IA Alumni—Where are They Now? Featuring Danna Regnier

By Laura Henschel

Danna Regnier, Innovation Academy class of 2017, has grown from an IA undergrad to MIB graduate student, and climbed the ladder at Citi Bank where she is now an Assistant Vice President. Reflecting on her journey, she discusses the corporate world after college, her career, and finally gives advice to rising juniors and seniors going through the recruitment process. If you or someone you know is interested in careers with Citi Bank, connect with Danna on LinkedIn – Danna H. (DanQing Huang) Regnier

Q: What year did you graduate from UF? What majors or minors did you pursue during your undergraduate career, besides Innovation?

I graduated in [the spring of] 2017, with a Master’s degree in International Business specialized in Supply Chain Management. For my undergrad, I have a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Operation Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. I have a minor in Entrepreneurship, aside from Innovation.

Q: How do you think the Innovation minor has complimented you in your professional career? 

Because I have the Innovation minor, I often go for the problem-solving opportunities. This has expanded my career in a way that it did not for other people. For example, if you are that person that always brings new solutions to the table, always asks the questions, while others don’t, then additional doors will open for you. [While I] do my core responsibilities well, I have that innovative mind; I always look for process improvement opportunities…I optimize my capacity, so I have more bandwidth to search for new opportunities…I’m able to think through questions, scenarios, and come up with the different solutions. That’s why I have advanced faster than people who [have] started at the same time as me.

Q: What was the most beneficial element of the Innovation minor coursework for you? What was a singular thing that was the most beneficial?

The part of always seeking solutions. A lot of professionals are very good at asking questions, right? They point out things that don’t work. But, it takes those who truly have the problem-solving and critical thinking mind to look for the solution. 

 [Inside of] corporate America, senior leaders don’t care about problems. They don’t want to hear [that] there’s a problem! But they do want to hear that there’s a solution. It’s not enough for you to point out that there’s a problem, you have to bring the solution to the table… Say, ‘I have something that you could implement that will make this work, or work better.’ Doing this minor pushed me to always think about things like that.

[Having problem-solving skills] is the most important element that a lot of younger professionals don’t think of. They feel that they have their degree… [so] they should just have the promotion handed to them – not the case! Your education, skillsets, experiences, and other qualifications have got you in the door but won’t take you any further. It does not warrant you promotions or progressions in your career – you have to do more than that to advance. That’s when the innovative mindset, the critical thinking, the problem-solving skill comes in, that is what pushes us forward. 

Q: Where are you currently? Where would you like to go in your professional life?

Right now, I am an Assistant Vice President at Citi Bank. I am in Enterprise Supply Chain Organization; I am the analytical support for the sourcing team, and this job requires a lot of different skill sets that all play together: Client Relationship Management, Strategic Planning, Analytical and Quantitative skills, Presentation and Communication skills, and so on. They all play together for me to be successful at being a value adding asset for my stakeholders. I’m looking to transition outside of Operations. Because I spent the first few years of my career in Operations, although I have learned a lot, I think it’s about time for me to transition my career into a new area to gain exposure. So in the future, I will have more career progression opportunities open up for me.

Q: What do you encourage up and rising professionals entering the corporate world or just the business world in general?

I believe that a lot of us when we enter college, we think we are going to work hard and get our degree so we will get our dream job. We have a very pointed focus, thinking that ‘I am going into the engineering college, I’m going to be an engineer; or, I’m going into designing school, I’m going to be a designer; I’m going to business school, into finance, I’m going to be in finance.’ In the corporate world – and I learned this the hard way – working in one, singular focus, does not benefit you at the beginning of your career. Successful professionals not only have to go deep in one discipline but able to go wide across many disciplines. We as younger professionals need to grasp the opportunity to gain exposures and experiences across the businesses and functions.

I started in Operations, my next step is to find an opportunity outside of operations: maybe in Client Service, maybe in Retail Banking, maybe in other things, to broaden my horizon. You need to go wide before you go deep to understand the organization on a broader scale, and on a higher level so you can open your eyes and broaden your thinking to prepare for leadership positions. You can then think about where you are and where you are in relation to everyone else. That’s a very important conceptual skill to have that can only come through exposures to different functions and businesses. 

Q: Do you have any final thoughts or comments that you would like to make?

I encourage rising juniors and seniors to broaden their horizons. Do not fixate yourself in one profession, one industry, or one company. Fun fact! Throughout my college career – especially my undergrad – I had always wanted to work for a Big 4. And I almost got it! I almost got it multiple times – Final interviews with Deloitte and EY, I even interned with PwC and joined their summer leadership program – but it never worked out. So, I was very defeated, and thought I wasn’t good enough… [But] that’s when I learned that this industry, this profession, this path that I had chosen for myself, might not be for me; I might not be a good fit. 

So, I decided to let go of my pre-existing biases and just explore, look at different options, companies, and industries. And guess where I ended up? I ended up in the Defense Contracting industry! That’s completely different. Instead of going into Financial Consultancy, I went into Supply Chain, and I have been successful so far. We need to be open minded and understand that we have biases when we are thinking about our career, which will limit our search to find a good fit where we will be successful and fulfilled. 

As much as we thought that recruiting process is honest and transparent – it’s filtered. Companies tend to show you the positive things about this career. So really listen to the interviewer when they say “You know, I don’t think you’re a good fit for this position.” Instead of taking it personally and being defensive, think about why…Whenever I interview a younger professional or recent graduate, when I sense that they’re not going to be happy or successful in this position, I will tell them. I’ll say “this is not exactly what you’re looking for. You’re looking for X, and we offer Y, and those are not the same thing. You’re not going to be happy – you’re not going to grow, you’re not going to learn, you’re not going to get the experience that you’re looking to gain.” 

Instead of getting defeated – Thinking it’s me, it’s personal, and I’m not good enough, keep trying! – think about other options. It’s good to step back, re-evaluate, and reflect on your interests, passions, and skillsets, and reposition yourself. So that would be my advice.