Ashton Kokaly - Finance and Banking Professional /Client Relationship Manager - Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Summary

Dynamic and results-driven financial services professional with a proven track record in high-net-worth relationship management, outside sales, and cross-functional leadership. Known for delivering personalized financial solutions, driving growth through strategic sales strategies, and fostering long-term client loyalty in competitive, fast-paced markets. Experienced in managing multi-branch client portfolios in banking, leading teams in merchant services, and collaborating with business, wealth, and lending partners to provide holistic financial experiences for all clientele. Highly adaptable, trustworthy, and goal-oriented, with a strong foundation in financial analysis, communication, and banking.

Overview

2

years of professional experience

1

Certification

Work History

Finance and Banking Professional /Client Relationship Manager

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Metro Detroit Region / Multi Branch, MI

02.2025 - Current

Recognized as a leader by management for providing exceptional customer service working at multiple branches.
Serve as the primary relationship manager and main point of contact for a portfolio of high-net-worth clients in an affluent market, providing tailored banking and finance solutions to meet complex financial needs.
In-depth experience working with 8 figure net worth clients in this role.
Act as a trusted advisor by identifying client goals, and proactively offering solutions across personal banking, credit, lending, mortgage, and wealth management.
Obtained new assets from existing and new clients / presented benefits of moving money over from other institutions to us and have been very successful doing so.
Outbound calling to obtain new financial relationships with 7 figure plus prospects.
Collaborate cross-functionally with partners in small business banking, investments, and lending to deliver holistic financial guidance.
Ensure top-tier client satisfaction through prompt service, professional communication, and accurate handling of all account-related tasks.
Maintain meticulous records using internal CRM tools to manage client interactions, track pipeline opportunities, and coordinate follow-ups.
Regularly contribute feedback to marketing and operations teams to optimize retail banking campaigns and in-branch workflows.
Stay current on industry trends, competitive offerings, and Citizens Bank products to provide strategic insights and drive innovation at the branch level.
Monitored customer accounts for suspicious activity and reported any irregularities to the appropriate authorities.
Maintained up-to-date knowledge of banking laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Managed client portfolios by monitoring performance against established benchmarks.

Outside Sales / Relationship Management

North American Bancard (Merchant Servives)

Troy / Hybrid Remote, MI

05.2023 - 12.2024

Played a significant role in managing thousands of client accounts.
Created and proposed marketing campaigns and strategies that generated hundreds of new leads/prospects.
Built strong relationships with key customers to maintain and expand business opportunities.
Negotiated contracts to acquire 7 figure clients.
Executed exceptional door to door sales when needed and performed extensive cold calling
Led team of sales professionals, providing coaching and training as needed for new hires.
Facilitated and led high opportunity client meetings around the state of Michigan and created successful proposal/pitch presentations with my team.
Mastered the skill of networking and acquired new leads even in the most unexpected situations.
Worked under pressure to meet close deadlines.
Analyzed client needs and tailored solutions to meet those needs.
Provided complex solutions for large business accounts.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Business Communications

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, MI

12-2024

Skills

Sales & Business Development

Sales Strategy
Client Relationship Management
Networking and business development
Market Research

Leadership & Management

Team Leadership
Project Management
Public Speaking & Coaching
Resilient & Adaptive Under Pressure
Communication Skills

Banking and financial expertise

Financial Analysis
Customer Needs Assessment
Financial solution recommendation
AI Experienced
Digital Banking Experience

Professional strengths

Trustworthy & Reliable
Problem-Solving
Excellent Customer Service
Results-Driven & Goal-Oriented

Certification

NMLS Certified through Citizens Bank

Languages

Spanish

Limited

Accomplishments

Presidential Community Service Award from President Donald Trump in 2020

- Received my senior year of high school

- 450 Hours of community outreach/service

- Helped form groups and participated in feeding the homeless and package meals on thanksgiving

- Volunteered at local churches for various community service projects

- Coached youth organization tackle football teams (4th-6th graders)

- Coached youth organization basketball teams (5th-8th graders)

- Record holder for most service hours at my high school

(Did all of this while playing travel basketball full time, maintaining a

3.5 GPA, and working at the local grocery store)

Independent Work - Football Recruiting Manager

Description: My younger brother is currently a senior high school

football player in Michigan. When his junior season neared the end, my brother hadn't heard anything from any schools or football programs as far as playing in college. Because I want my brother to do well and play at the college level, I decided to take his recruiting into my own hands and “campaign” for him. In this process, I took over his social media accounts and his email and got to work. Starting in September, 2023 I sent out 2,000 emails weekly to college coaches around the country and made sure to reach out to every single coach in the country, at every position, every week. In these 2,000 emails per week, I was contacting nearly 200 college football programs and personalizing them by program

and no 2 schools would get the same email and at the same time I filled out every schools recruiting questionnaire which would ask for all of the prospects information. This took loads of time and effort but I was very determined. During this campaign, I also utilized his twitter profile posting highlights and workout videos weekly to get his engagement and follower count up. I also used his Twitter account to directly message every single coach at the college football level in the country.

Campaign Achievements:

This campaign was incredibly successful and my brother now has 700 college coaches following him on twitter and most are actively talking to him and showing heavy interest. Some notable programs that have interest in him because of these efforts now include Michigan, Alabama, Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Stanford, and many more. With this campaign being so successful, Sports Illustrated was made aware of him and he was awarded the best pass catcher in Michigan title entering this season by the network. As of now, my brother is nationally ranked a 3-star tight end on 247 sports making him the 2nd best tight end in the entire state of Michigan and one of the best in the country. It is extremely hard to become nationally ranked but through this campaign I made it happen. My brother was given multiple division 1 offers as well as some division 2. With these offers, he decided to stay near home and commit to play at Eastern Michigan University which is a very respectable division 1 football program. In total, through this campaign, along with the other achievements, I have brought my brother a rough total of $1,065,000 in full ride scholarships from his current football offers along with the opportunity to play in the NFL one day if he plays well at the college level.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Extremely involved in the community through my church
Volunteer camp counselor at new life camp in Rose City, MI in the summers with The Apostolic Church based in Auburn Hills, MI
Provided guidance and mentorship to high school students while at the camp and related church events
Volunteered to help run camp events and youth activities
Currently a volunteer young adult group leader at the church

Timeline