John Wolfe,
Business Line Manager, Commercial Equipment Finance Group,
M&T Bank

Earlier this summer, the M&T Commercial Equipment Finance (CEF) team bid farewell to long-time leader, Frank Campagna, who retired after 20 years with the company. His successor, John Wolfe, with 36 years at M&T and counting, proudly and humbly took the role of business line manager and assumed responsibility for the entire Commercial Equipment Finance Group.

The leadership change is a natural progression for Wolfe and his team of more than 50 highly skilled and experienced professionals as they embark on fulfilling a strategic mission to grow the business. Three years ago, the team aligned its sales focus on the expansion of four initiatives: wedge products used to access new banking relationships, renewable energy, expanding capital markets capabilities and aircraft — and the group hasn’t looked back since.

Despite the challenges of the past year and a half, Wolfe credits the group’s many successes to its keen dedication, desire and innovative approach to serving clients. Much of this has come from award-winning thought leadership strategies and the addressing of the wide variety of challenges of large corporate clients, from supply chain issues to the future of renewable energy to capex outlooks. With adversity comes opportunity, and Wolfe is doubling down on his thinking about how his company and team can conduct business more efficiently to meet changing clientele demands through what he describes as “process improvements.”

The most valuable lesson Campagna taught Wolfe is to never forget there is someone on the other end of every transaction — the client — and you must do everything in your power to take care of them. Taking this lesson to heart, Wolfe aims to empower his people to make decisions that foster lasting, quality client relationships that center around a consultative approach. He is also excited to elevate talented young people and teach them the ropes as he was taught by Campagna.