There will be challenges in life, but how you respond to them will define your success — these are some of the thoughts Scott Case '00 MBA, chief information officer of Truist Financial Corporation, shared at the recent CEO Speaker Series, which was part of the yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Belk College of Business and of the MBA program.
Case is a member of Truist’s executive leadership team and is responsible for the organizational unit that provides the company’s overall technology, operations and information-related services. He shared insight about his personal journey from UNC Charlotte MBA student to CIO of the nation’s sixth-largest financial institution, including several pieces of advice he’d give his younger self:
Life isn’t linear
There will be a lot of ups and ups and downs for certain. Be willing to take risks and cultivate a growth mindset.
Explore your passions
It’s important to explore the interests most meaningful to you and have a connection to a personal purpose.
Ask for help
This is one of the most important: Be vulnerable enough to ask for help and rely on those around you. Surrounding yourself with talented individuals and strong teams — and leaning on them — will allow successful navigation of all sorts of challenges.
The event, a virtual conversation between Case and Belk College Dean Jennifer Troyer, also focused on his leadership philosophy as well as trends in financial technology. Case also offered insight into last year’s merger between BB&T and SunTrust, which created Truist.
Of his time as a part-time student in the Belk College’s MBA program, Case shared “the skill sets I learned are still serving me really, really well to this day and almost always win out over the technical skills in the jobs that I've had over the last several years. What you're hearing is that I took away more than I was learning at the time about beliefs and values, and how to treat other people, how to build relationships and how to collaborate.
“You will have challenges, up and downs personally and professionally, but having that notion of perseverance and grit, work ethic,” Case said. “There is no substitute for it. Being willing to take some chances and have that growth mindset. Those are the components that will allow you to be successful however you define it.”
Charlotte-based Truist serves approximately 10 million households and has more than 2,000 employees based in Uptown Charlotte.
The CEO Speaker Series
Now in its fifth year, the CEO Speaker Series features alumni and friends of Belk College of Business who are in leadership positions who interact with undergraduate and graduate students. Previous speakers include Kelly King, president and CEO of Truist, and Donta Wilson '97, chief digital and client experience officer of Truist. The series is presented by the Belk College External Relations Team and the Niblock Student Center.
Green and Gold Drive Business
The Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte has been driving business for more than 50 years. Established in 1970, the college offers outstanding business education programs at the undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and executive levels. The Belk College is one of the Carolinas’ largest business schools, with more than 4,700 students, nearly 100 full-time faculty, and more than 33,000 alumni. Accredited by AACSB International, the college is committed to building strong partnerships in the greater Charlotte region and beyond as North Carolina's urban research business school. Learn more about how the Belk College is driving business at belkcollege.uncc.edu, and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.