Robert Trende
Group Head, Financial and Risk Systems Development MasterCard Worldwide
B.S. in MIS, 1990
Robert Trende is Group Head of Financial and Risk Systems Development within MasterCard Technologies for MasterCard Worldwide. In this role, he and his team of more than 170 professional and technical personnel are responsible for the design, development, testing, delivery and 24x7 support activities for the for all Financial, Risk and Fraud Detection Systems within MasterCard.
Mr. Trende joined MasterCard in 1986. His past roles include: Vice President for the Global Parameter Management and Data Architecture teams; Director of the Billing and Consumer Bill Payment Development teams; Project Manager within Clearing Development; and Manager of Processing Services
Mr. Trende holds a BS-MIS from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is an active member of College of Business Administration Leadership Council for the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
We sat down with Bob and asked him some questions.
Why did you decide to come to UM-St. Louis?
Primarily for the value. The business program at UM-St. Louis was AACSB accredited just as most other business schools in the St. Louis area, but the cost per credit hour was much lower.
Why did you pursue a career in information systems?
The IS industry was booming in the late 80s and early 90s. Also, my father was a funtional systems tester for the Department of the Army, and he had a great influence on me.
What college classes did you find most useful to your career?
Public Speaking, all writing classes, Psychology and the Business Capstone Class.
If you were in college today, what courses would you take?
Public Speaking, Project Management, Psychology, Business Writing, C#, Java
How did you continue your education after your first degree?
I felt it was important to achieve an MBA to advance in management. At the time, SIU-E had a good program and a satellite campus near my office which made attending easy.
How did you find your first job?
My high school helped place me at Emerson Electric as an Offline Equipment Operator - which essentially meant that I removed carbon from paper and delivered reports throughout the campus. I used to sneek into the computer room to mount tapes and watch the master console.
In what non-academic activities did you participate in college that you would recommend to others (and why)?
Writing and submitting short stories to various publications and magazines. This was a modest source of extra money, but also provided me a foundation in effective writing.
How would you change your career if you had it to do all over again?
Master a foreign language. Complete my education prior to starting a family.
What advice would you give to someone just starting in the field?
Learn how to speak, debate, and write well. Get your foot in the door any way you can and then outwork your colleagues.
Look into your crystal ball. What do you see changing in the IS field in the future?
Offshoring will continue. As India's middle class grows, the new markets will be China, Russia, and others. Succesful IS students will be those who can build and manage teams that are a mix of offshore and onshore resources and make them productive.
SOA and ITIL principles will become the next OO and Six Sigma crazes in the business world. IS students should become familiar with these.
