“It’s a phenomenal education that you’re getting at Northeastern, says Nick Fanandakis, DMSB’79. This school is now thought to be one of the premier institutions that exists today, not only academically but also because of its second to none co-op program.”
Hailing from a suburb, south of Boston, and now living in Pennsylvania, Fanandakis took a winding path to Northeastern. After spending a year and a half at a college in Connecticut, he transferred to the Boston campus, drawn by his interest in Northeastern’s signature co-op program. “I really liked the idea of having the opportunity to try out the field that I believed I wanted to engage in once I graduated”, he says.
The co-op program allowed Fanandakis to calibrate his professional trajectory and opened the door for an illustrious career. His original plan was to graduate and work for one of the Big Eight accounting firms. However, after a co-op assignment, he decided he was better suited for the Industrial Sector. Fanandakis pivoted and after graduation went to work for the DuPont Company where he would spend the next 40 years of his professional career.
“When you graduated back in 1979, you would select your top three or four companies, that were visiting the campus to conduct a 45-minute sit down interview for future employment. If the company, due to scheduling, was unable to accommodate a full session you were permitted to conduct what was called a handshake interview. Here you would introduce yourself to the recruiter, provide them with a copy of your resume and tell them you are very interested in the company and would love the opportunity to have a more formal interview.” DuPont was one of those companies for Fanandakis, and that handshake interview led to him being hired as an accountant in Wilmington, Delaware.
Fanandakis spent the next four decades advancing at DuPont. Although he started in their accounting and business analysis division, he quickly moved into operations, sales, marketing, HR, and several other business roles where he held the titles of vice president and general manager, in addition to Group Vice President. In 2009, he was appointed chief financial officer of DuPont—one of the largest corporations in the world.
“I said ‘Guys I haven’t done finance since the first year I was hired at DuPont,’” he recalls. The company was eager to select someone who had come up through the business ranks as the next CFO.” After I got the role in 2009, I kept it for 10 years until 2019 when I retired. I am proud to say I held the role as the longest seated CFO in the company’s 200-plus year history.
Fanandakis credits the co-op program with providing the foundation for his success. His advice for younger Huskies hoping to follow a similar path? “Take advantage of the co-op program while you are going through your education,” he says. Professional success, in his view, comes down to a few elements. “You’ve got to manage your own career. Don’t wait for someone else to manage it for you. After I would receive a promotion, I would right away say, ‘What do I think my next assignment should be? How can I best position myself for this next assignment? You should always be preparing yourself for your next role. Second, never have the job you took over be the same when you leave it, always be looking for ways you can improve the role and increase the scope of your responsibilities. Lastly, you have to be somewhat lucky, being in the right place at the right time. That’s not to say sit back and wait for things to happen, anything but that!”
You’ve got to manage your own career. Don’t wait for someone else to manage it for you.”
Nick Fanandakis, DMSB’79