Vincent “Vinny” Daniel is best known as one of the real-life Wall Street figures portrayed in Michael Lewis’ book The Big Short and its Oscar-winning film adaptation. A hedge fund manager and former partner at FrontPoint Partners, he is widely recognized for predicting the 2008 financial crisis.
Robert Competiello and Interim Dean of the Nicolais School of Business, Michael J. Driscoll, worked together on Wall Street throughout much of the 1990s. Competiello, a Staten Island native, is currently a financial adviser with Edward Jones.
Driscoll moderated a discussion with Daniel and Competiello before a standing-room-only crowd in the Spiro classroom. The audience of more than 200 included students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. After brief introductions, Daniel led a wide-ranging conversation on current financial markets and offered advice for Wagner students preparing to enter the professional world. Driscoll and Competiello added insights from their own careers.
Daniel and Competiello have presented similar programs at institutions throughout the New York City area, but both said they had never encountered an audience as large or as engaged as the one at Wagner.
Driscoll praised the event’s energy and turnout. “I think that the evening was a great success for our entire community,” he said. “Bob and Vince loved engaging with our audience and look forward to coming back to Grymes Hill.”
Both guests ended the night expressing their enthusiasm for returning to the Wagner community, noting how impressed they were by the thoughtful questions and conversations with students and faculty.
