From Mumbai to Buffalo to the Big Apple
FEBRUARY 2012
Ryan Vaz, MBA ’02, MS ’03, studied for his undergraduate degree in the biggest city in India, Mumbai. He now works in the biggest city in the U.S., New York City.
In between, he spent several years in Buffalo. And while it may never compete with Mumbai or NYC for size, Vaz credits Buffalo as being instrumental in his career success.
After graduating from the University of Mumbai, Vaz chose to pursue graduate work at the UB School of Management. “I chose the School of Management for its strong academic program and its diversity,” he says. Speaking like the business professional he is, he also says the school was a “great value proposition.”
Vaz received an MBA with concentrations in finance and management information systems in 2002. The following year, he received a Master of Science degree in accounting.
While pursuing his degrees, Vaz took advantage of the many resources and opportunities offered by the school’s Frank L. Ciminelli Family Career Resource Center. “The practice interview and telementor programs, campus career fairs and campus recruiting all played a major part in launching my career,” he says.
Vaz was hired by KPMG upon graduation, working as an audit associate in public accounting for the firm’s Buffalo office. After a few years in Buffalo, he transferred to KPMG’s New York City office in its financial services practice.
“As my career has progressed, I’ve been involved with many audits of global financial services institutions,” he says. “Currently, as a senior manager, I am responsible for managing the execution of the integrated audit and some significant subsidiary audits of a top-tier global financial service institution.”
In addition, Vaz serves as a national instructor for KPMG’s financial services and broker-dealer training programs administered for all levels of audit professionals. He has remained involved with the School of Management by serving as a telementor and participating in networking events.
Vaz enjoys New York City when he’s outside of work. He likes trying out new restaurants, as well as visiting the old, classic establishments. He also is a fan of documentary films.
Written by Cathy Wilde