Welcome to our MyVestor Spotlight series, where we highlight what makes MyVest so special – our people!
How long have you worked at MyVest?
It has been 3 years.
Tell us about your role at MyVest.
At MyVest, my role is Customer Success Director. I feel like our Customer Success team is the glue between all the various departments that power our Strategic Portfolio System™ (SPS), as well as the glue between the platform and our customers. My focus is to work with our technology and information security teams. Our team handles everything from upgrades to implementation of new products to running point on various projects. Since data has always been of great interest to me, I run point with our customers to coordinate all our projects with MyVest’s Data Mart.
What has been your career path?
With my parents and brother in Iran, on vacation in the city of Isfahan. I do have another brother who wasn’t yet born.
My career began as a programmer and through the years I managed developers, development projects and conversions. It started with a service provider in trust systems and has always stayed in the wealth space.
I have a knack to explain complex concepts in simple terms using visuals. I think because of that I was called on to tag along with our sales team. Those engagements lead me to be more involved in product management and sales. To this day the programmer in me helps me find and drive towards solutions. I get the most satisfaction when I can help our customers in the process.
What brought you to MyVest?
Almost all of my career was spent working for Thomson Reuters’ Clearing Platform. After 20 years, I moved to California and worked remotely for them. That eventually led me to find a company based in California. I knew about MyVest through my roles at Thomson Reuters and even met Mike Everett, VP of Business Development, along the way! After talking to some key leaders, I knew MyVest was a special place with an unmatched culture and I needed to be a part of it.
What do you like most about working at MyVest?
Circa 1978 when my brother and I came to U.S.
People and culture goes without saying. But beyond that I am addicted to this industry. There are a lot of opportunities to learn and discover new solutions. I am most intrigued by the inner workings of SPS and the technology that it runs on. Learning and the challenge of understanding how things work in this space, whether it is technology, products or the industry itself is what keeps me going. I can see that the chance to always learn can go on indefinitely at MyVest.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My tendency is to please everyone, but once in a while I have to remind myself of this quote: “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
And “Stay humble,” has become my mantra over the last 10 years. A long time ago, I used to be very competitive professionally, but I have learned humility makes life easier.
What would you do if you weren’t doing this?
My wife Fara and I in front of our ranch.
I would venture into starting my own consulting business in Wealth Management Technology, but in a way it feels like I am doing that at MyVest.
What do you like to do for fun?
I like to spend time among our trees.
What is your biggest personal achievement?
Building our farm. I owe it to my wife for bringing out the farmer in me. Being close to and respecting the earth, the water and the air, makes me feel like I am in the right place. I love spending any free time I have in our grove, taking care of our fruit trees and grape vines. Working the land is my gym, it is my entertainment, it is my travels or going out. In our grove trying to find the problems and solutions is what makes it interesting, but at the end watching our trees grow, flower, and fruit is the most satisfying. All of that means nothing unless I can share it with our family, friends and co-workers. Sharing the end product is what makes me happy.
