Ettore "Reno" Bianchi
Dow Dawg Evolves from Fencing to Finance
Reno Bianchi grew up in Milan, Italy. Since the age of 16 he competed on the junior and national fencing team and represented his county in many important tournaments, including the junior world championships. Bianchi came to the United States in 1981 to attend Wayne State University, which offered him a full athletic scholarship for fencing. He was captain of the fencing team for three years and also elected an academic all-American.
After earning his BA in business administration, he decided to pursue an MBA at the UW Business School, where he concentrated in finance. While attending the UW he also gained valuable experience working for Microsoft.
Bianchi won a scholarship to study abroad for a summer quarter at the famous Cranfield Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom – which proved to be a great experience. After graduation, he joined Citibank in New York as an analyst specializing in airlines and aerospace.
More than a decade later, after a succession of jobs with steadily increasing responsibility, Bianchi is the managing director for Citigroup Capital Markets, specializing in airline structured financial products that average about $5 billion annually in trading volume. He works closely with investors, issuers, manufacturers, aircraft lessors and others involved in the airline industry.
Bianchi finds that those best equipped to succeed on Wall Street often have broad educational experiences. "It's easy to find people with technical skills. What's harder to find are people who can write, who can communicate." Reno says. "I want people who can distill complex information into a succinct and compelling presentation. The market is very competitive, and I probably review about 100 resumes for every 5 openings for internships."