Ian Vukovich
Ian Vukovich: 27
Project Manager, Florence Savings Bank
When Ian Vukovich is asked, as he often is, just what a project manager does at a bank, his response is, “very exciting work.”
“Here at FSB it’s essentially change management,” he explained. “So I’m involved with new initiatives, some vendor management, some contract negotiations. And it’s generally projects that span more than one department. So while it could be potentially difficult to find that ownership initially, that’s where I come in.”
With Vukovich at the helm, the bank has undertaken several successful new programs, including one popular initiative he oversaw this year called Free Tunes Checking. He added that the role gives him exposure and interaction with all the senior executives at FSB, and from the perspective of someone who aspires to continue his ascension within the banking ranks, this is what interested him most when he took the job just over two years ago.
But Vukovich’s leadership role doesn’t stop at the office door. “At FSB we have a big commitment to the community,” he said.
When the bank was approached by the Dakin Pioneer Valley Human Society for a “young, energetic person” to sit on its board, Vukovich got the nod. He has, over time, joined the finance, nominating, and executive committees. And when the president of the Northampton Area Young Professionals stepped down recently, again, it was Vukovich who was elected to take that spot, along with the seat on the Northampton Chamber of Commerce board of directors which comes with that title.
He says that, professionally, the sky’s the limit for where he will go next, and with his track record it’s pretty easy to agree. But one stop along the way will be this May, when he finally finishes his MBA at UMass Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management.
Still, Vukovich stays modest despite a stellar résumé. “You just do your best every single day,” he said, “and hope others recognize that.”—Dan Chase
