Richelle Konian ’95: CEO, Careers On The Move

When Richelle Konian was in second grade, she knew what she wanted to be when she grew up: a stock analyst working on Wall Street.

When she got a little older, the University at Albany was Konian’s first choice because her great-grandmother attended the school when it was The New York State College for Teachers.

As per her plan, Konian started her career on Wall Street as Account Manager of Executive Recruitment for Jordan & Jordan, where she developed a recruitment and sales division, and was instrumental in launching the Financial Information Forum. After five years, she co-founded Careers On The Move, a boutique executive search firm, where she now serves as CEO.

Konian recruits for financial services, public accounting, valuation, and information technology. One of her strengths is finding talent in industries her clients are not involved in, for instance finding an IT whiz for a finance firm. Since its creation her company has worked with over 60,000 applicants.

Konian said, “Being an entrepreneur worked out well. The growth path is so quick. Running my own business has allowed me to professionally and personally grow. You learn how to do everything. If your computer breaks, you figure it out. There is no IT department to call.”

Though Konian considers starting her own business her most exciting accomplishment, she deems her biggest challenge was that Careers On The Move survived and thrived in the events of the turbulent new millennium, through 9/11 and the financial crisis. She said, “For the last decade we learned to ride the waves, and we have had to work harder to provide value added.” The business grad found that working through those trials kept her business thriving.  She said, “We care about people and care about their success. We helped a lot of people when they were down and they remembered us.”

Konian’s forward thinking approach puts her on solid footing with the firms she works with. She said, “They rely on us to recruit effectively. Bad hires cost them a lot of money. When people know that you understand the marketplace, your credibility grows. We showed companies that we can find talent they can’t.”

The University at Albany allowed Konian to indulge her two passions: business and acting. Besides majoring in business, she minored in theater. In high school and college, she spent summers acting in New York City. Konian has directed webinars and is a noted career expert, often interviewed for television and print stories on recruiting, has appeared on CBS Evening News, and has been quoted by CNBC, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal.

Konian guides and supports the work of the School of Business by speaking to student groups and brainstorming with the Office of Career Services. For over ten years, Konian has been a member of the School of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. She was Master of Ceremonies for the School of Business Alumni Association Alumni event in 2010, an Honorary Committee Member at the Women’s Networking Event and has often served on the panel of Network NYC. (See photo of the 2014 event on page 3.)

The alumna maintains a strong connection with the university. She is a member of the University at Albany Alumni Association Board of Directors and volunteers with AlumNet, an organization that helps students connect with alumni. In 2008, Konian received the Young Alumni Award from the University at Albany Alumni Association. She has served several years on the alumni association awards committee, and in 2014 will serve as the Committee Chair of the Excellence Awards.

Konian lives with her husband Peter Azcue, an investment research professional, and her children, Ani, age six and Peter, age four, in Cranford, New Jersey. The family frequently takes day trips to the Jersey shore and travels regularly to Europe. Konian’s hobbies include theater, dancing, yoga, and Pilates.