66: Rewind | CEO of a $400B Fund Admin Gary Tenkman Shares His Journey From Blue Collar Roots to White Collar Boardrooms | How He Manages Being an Introvert as a CEO | What Specialization Means As You Scale | How Client Service Can Be Your Edge in Investment Management

How did Gary Tenkman go from a first-generation college graduate who felt like a fish out of water in finance to CEO of Ultimus Fund Solutions, a $475+ AUI award-winning fund? 

It sure wasn’t easy. It took grit. It took being willing to get uncomfortable, fail, and learn (rinse, repeat). 

Grab your headphones and get ready for a backstory chock-full of lessons from places you’d least expect. 

Listen in as Gary discusses: 

• His backstory — from first-generation college student paying his own way to rocking the CEO seat 
• The importance of being willing to get uncomfortable, fail, and learn (rinse, repeat)
• What it looks like to be an introvert in a very forward-facing CEO role 
• How being an introvert is one of the things that makes him a great leader 
• The power of strategic scaling – why he considers culture first and profit second when considering acquisitions 

More about Gary Tenkman:
Gary Tenkman is Chief Executive Officer of Ultimus Fund Solutions, the largest independent registered fund administrator and one of the largest private fund administrators in the U.S.  As CEO, Gary works closely with the Ultimus executive team and board members with responsibility for providing strategic growth, financial, and operational leadership for Ultimus and its over 900 employees. Gary has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined Ultimus in 2014 as COO and was named CEO in 2019. Gary currently also serves on the Board of Governors for the Investment Company Institute.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Book: Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager, Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong about the World--And Why Things Are Better Than You Think

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Running a fund is hard enough.
Ops shouldn’t be.
Meet the team that makes it easier. | billiondollarbackstory.com/ultimus