January 08, 2025

By Ryan Rorls ’25

Chris Wilkens ’86 has nearly 40 years of experience as a global corporate and investment banker with specialties in BSA/AML, KYC, client onboarding and regulatory remediation. He received a Bachelor of Science in finance and management from Susquehanna University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from New York University.

When Chris Wilkens ’86 first set foot on Susquehanna University’s campus, he never anticipated his education — and the skills he’d acquire in emerging business applications — would lead him to living and working in vibrant financial centers like Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

Entering the finance job market after graduation, Wilkens differentiated himself through his know-how of Lotus 123, the spreadsheet program that preceded Excel. His ability to work with technology gave him a competitive edge; he could present an argument on why a deal or transaction should be approved by first creating spreadsheets and graphs and using models and macros to analyze the data. A mentor to Susquehanna business students nearly 40 years later, Wilkens says learning these principles continues to serve them well.

“I talk to lots of students about what they want to do, and almost every single one has something to say about data analytics,” he says. “I tell them that if you have that skillset, you can use it anywhere.”

For Wilkens, “anywhere” meant in Asia for 11 years applying his corporate banking expertise to help U.S. and European businesses navigate the Asian market prior to his return to the financial hub of New York City.

“My experiences led to my next role, and the next role and the role after that,” he recalls, “and I feel most fortunate working at MUFG for 35 years in many different positions doing lots of different things.”

Those opportunities came from taking chances and stepping outside his comfort zone. “Raise your hand, volunteer for a project or move yourself to another country,” he stresses, “and don’t underestimate yourself or your abilities.”

A first-generation college student who went on to earn his Master of Business Administration in finance, Wilkens developed his confidence through Susquehanna’s intimate learning environment.

“You get to know so many people, and part of what I think has made me successful over the years is having the ability or the desire to meet and talk to people, which you can do easily at Susquehanna,” he says. “You can be very interactive with your professors, and the number of alumni willing to help students is tremendous.”

Inspired by his mentors like Larry Isaacs ’43, who guided him as a student, Wilkens now dedicates time to mentoring Susquehanna’s next generation of business leaders. He debunks the common misconception that working in finance means you must be a client-facing associate making deals and he stresses the new career opportunities made available by innovations in the market and the prevalence of financial crimes.

“For anyone studying finance right now, especially with a background in data analytics, their job options are unlimited,” he adds.