Member profile: meet Susan Delloiacono.(Brother International Corp.)(Interview)

Meet Susan Delloiacono, Director of Credit, Brother International Corporation.

To many of you, Susan Delloiacono is a familiar name--if not a familiar face. You might have seen her teaching a seminar at Credit Congress, or at an NACM regional conference.

Susan first joined NACM with the "woman's credit management organization" back in the early 80s--what is now known as CFDD. She now sits on the Board of Directors for the New York Credit & Financial Management Association.

Business Credit asked Susan how she got into the world of credit to begin with. "No one ever enters the credit world on purpose!" said Susan. "I took my first part-time cash application job at a small electrical supply distributor back in 1975, and really liked working in cash application and with customers. Of course, those first couple of collection calls were scary!"

Susan kept working at that job while she worked on her college degree, attending her local community college to finally obtain a degree in business. "I loved going to school--even though I sometimes struggled with being a mom, working full time, doing work-related traveling and keeping up with my studies." She completed her Business Degree in 2000, and recently received an MBA in Marketing. During 1999-2000, Susan attended NACM's Graduate School of Credit and Financial Management (GSCFM), earned her CCE--and graduated the program with Highest Distinction. "It was the best professional experience I've ever had," she said. "I made lifelong friends while attending GSCFM at Dartmouth!"

Susan has been in credit now for thirty years. "The thing I love about credit is that it's the crossroad into the entire company: where sales, logistics, marketing, legal, IT, supply chain and finance all come together ... harmoniously, of course!" As she points out, the credit field has evolved into a real business repository for the entire organization ... way beyond the scope of the "order prevention department" or just handling collections. She's spent most of her career in the hi-tech sector at various firms, and says: "The common thread is a strong customer/marketing focus. I love that!" She likes feeling close to the sales process, and using her "credit sense" to react to the needs of her customers. "I can't always say 'yes'--but I have learned to get as creative as possible to help a struggling customer or start-up."

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