our graduates for positions at their companies. While some of these alumni are official human resource personnel, others act more informally, by putting in a good word about a particular graduate or extolling the school's reputation as a whole. But Matt Wagner '03 takes putting in a good word to a Photos: Don Danneker Matthew Cohn and Matt Wagner whole new level. His belief in our graduates is so strong that he has encouraged relationships beyond his own company. In 2011, Wagner returned to his native Buffalo to A senior vice president of consumer finance at First join First Niagara, and his volunteer activity increased as Niagara in Buffalo, Wagner has helped the School of he worked with the school's Center for Entrepreneurial Management develop a fruitful relationship with Capco, a Leadership, helping redesign the Henry A. Panasci global business and technology consulting firm that Technology Entrepreneurship Competition. provides strategic advisement to Wagner's division. While working with Capco's Matthew Cohn on Wagner has worked closely with consultant Matthew projects at First Niagara, Wagner learned more about the Cohn, a partner in Capco's New York City-based banking consulting organization and their need to find quality practice, for nearly two years and, during this same time, people for careers at their firm. In Wagner's words, it was has gotten more involved as an alumni volunteer. After "a match made in heaven." receiving his MBA from Cornell, he reconnected with the Cohn was on board with Wagner's ideas. "Capco School of Management while working for Goldman Sachs is a mid-sized firm, and we were looking to establish some in New York City. relationships and identify talented individuals for our "My career had taken off, and I realized that the root programs," Cohn says. "We thought this could be an causes for my success were the tremendous foundation opportunity for a unique partnership and core skills I learned at UB," with the School of Management." Wagner says. "So I attended a After Cohn discussed ideas with Network New York event because I Capco's human resources department, wanted to start giving back." Wagner introduced him to Appelbaum At the event, he met Gwen and Dan Wolfe, the CRC's employer Appelbaum, assistant dean and director relations manager, in fall 2012. "We of the school's Frank L. Ciminelli basically hashed out some plans on a Career Resource Center, and Cynthia bunch of napkins at Spot Coffee," Cohn Shore, senior assistant dean for alumni recalls with a laugh. and external relations. Soon after, he After that, it was "full steam joined the board of the School of ahead," Appelbaum says, remarking Management Alumni Association how impressed she has been with the (SOMAA), eventually becoming the level of activity from Capco with the organization's vice president for faculty School of Management. Khyle Kim presents at the relations. Undergraduate Consulting Club's case competition sponsored by Capco. 28 Buffalo Business Autumn 2013

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