From Wall Street to Global Financial Empowerment: Iona University Alumnus Appointed CFO of Accion
Iona University alumnus Paulo Silva ’06, ’08MBA, CPA has been appointed chief financial officer at Accion, a global nonprofit. This marks Silva’s first global C-Suite role, where he will leverage strategic financial leadership and cross-functional problem-solving to drive impactful change.
Silva earned both his bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA in financial management from Iona. Silva is also a former member of Iona's Cross Country and Track & Field teams, serving as captain of the track team in his senior year, a testament to his leadership on and off the field.
Silva completed a Master of Arts in data science from Harvard University and is a Certified Public Accountant in New York State. The New Jersey native’s career journey, spanning over 15 years of experience, started as an auditor at KPMG for financial services clients. He said his academic journey at Iona paved the way for a strong start to his professional career.
Over the years, Silva has cultivated a diverse background in finance. At UNICEF’s New York headquarters, he was a finance manager leading financial governance, reporting, analysis and innovative initiatives. Prior to UNICEF, he was a vice president at Goldman Sachs, overseeing financial operations and strategic initiatives of the currencies sales and trading desk. He also ran a former management consulting business, providing CFO advisory and financial modeling services to a wide range of companies. Silva’s professional career path is also enriched by his service in the United States Marine Corps Reserves.
Reflecting on his transition to Accion, Silva said, “I enjoyed working on Wall Street early on but helping advance a humanitarian-focused mandate is uniquely rewarding.”
As noted in his appointment announcement, Accion’s mission is to “create a fair and inclusive economy where underserved people have quality financial choices and opportunities to improve their economic wellbeing.”
Silva’s advice to aspiring accountants and business professionals?
“Accounting coursework is demanding, but if you enjoy the challenge of ‘learning a new language,’ stick with it and don't overthink it. Pursue internships from early on and find mentors who can help give you more context and advice on potential career paths.”
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.