Michael Byrne Jr.

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Age: 32

Title: Associate Director, Portfolio Management

Company: UBS Global Asset Management, Global Real Estate - US

Location: Hartford

Hometown: West Hartford

College: La Salle Univ., Univ. of Hartford (MBA)

Bio

As associate director for UBS Global Asset Management, Global Real Estate — US, Michael Byrne is a member of the portfolio management team serving as an investment analyst. His primary responsibility is working on the firm's largest open-end real estate investment fund, supporting property acquisitions, financing, account operations and client reporting.

In addition to Byrne's real estate investment career, he is also heavily engaged in the community. He serves as co-chair for the United Way Emerging Leaders Society (ELS) and is a board member for the United Way of Central and Northeast Connecticut. His work with ELS is focused on inner city youth education programs, partnering with community schools to bolster literacy, eliminate summer learning loss, and provide the necessary resources for young students to succeed. ELS formed in 2012 and currently has more than 460 members offering volunteering, networking, leadership and fundraising opportunities.

Byrne enjoys living in West Hartford with his wife, Rebecca, and their two-year-old son, Michael.

Q&A

If there is one person whose life and career you want to imitate, who would it be? Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks (I am a diehard fan). More than just the business ventures and financial gain, I watch how he conducts himself in his position of power. The Mavericks are wildly successful thanks to Cuban, routinely in the playoffs and most recently winning the NBA Championship in 2011. All along the way, Cuban is in jeans and T-shirt side-by-side fans rooting for his team (not the customary bespoke suit and luxury box seat for an owner). He is direct and challenges the status quo — character traits seemingly rare in this age of political positioning and media scrutiny. Success, money and fame have undoubtedly provided many opportunities and a lavish lifestyle, but he doesn't seem to be changed by it.

If you could climb Mount Everest, win a Nobel prize, or have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which would you pick? Mount Everest because it's a chance to actually be on top of the world. There is siginificant preparation, time and care that goes into an attempt to summit this mountain; the feat is more the journey along the way than the few seconds at the peak. This undertaking would be more than just an athletic achievement; it would be an opportunity to learn more about yourself as a person.