Can you tell us about your role as Director of Project Management and Implementations and what brought you to Siepe?
As the lead for the Project Management Office and Implementation functions at Siepe, my primary responsibility is ensuring we deliver exceptional business value to our clients. This begins with deeply understanding our client’s business goals and aligning them with a well-defined, strategic implementation plan.
By collaborating closely with clients, I ensure our team develops a roadmap that meets their objectives and drives long-term growth. Once a project is in motion, I oversee all communications – both internally and externally – to guarantee transparency and alignment at every stage. Unlike many vendors who wait until after the sales process to introduce a PMO plan and implementation team, Siepe takes a proactive approach. I’m involved from the outset, actively monitoring and mitigating risks to ensure there are no roadblocks to success – which is vital for consistently exceeding client expectations.
I first learned about Siepe when I was on the client side, and was very impressed by the Siepe team’s professionalism, expertise, and commitment to client success. This experience not only introduced me to the platform’s capabilities but gave me a firsthand view of Siepe’s strong culture of excellence—one of the key factors that attracted me to join the organization. Having only joined in August this year, I look forward to leveraging that experience to help further Siepe’s growth and deliver value to our clients.
For businesses looking to implement third-party technology vendors, what are some of the steps they should take?
As technology evolves, clients are increasingly aware of the risks associated with large-scale implementations and vendor transitions. The longer the project, the greater the risk, making it essential to understand the full scope of your implementation needs upfront to minimize delays and avoid disruptions.
Therefore, businesses should begin by clearly identifying their specific needs, and pinpointing the area of the business requiring support—whether it’s collateral administration, financial reporting, or another critical function.
Next, businesses should evaluate how much each vendors’ products will affect and enhance their operational performance. Will the solution enhance efficiency, and how seamlessly can it be integrated? Answering these questions is crucial to ensure that the solution will add value without disrupting current existing business models.
What are some of the biggest challenges that the industry faces? And how has the loan servicing industry evolved?
In my opinion, loan servicing has been slow to evolve in comparison to other areas in our industry. We still rely on outdated technologies, such as fax, email, and physical paperwork, to disseminate loan information and execute transactions. This results in a process that remains highly manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors.
The stagnation in innovation is not due to a lack of effort. Some companies and individuals have attempted to drive progress, but there appears to be insufficient incentives for industry incumbents to move forward collectively which hinders overall operational efficiency and the ability to deliver superior client experiences.
Siepe has taken proactive steps to push the industry forward by investing in technology and incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into daily processes. We leverage established technologies such as AI, Machine Learning (ML), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate the extraction of loan data and contextualize it for given use cases. Additionally, we are actively exploring cutting-edge AI technologies and training them to significantly reduce manual workload and increase processing speed.
Is there an opportunity that you feel the business leaders in the credit space are missing out on?
Business leaders in the credit space are underutilizing their data to drive better decisions. Although AI initiatives and related technologies are shaping the future, these systems can only deliver value if powered by well-organized and accessible data. Credit managers utilize Siepe’s platform to manage data and processes to ensure reliable downstream results and providing a solid foundation for the advent of AI tools.
During my time on the client side, I frequently saw PMs, Traders, and Analysts struggle with fundamental tasks—such as integrating technical and financial data for a comprehensive investment analysis. This disconnect not only slowed down decision-making but also limited their ability to extract actionable insights from their data.
This is one of the reasons I was drawn to Siepe. Siepe prioritizes data as a strategic asset – unlike many competitors who claim to be ‘data-first’ but lack a clear approach – and invests significant time upfront to understand client data ecosystems, reporting needs, and the flows between systems. This enables us to deliver meaningful business value to our clients.
What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I was born and raised in NYC and had been a “City Boy” my entire life. Over a decade ago, my family moved to Westchester when my daughter was almost 1. Despite my city roots, I have totally bought into the suburban lifestyle! I raise 7 chickens on my property and have a nice sized garden where I grow fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. As someone who has always loved cooking it doesn’t get better than home grown farm to table for Chef Benny!
