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From the Marines to Mobile Banking: How Thomas Bontempo Brings Calm and Creativity to United Bank’s Digital Strategy

Thomas Bontempo is the SVP and Director of Digital Strategy at United Bank.

Thomas Bontempo knows a thing or two about staying calm under pressure. As United Bank’s Director of Digital Strategy — and a former U.S. Marine – he brings a steady hand and sense of humor to every challenge. When issues arise, Bontempo has a unique perspective when grounding his team.

"Let’s stay calm," he says with a grin. "At least nobody’s shooting at us."

Growing up, Bontempo was a skilled artist with a business mindset, always looking for ways to blend creativity and practicality. When it came time to choose a college major, he decided to study architecture, a field that would let him put his artistic skills to use. It was only after learning the limitations of architects at the time – while they were responsible for drawing the designs, they had to rely on engineers to conceptualize, and often drastically change the plans – that he began rethinking his career path.

After four years studying architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bontempo decided to redesign his own path – one that led him to the U.S. Marine Corps.  

The way he describes it, Bontempo’s ultimate goal was always to be a "career man" – someone with an office with a nice view, a 9-5 routine, and a role that still allowed him to fold his passion for art into his work. However, growing up with a father who was drafted into the Army and later served in the National Guard after college, and an uncle who was an Army officer, Bontempo always knew he wanted to follow in their footsteps. So, while taking time off from school to rethink his educational path, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps.

From 1988 to 1992, Bontempo went on to serve as a private first class and later as a corporal, working in logistics with the 1st Marine Division, and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia; Okinawa, Japan; and the Middle East where he spent 10 months during Operation Desert Storm.

After completing his four-year commitment, Bontempo returned to school to earn both a BFA and MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. But as he puts it, although he was a skilled painter, he soon realized "you still have to make money to feed yourself." Once again, he set out in search of the security of a corporate job that would still allow him to flex his creative muscles. For him, advertising was that job.

After graduation, Bontempo and his wife, Sheila, relocated to her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, where he began working at a small advertising agency designing print ads for newspapers. After several years in various advertising roles, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina to work for one of the new dot-com companies which had emerged during the late ‘90s. By teaching himself to code and write HTML during the internet boom, Bontempo was able to use those skills as an art director, managing – and often building – online websites on his own.

Eventually, he landed a contract role with Bank of America, where he was responsible for building their intranet site. After one year, his work impressed the design team, and he was invited to join full-time. He began working on the Bank of America website and later took on several projects across the E-commerce team. After leaving the bank as an SVP in 2012, he went on to serve as Director of Digital Strategy at First Niagara Bank, followed by a role with KPMG Advisory, before joining United Bank as Senior Vice President and Director of Digital Strategy.

As Director of Digital Strategy, Bontempo serves as the architect for United Bank’s public-facing website and digital banking resources, including the mobile app. Based in the Bank’s Charlotte office, he oversees a lean team of four responsible for ensuring these resources function seamlessly while continually improving customer experience.

With the ever-changing digital landscape, the team must remain agile and continually build new skills to stay relevant and keep the Bank’s digital services up to date. The hardest part, Bontempo admits, is understanding how the customer thinks, building digital experiences to help them manage their finances.

When he’s not sitting in front of a computer and managing United Bank’s digital presence, Bontempo enjoys watching his former sport of rugby. An avid Ireland fan, family trips to visit his daughter in Scotland often involve watching a Six Nations Championship match. He also enjoys solo outings for fly-fishing and golfing, but most of all, he values time with his family and looks forward to any opportunity to spend quality time with his wife and two daughters. 

Thomas (second from left) with his daughters Georgia (left) and Maggie Rose (second from right),
and his wife Sheila (right) at the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, London, during a family Christmas trip. 

Thomas’ Experience as a Military Veteran Business Leader

How has your military experience influenced your leadership style?

I think there are a lot of leadership principles that apply to both military and business settings. First and foremost, it should be overwhelmingly clear to the team what our mission is and what we are trying to accomplish. How can you ask others to follow you and believe in the work when they don’t know what – or why – they’re doing something? This clarity has to come from leadership. The next most important component is ensuring that everyone understands their own roles. If I had to put it into military terms – if you’re on a fire team, you’ve got a team leader directing everyone, a gunner who operates the squad’s automatic weapons, an assistant gunner, and the rifleman who provides general fire support. Everyone has a role and understands what their job is. The assistant gunner’s job, for example, isn’t to fire the machine gun, it’s to load the darn thing. And that is just as valuable of a contribution.

The other part is knowing how to lift your team up and keep them from falling down. It’s important to celebrate individual successes, but I also try to show my team that small mistakes aren’t a big deal. I’ve always said that my job is to stand behind you when you do something really well and to stand in front and protect you if you make a mistake. I can delegate work as needed, but in the end, it’s my responsibility. So, at the Bank, I want to encourage my team to take ownership of their work and celebrate their wins, but I’m ultimately accountable for how our digital platform performs. I firmly believe that’s what any good leader should do.
 

What advice do you have for Veterans transitioning to civilian life?

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about the men and women who served is that I know that I can count on them. They don’t give up – they keep going until the job is done. When you put this kind of person in a business setting, you often see that same work ethic. They also know how to keep a cool head. I say this jokingly, but when things go sideways in banking and everyone’s running around in a frenzy, I’m like ‘Look, nobody is shooting at us.’ Literally – at least no one is shooting at us! There’s no reason to get excited.

So that’s one thing that I really think makes service members stand out in the workforce. Veterans know how to stay calm under fire. Whether you’re in combat or in the office, these are the people you want on your team.

What does Veterans Day mean to you?

Veterans Day is a very important day for America. We’re celebrating those who raised their hands and volunteered to serve their country. I also think it should include members of the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps – people who also said, ‘I want to serve my country,’ and made the decision to devote part of their lives to a greater cause. It’s a different kind of service, but an honorable one nonetheless. And that’s what really matters during this holiday.

Memorial Day is when we remember our service members who fought and ‘gave the last full measure of devotion,’ but Veterans Day allows us to honor all who served – and to thank them for their contributions.

At United Bank, we appreciate the sacrifices made on behalf of our country and communities, and we thank all our Veterans for their service!