Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2008 - (Page 34)

MEET DAVID DeFILIPPO PEER REVIEW I n an industry as widespread and diverse as workforce development, it’s not surprising that there are many roads that lead to the learning department. But the industry is also diverse enough that it’s not surprising when you meet someone whose personal path seems a bit unique. Meet David DeFilippo, former high school track coach, Spanish teacher, and UPS driver and salesperson, now director of learning and development for BNY Mellon Asset Management. What a long strange trip it’s been. In truth, some of the journey isn’t that strange in the scheme of things. The coach and teacher comparisons are spot-on with a learning leader’s role, and delivery and sales are certainly tools in the training director’s kit. “I started teaching right out of college,” Dave said. “I think what stands out to me the most is the impact teachers and coaches had on me in my life, and I decided I wanted to do that.” Secondary school teaching wasn’t the end of the line for Dave, however. His interest in business eventually brought him to UPS, where he started as a delivery driver before moving into management. At that point, he said, UPS took advantage of his education background and assigned him to lead a training project. It began by migrating 65 call centers into 10 mega-centers, and grew from there. After a couple of years, he said, he was officially hooked on corporate learning. He eventually left UPS for a sales and training role with a cable TV provider, where he saw his role grow. His career progression took him to Capital One, then Bank of America, before settling in at BNY Mellon Asset Management last August. With 3,500 employees, BNY Mellon Asset Management brought Dave onboard to essentially create a global learning and development function for that part of the Bank of New York Mellon Corp., a global financial services company with a workforce of over 40,000 worldwide. “Our focus is on building our capabilities with leaders, technical skills and the way we bring employees into the business, i.e. onboarding,” Dave said. “I like the industry very much. I like the fact that it’s very results-oriented. I also think what’s special about the industry is you tend to work a bit more with the analytical competency, which is a good fit for me. And the bar in this industry is high as far as talent, as in BNY Mellon Asset Management we have a very intellectual group of individuals that enjoys healthy debate and has a thirst for information. In this industry you have to be a business person first, and a learning and development professional second. It’s not like one is better than the other. It’s almost like you have to have a double major.” Looking back, Dave is happy with how his journey has progressed. “It’s been a great ride,” he said. “I love my work, love my job. One of the things I’ve learned is that I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do, but I tried a lot of different things. When I found the thing I wanted to do, it made the work more fulfilling.” 34 Training Industry Quarterly, Summer 2008 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2008

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2008 At the Editor’s Desk Contents Ezine Email Winning Organizations Through People Before You Buy… Learning Technologies Games & Simulations: Playing to Learn Designing Learning Simulations: Strategies for Leveraging Failure Business Impact 101: The Value of Learning Strategic Alignment: Transforming the Business of Training Meet David DeFilippo Meet Krys Moskal Meet Vince Eugenio Dealing with Death: Learning’s Most Sensitive Lessons Closing Arguments

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2008

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