Now a private banker with J.P. Morgan, Glion alumnus Stefano Bottinelli joined our school to get his educational journey back on track after a false start, before ‘closing the deal’ at an on-campus recruitment event.

If you think banking is just a numbers game, think again. While there are plenty of roles that suit number-crunchers, at its core the industry is all about relationships – and this is especially true in the rarified world of private banking.

It’s a field in which a good number of Glion alumni have made their mark. One of them is Stefano Bottinelli, a class of 2015 graduate who recently returned to the school to give an inspirational talk to current students.

As a Banker for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Geneva, Stefano has fulfilled a childhood ambition inspired by his mother’s highly successful, 30-year career in wealth management.

But like many success stories, Stefano’s meant overcoming a significant setback along the way.

“My first university experience didn’t work out for me,” he explains. “Finding myself in a lecture room full of 200 people, just listening to one person and taking notes; then sitting in the library reading the course notes… that just wasn’t how I imagined university life being.

“I was looking for something a bit more practical, and also a degree which might open multiple doors for me.”

As one door closes…

So, Stefano quit his course and started looking for an alternative. And that’s when he was introduced to Glion. “I had a couple of friends who were already there, and they spoke highly of the school and the atmosphere.”

That curiosity translated to earning a place on our Bachelor’s in International Hospitality Business. So the obvious question is, was it hospitality that Stefano had in mind when he became a Glion Bachelor student?

“I think when you join a school like Glion there’s always a moment when you dream of becoming a hotel manager. I was no different. But at the same time, if you look at that career journey, you have to be 100% committed and passionate to make it, because the climb to the GM’s office is long and tough.”

Instead, Stefano kept focused on his banking ambitions, marking the once-a-semester Recruitment Day firmly in his calendar. Why? Because that was when a talent acquisition team from J.P. Morgan was coming to campus.

Day of destiny

“I remember it well because it was close to the end of the semester, and I’d been waiting for the Recruitment Day for almost the entire semester already. I didn’t make a single other application because I was so intent on joining J.P. Morgan. To be honest I don’t recall anything from their presentation because my mind was totally on the post-presentation interview!

“The J.P. Morgan recruiters were impressed by my motivation letter, which I’d spent a long time preparing. If I have some advice for anyone in that situation it’s that what they say about the first five minutes being crucial is absolutely true. Even today when I interview people, I’ve pretty much formed a picture about them in those first five minutes.”

Stefano’s effort paid off, and today he’s based in Geneva with J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “My role is essentially twofold,” he explains. “One is to onboard new clients to the bank, and for that I focus specifically on Ultra High Net Worth Individuals in the Swiss market. The second element is managing a book of 20 to 25 clients.

“We work very much as a team, and my role is to coordinate how we engage with each client. For me, it’s an incredible role because it gives me a lot of responsibilities and exposure to fascinating clients.”

Getting those results is complicated by the fact that ultra-high net worth individuals are few in number and thus highly sought-after by institutions like J.P. Morgan. To bring a new client on board can take years of effort and patience – so much so that Stefano readily acknowledges ‘closing’ as being among the most challenging parts of the job.

“Whenever we are successful, we must keep our feet on the ground and stay humble about it”

“You need to be extremely patient, and I always try to have this mental approach of ‘never too high, never too low’. We won’t get every client over the line, and if something negative happens we cannot make it a big issue and must continue working on the next opportunity. By the same token, whenever we are successful, we must keep our feet on the ground and stay humble about it.

“The relationship building process is difficult, because sometimes you cannot understand why a prospect has suddenly gone quiet for no reason. But you need to keep trying, and even if they say ‘no’, well maybe just try again in a year’s time or change the strategy. Something could have changed in the meantime, and they say ‘yes, let’s start working together’.”

Team player

For the teamwork element, Stefano can draw upon his Glion experiences, as well as what he learned about team play from time spent on the soccer field.

“At Glion, the number of projects we did in groups was a great experience,” he says. “And not just from the team dynamic, but also because we were tasked with delivering projects without always having complete information. That meant we had to make fast decisions based on assumptions, and this helps to create a mindset that’s very useful in the real world of work.”

The Glion connection doesn’t just live on in terms of academic learning. J.P. Morgan has been an enthusiastic recruiter of our graduates for some while now, which means there are plenty of fellow alumni for Stefano to connect with.

“There’s a lot of them around – I think I almost lost count, to be honest!” he smiles. “At one point, not long after I started here, I was in a team where out of 12 people there was something like four from Glion.

“I think organizations such as J.P. Morgan appreciate the fact that Glion graduates are ‘plug and play’ – by that I mean they have a good selection of soft skills. If you join a company like this, you’ll be taught the technical skills you need to do your job, but the soft skills you bring with you are what provides the ideal balance.”

With his immediate career ambitions satisfied; Stefano is conscious not to set too many lofty goals for the future – at least not in public.

“Right now I’m happy to continue climbing the corporate ladder at J.P. Morgan. This firm has invested a lot in me, and there have been plenty of people who’ve mentored and supported me along the way. I want to try and pay back the trust they’ve placed in me; plus I’m also conscious that this is a very competitive and results-oriented business. So although I have some longer term objectives, for now I’ll be keeping those to myself.”

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Stefano, and best wishes for the future from The Insider!

Photo credits

Main image: Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Recruitment Day: Céline Michel
Geneva image: George Pachantouris/Getty