PC Degree: Bachelor of science in business
Activities Participated in as a PC Student: R.O.T.C. Program, Cadet Honor Society, Class Secretary (junior year), Chairman of Annual Concert, Dean's List, Big Brothers Program
Career Path Highlights: After serving three years of active duty in the U.S. Army in Germany, J. Peter Benzie began a lifetime career in the financial services industry. In 1975, he joined Prudential Securities as sales representative, and earned a promotion to branch manager before leaving the firm four years later. For almost a decade, Benzie held a variety of positions at Shearson Lehman Brothers, including branch manager, senior vice president of sales and marketing and then senior vice president of mutual funds.
Benzie's career in the financial services industry was propelled when he joined Chase Manhattan Bank as chairman and CEO of its Investment Business. Over the course of six years Benzie ran this national business, developing strategic plans, obtaining funding, and recruiting to transition the business from an upstart group of 8 to a profitable, 600-person operation.
Fidelity Investments was where Benzie spent the majority of his professional career and built upon the leadership experiences gained in his prior positions. He held two roles during his 14 years there, first as executive vice president of the company's Private Wealth Management business, with full responsibility for its retail branches and phone sites, as well as its active trading business. Next, he headed up Fidelity's new correspondent clearing business, National Financial, where he led its sales, technology and products and reignited its declining market share.
Benzie then joined Automatic Data Processing's (ADP) Brokerage Services Business in 2005 as executive vice president, global chief sales and marketing officer. The company spun off from former parent ADP in 2007 and is now known as Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., a provider of technology-based solutions to the financial industry. Today, Benzie serves as a Broadridge corporate officer in addition to heading up global sales and marketing, and has grown sales 15% CAGR since his date of hire.
Service to the Community: Benzie has contributed to the welfare of young people in the Georgia, New York, and Massachusetts communities in which his own family has resided throughout his career. He has coached girls and boys soccer, basketball, and baseball for 30 years, has been an active member of the fundraising efforts of his local churches, and currently serves on several committees at the Byram Hills High School in Armonk, N.Y.
Family: Wife, Pam; children, Carolyn, Michael, Katy, Matthew, Erin, Lauren, Emma.
Staying Involved with Providence College: Always supportive of the College's fundraising and alumni relations activities, Benzie was appointed as a member of the College's Board of Trustees on July 1, 2009. His appointment followed nearly 10 years of service as a member of the College's Providence President's Council, which included membership on the Board of Trustees Finance Committee. Benzie served as chairman of the PC Annual Fund Drive Committee and as an Annual Fund Drive regional phonathon volunteer.
"Transforming" Quote: "When I arrived on campus I was ambitious, but never having had a mentor, I couldn't say I had a life plan mapped out or a strategy for how to get there. The guidance and encouragement I received at Providence College had an incredible impact on how I started my professional and personal endeavors, and have had a lasting impact on the way I approach life. The social, spiritual, and educational experiences I had at PC revved up my enthusiasm to embrace tough challenges many others would avoid, and that outlook has enabled me to achieve greater rewards professionally and personally."