Executive Spotlight: Mark Jordahl

Mark Jordahl '94 MBA

Title

Former President of Wealth Management at U.S. Bank

Hometown

Austin, Minnesota

Hobbies

Playing tennis and hockey, hanging out with family, and reading

By Wade Rupard

Adapting through the decades: Mark Jordahl, '94 MBA, saw the industry change dramatically over his 40-year career in banking.

Jordahl leaves a lengthy career as he retires from his role at U.S. Bank, where he’s worked since 2001. Under his leadership as president of wealth management, the bank launched a digital investing platform and ventured into new markets, among other initiatives.

He spoke to the Carlson School about his career and what advice he would give those entering the workforce.

As you look back, what are you most proud of?

When you go through retirement, you do get kinda reflective. You spend a fair amount of time on [this] question. With the kinds of positions I’ve had, commercial success isn’t optional, so you start with the pride around the commercial result. But I take pride in feeling like we went about things the right way. At the end of the day, you want to look back on what you did in life and feel like you did something meaningful, and I did that. And I did that with people that I admire and respect.

What are some of the biggest changes you've seen in the financial sector during your career?

I remember the days before Microsoft Excel, there was a thing called Lotus 1-2-3, which was one of the earliest forms of spreadsheets. And I thought, ‘How are any of these older people going to keep up with somebody that knows these tools?’ The kinds of tools that we have available to us have continued to grow and expand on a mind-boggling scale. So one bit of advice I have for anyone starting their career is to be a lifelong learner because I’m going to guess the changes that I saw in my career are going to pale in comparison to the change that recent graduates will see in theirs.

Do you have any other advice for Carlson School students?

Be curious, continue to learn, and be worthy of trust. Your career will have peaks and valleys, always be learning something new and exercise good judgment.