Matt Ricci is Relationship Manager for Group Resilience at Barclays in New York and a member of DRI’s new Young Leaders in Resilience group. He shares with us his thoughts on being an Associate Business Continuity Planner (ABCP), his daily work duties, and why he chose to be part of this profession. 

How did you become involved in resilience and its related industries (business continuity, disaster recovery, emergency management, information risk management, etc.)?

MR: I started focusing on COOP as part of my day to day responsibilities as a leader in Emergency Medical Services. I decided to pursue a Masters in Emergency Management, which brought me to NYC to attend MCNY. After finishing graduate school, I worked for JetBlue Airways, starting off with a crisis management focus, and transitioning to business continuity and technology.

How would you describe your job to someone who is unfamiliar with the industry?

MR: My department’s job is to support all departments in the Americas. I’m part of a team that manages a portfolio of business continuity plans accounting for all of these departments, and we help them keep their plans current and test their strategies.

What do you consider the greatest advantage of being a resilience professional?

MR: I really enjoy the ability to learn so many different areas of each business I work in. You have to really dig in deep to understand how these teams function, so you get a really clear picture of the company as a whole.

What is your biggest challenge as a resilience professional?  As a young professional in the field?

MR: Moving pieces – so many moving pieces! You have to always make sure that your program keeps up with companies as they change. People come and go, buildings are moved, job functions change, and reorganizations happen. Making sure your program keeps up is a never-ending challenge.

What do you consider your greatest achievement or milestone as a resilience professional?

MR: I’m hoping it’s yet to come! I’ve completed some really interesting projects that I’d be proud to point to, but I’m just enjoying my continued growth and learning right now.

Why do you consider resilience and its related fields to be significant?

MR: I don’t know that it necessarily is significant in itself. You have to make sure you’re applying resilience to significant things, rather than having a program for the sake of resilience itself. Ironically, you could bankrupt a company by “just making it resilient” and trying to prevent every possible impact.

What advice do you have for those who are interested in joining this field?

MR: Network. Network, network, network. This field is full of the most nurturing, supportive professionals who will welcome motivated newcomers with open arms if you’ll get out to industry events and meet them. Think of a dream job of yours, find the person doing that job, and reach out to him or her for coffee, lunch, or an informational interview.

Keep an eye on our Profiles section in the future for further spotlights on resilience professionals!