In a rapidly evolving financial landscape, the ability of institutions to attract, retain, and empower top technological talent has become as critical to success as balance sheets and compliance regimes.

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 15, 2025 / Matt Egyhazy, Chief Information Officer for the Commercial Bank and Wilmington Trust divisions of M&T Bank, discusses how fostering a modern "tech-first" culture can help financial institutions attract skilled technologists and build long-term resilience.

A Career Bridging Technology and Business

In his current role, Egyhazy oversees technology strategy and execution across several divisions within M&T Bank, including Commercial Banking, Credit Administration, Corporate Treasury, Enterprise Payments, and the technology infrastructure supporting Wilmington Trust. This scope underscores not only his technical expertise but also his leadership experience across banking, wealth management, and institutional services.

Before joining M&T Bank, Egyhazy held senior roles at Genworth Financial-serving as Chief Data Officer, Head of IT Strategy, and Chief Architect-and earlier in his career led technology initiatives at Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, and SWIFT. His background spans retail banking, card services, investment banking, trade finance, FX, derivatives, and wealth management, giving him a rare cross-sector perspective.

The Talent Imperative: Building a Modern Engineering Culture

Egyhazy highlights three dimensions he sees as central to transforming how financial institutions attract and retain technical talent:

1. Modern engineering practice - Financial organizations benefit when they adopt the velocity, tools, and autonomy common to tech-native firms-such as cloud services, containerization, APIs, DevOps, and continuous delivery. Without these foundations, he observes, many talented technologists gravitate toward sectors where such methods are standard.

2. Talent experience and culture - Today's technology professionals often choose employers that provide meaningful problem-solving opportunities, creative freedom, and visible impact. Institutions historically focused on infrastructure stability can strengthen their appeal by fostering agile teams, digital product ownership, and continuous learning pathways.

3. Business and technology partnership - In a tech-first environment, engineers work side by side with business leaders to define product roadmaps, shape customer experience, and explore new revenue streams. Reflecting on his experience, Egyhazy notes that when technology is treated merely as a cost center, organizations can struggle to maintain innovation and culture.

Academic and Professional Foundations

Egyhazy's academic background reflects his dual fluency in technical craft and business strategy. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Virginia, a Master of Science in Computer Science from Virginia Tech, and an MBA from Georgetown University-credentials that mirror his career trajectory of bridging engineering with executive leadership.

Beyond corporate leadership, Egyhazy contributes to the broader technology community through IEEE publications, academic collaborations, and open-source projects such as the Boost C++ library. He also speaks at universities, including the University of Rochester, sharing insights with emerging professionals in data science and engineering.

The Urgency of Cultural Change

Egyhazy observes that many banks have a limited window to redefine their technology talent proposition. The ongoing skills shortage and heightened competition from fintech and Big Tech firms mean technologists have more options than ever. Unless traditional institutions evolve their engineering cultures, he suggests, they risk being perceived primarily as legacy maintenance environments rather than innovation centers.

The next decade of banking, in his view, will be shaped less by compliance and infrastructure alone and more by platform development, data-driven services, and embedded finance. Only organizations equipped with modern engineering talent will be positioned to lead in those areas.

As he puts it, success depends on having people who can build and operate contemporary technology stacks-not just manage vendor tools.

Practical Steps Toward a Tech-First Culture

Drawing from his experience at M&T Bank, Egyhazy highlights several practices that can help organizations cultivate an innovative technology environment:

• Recruit for curiosity as well as credentials. Prioritize technologists who ask strategic questions and seek to solve business problems, not just maintain systems.

• Invest in learning and upskilling. Internal academies, data science programs, and engineering bootcamps can help existing employees transition into modern roles.

• Design collaborative workspaces. Flexible hybrid models and creative engineering hubs encourage collaboration while preserving governance and structure. Large multi-floor technology centers-such as the 13-story innovation hub in Buffalo-illustrate how physical spaces can foster connection and creativity.

• Embed technologists in product teams. Engineers who work alongside business stakeholders from the start develop deeper ownership and alignment with outcomes.

• Recognize engineering achievements. Celebrating technical accomplishments reinforces the idea that engineers are makers and value creators, not simply support resources.

The Broader Impact

Matt Egyhazy suggests that building a tech-first culture yields several strategic benefits:

• Speed to market. Agile engineering accelerates product delivery, allowing financial institutions to compete more effectively with fintechs and meet evolving customer expectations.

• Improved customer experience. Cross-functional teams can leverage data insights and predictive modeling to create seamless, personalized interactions.

• Talent attraction and retention. A modern engineering environment positions an organization as an employer of choice and helps secure the next generation of digital talent.

Conclusion

As the competition for skilled technologists intensifies, Egyhazy believes that successful financial institutions increasingly view technology as a foundation for growth rather than a supporting function. For those that embrace this cultural shift-from infrastructure to innovation, and from code to collaboration-the rewards include stronger teams, better products, and more resilient organizations.

Contact:
Matt Egyhazy
Orchard Park, New York, USA
megyhazy@mtb.com
mattegyhazy@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matyasegyhazy/

SOURCE: Matt Egyhazy Financial Consultant