Allan Matyger, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer at WSFS Bank, spoke with BUCKSCO Today about growing up in Newark, Del., learning leadership as the eldest of four brothers, and working nights and weekends at WSFS Bank while earning his computer science degree.
Matyger has worked with the organization in one capacity or another throughout his nearly 30-year career — starting in the mailroom as an Intern, advancing to the IT help desk, and ultimately rising to the rank of Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer.
Today, he works to discover the best uses for cutting-edge technologies and advance the company’s mission of service to its clients.
Let’s start from the beginning, Allan. Where did you grow up?
I was born in Delaware and have lived in Newark pretty much my whole life. My family moved to Illinois for a couple of years when my dad’s job as a Chemical Engineer transferred him there, and then back to this area when I was in second grade. Here, he worked at what is originally BFGoodrich across the bridge in New Jersey.
My mom worked locally at WSFS Bank. She always spoke highly of the culture and people she worked with, which set the groundwork for me to apply to the company.
What was your family life like growing up?
As the oldest of four boys, I like to think I kept everybody straight. My management experience started at a young age.
As a family, we did everything together. I remember going on trips, playing out in the front yard with my brothers, and roaming the neighborhood with the other kids.
How did sports play a role in your life?
I played sports in the street with friends, but started formally playing soccer in middle school and throughout high school. I loved it even though my brothers were better at it than me. In high school, I refereed soccer for several years because I liked it so much.
Refereeing taught me about being professional and preparation. When you go out on the field, especially for some of the bigger games, the referees must be on the same page, and you have about 30 minutes before the game starts to do that. Today, referees have headsets. We didn’t have that back then, and we really needed them to understand each other.
Through that experience, I learned you will never make everybody happy, but that’s not your job. Your job is to be fair and impartial.
It sounds like you were busy going into college. How did you decide what was next?
Right out of high school, I started as a Mail Courier with WSFS, learning how to parallel park and get around Delaware. Despite getting into Drexel, Akron, and Hofstra, I ultimately chose the University of Delaware because I had the opportunity to continue working with WSFS while in school. I felt like it was too good an opportunity to pass up. They were very willing to work around my schedule, so my classes weren’t impacted.
I came back a second summer, and by then, WSFS had outsourced a lot of its operations to Alltel. I worked for them, but within WSFS Bank’s walls and supporting banking operations. Halfway through the summer, Tom Stevenson, the former Chief Information Officer, asked if I wanted to work at the help desk after hearing I was a Computer Science major. Experience is a big thing in the IT industry, and I was able to touch a breadth of the technology at the time. It turned into a year-round job because I worked the hours nobody else wanted to, including evenings and weekends.
The University of Delaware was a bigger school, but I was very happy with the Computer Science program as well as some of the business classes. Coupling that with working at the bank, it bolstered my education.
My son is going to school there in the fall, so it has come full circle.
What were your next steps as you prepared for your career?
Before I graduated, I became a Software Development Intern with Cash Connect, a new division of WSFS Bank at the time. When I first interviewed with Tom, who founded the division, he said, “I need you to be able to do X, Y, and Z.” And I was honest. I told him I hadn’t done any of it, but I’d love to learn. I hope he saw that I was a sponge.
He hired me full-time after graduation and became my mentor. I was excited and thankful for the opportunities I got, and I didn’t waste them. I wanted to learn everything I could and do a good job for the bank. For him to take that chance on me was pretty awesome.
When I went home at night, I wanted to make sure the bank was better than when I got there in the morning. That was my goal. I hope that’s what he saw in me.
I worked with Tom for almost my entire career. He was the person who asked me to move from the mail room to the help desk and then from the help desk to Cash Connect. He continued to invest in me in places I didn’t have experience, but he trusted me to learn it and do it. He was easily one of the most influential people in my life.
Now that you are in the leadership position, have you been able to turn the tables and give that opportunity to somebody else?
Yes, several times. We have a big internship program at WSFS and always have. And at Cash Connect, we were close to the University of Delaware, so we would employ several interns over the summer and some year-round. Many of them are now full-time Associates.
How did your career progress from your first few roles within Cash Connect?
The culture and people within WSFS have kept me here and continue to keep me here to this day. All of our Associates are committed to taking care of our Clients and doing the right thing every day.
A great example of that is Lisa Brubaker, the former CIO, who now serves as Chief Human Resources Officer. When I started working at WSFS, my mom, who also worked with Lisa, told me to keep an eye on Lisa’s career and how she carries herself as a professional.
Fortunately, when Lisa stepped into the CIO role, I had the opportunity to meet with her regularly as a mentee. She was, and continues to be, an incredible support system for me. She has a lot of great experience and knowledge, and has invested that in me. I’m very thankful for that.
There are so many other associates who have been a part of my professional development. When I was in the mail room, our administrative services team took me under their wing. There are too many people to name. All of this goes back to our mission and culture of service. It permeates all that we do.
Earlier this year, I stepped into a new role as Chief Information Officer. It’s not something that I expected to become or go into the business for. I didn’t have a dramatic plan where that was where I wanted to be in three years.
But I love it and love what I do every day. It’s not easy, but it’s so much fun. I get to be part of an awesome team here at WSFS that does incredible things. You always have to be on your feet and learn something new. It’s why I’ve been in the industry for so long, and why I want to stay here.
I believe in our mission at WSFS, “We Stand For Service.” That’s our mission, strategy, and what we’re about. I think we have a great opportunity in this market to grow organically, and I’m excited to make sure technology is an important component of that growth.
As you alluded to, technology is constantly evolving and growing. What did you focus on within the new role?
There are several initiatives on my plate. Number one is the opportunity to establish operational excellence. I’m looking into our digital experience for our Clients to make sure we’re continuing to evolve and improve it. It’s exciting to work on similar initiatives to what I did at Cash Connect, but expand that to the whole enterprise.
AI is a technology that is on everyone’s mind right now, and we are working to find the right way to leverage it to live up to our strategy. At a recent conference I attended, they talked about how we live in a world that’s more connected because of technology, and yet, people feel more disconnected than ever. That comment struck home.
I think WSFS’s strategy of standing for service and having relationships, not just transactions, with our Clients, is critical. That keeps me hopeful. I think our mission and strategy are dead on. We’ve got to keep learning, growing, and getting better.
Outside of work, how do you spend your free time?
I spend any free time I have with my wife, son, and daughter. My son, up until this year, was a four-sport athlete in high school. He had a busy schedule, and we would follow him to his games. My daughter does travel dance, and we follow her around.
We’re also Philadelphia Union season ticket holders and have been for the last several years. It’s amazing because it’s the one thing we can do as a family that nobody argues about. Everybody wants to be there and do it.
I recently had the opportunity to kick out the first ball at one of the games. It was an awesome experience. As excited as I was, my kids were even more excited.
I was also there as our CEO, Rodger Levenson, cut the ribbon on the WSFS Bank Sportsplex. It’s exciting to see growth and opportunity for the team and the greater Chester community.
Finally, Allan, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I’ve been given so much advice over the years that I still hold on to today. The best piece is to live your values. No matter what, I hold onto that.
The first person who told me that was a close friend of mine, right before I got married. It was a comment that Tom made on several occasions as well, and he was very adamant about it.
Others have shared that over the years in different ways, too. That’s the one thing that has resonated with me the most.
