When Mark Zdunek first arrived at UConn, he carried the confidence of a high-honors high school student. But his first semester told a different story; a 2.3 first-semester GPA caught him off-guard and forced an early reckoning: college would require a new work approach.
Rather than letting that setback derail him, Mark leaned in. He started attending office hours, working with TAs, and studying for exams further in advance. As his grades improved, he was accepted into the School of Business before the start of his junior year. His brief academic setback first-semester would later shape one of the most important skills of his career – learning how to advocate for himself.
“Learning how to advocate for myself, starting in the classroom, became one of the most important skills I acquired in my professional journey”.
While rebounding academically, Mark also found value beyond the classroom. As a Visitor’s Center tour guide, he learned how to present himself professionally and represent an institution with pride, which translated directly to client-facing roles later on.
Still, recruiting wasn’t easy. His first-semester GPA followed him into interviews, forcing him to explain his journey with honesty and confidence. The effort paid off, as Mark ultimately receivedmultiple Big Four offers and began his professional career at Deloitte.
The transition from student to full-time professional was harder than expected. Mark found himself navigating a demanding environment with limited mentorship. Working primarily with manufacturing clients, he built a foundation in accounting policy and client communication, but something didn’t quite click.
Then came 2008.
Like many early-career professionals, Mark felt the weight of the financial crisis. He held onto his role, absorbed everything he could, and began thinking seriously about where he wanted to go next. Following the financial crisis, reading The Big Short by Michael Lewis sparked a deeper interest in markets and macroeconomics. He realized he wanted to expand beyond traditional accounting and develop a broader financial toolkit.
That realization led him to a controllership role at The Hartford within its asset management arm. There, Mark immersed himself in asset-backed, mortgage-backed, and fixed-income securities, while also learning how macroeconomic shifts affect large institutions. A similar role at a smaller bank followed, further sharpening his technical and analytical perspective.
Eventually, Mark set his sights on treasury and joined Citi in 2017. This move transformed his understanding of how global financial systems operate. At Citi, he learned the intricacies of regulation, balance sheet management, and liquidity at scale. Over time, he transitioned from controllership into Transaction Banking, shifting his focus from historical reporting to forward-looking impact.
Today, Mark helps clients move cash efficiently across their organizations by optimizing balance sheets through liquidity, capital management, and payments solutions. His role sits at the intersection of markets, operations, and strategy.
One of Mark’s proudest accomplishments came through thought leadership. Alongside a colleague, he co-authored an article examining how global public-sector institutions (i.e. central banks and sovereign wealth funds) can optimize liquidity during periods of uncertainty driven by interest rate volatility, geopolitics, and trade tensions. The project took months of research and collaboration, but for Mark, it represented a meaningful contribution to how large organizations manage risk and capital in complex environments.
Despite his success, Mark is candid about the challenges he’s faced. Early in his career, advocating for himself didn’t come naturally. At Citi, ongoing restructurings added another layer of complexity, reinforcing the importance of proactively communicating his impact to senior leaders. That self-advocacy has been critical as he continues progressing toward director-level leadership.
For current UConn students interested in finance, Mark emphasizes the power of networking, especially within the alumni community. Transaction banking remains an under-the-radar career path for many students, yet it offers exposure to global clients, macroeconomics, and real-world problem solving. Alumni connections, he notes, can open doors through referrals and mentorship that résumés alone cannot.
Looking back, Mark wishes he had leaned on professors more and explored alternative career options earlier. Accounting provided his foundation, but staying open to new opportunities allowed him to build a dynamic career in financial services.
Mark’s journey from academic setback to global transaction banking leader offers a powerful reminder: success doesn’t require a perfect start. It’s about adaptability, curiosity, and the willingness to keep moving forward.
