N6A’s New CEO: Keeping It in the Family
Founder Matt Rizzetta reflects on the promotion of Daniela Mancinelli to Chief Executive Officer, and the next chapter of N6A.
I have spent nearly 70 percent of my professional career, and 30 percent of my entire life, as the founder and CEO of N6A. It has become more than just a job and career endeavor for me.
When I first started our business, it was just before my 27th birthday. My wife was pregnant with our first child. We had just moved into a new house and had a mortgage to pay. My wife just left her job as a schoolteacher at PS 205 in Brooklyn to go on maternity leave. I had the crazy idea of starting a business despite all the life changes that were happening around us.
For the past 11 years, N6A has become an extension of my life and the most important source of pride and self-accomplishment outside of my wife and three daughters. This captures the essence of a founder’s connection, the connection that a founder has to his or her company. This is the reason it’s often difficult for founders to pass the torch to new operators as their businesses grow and scale.
Luckily for me, it was one of the easiest decisions in the world. Why, you ask? Because we get to keep it all in the family.
I have had the privilege of working alongside some amazing people over the past 11 years. Our new CEO Daniela Mancinelli is a world-class executive and an even better human being. We have been in the trenches together for more than a half-decade now, and she will bring an incredible humility, work-ethic and vision for continued growth that is so vital in today’s business climate. She will also bring a unique connection to our brand that is so rare to find in founder-owned businesses. I cannot wait for clients and employees to see her operate as a CEO.
We also have so many other people supporting us in new leadership roles, many of whom are longtime N6A-ers who truly deserve the opportunity to shine at the next level. There is no better feeling than seeing other people earn promotions from within as a result of their hard work, dedication and appetite for learning.
As for me, I am excited about what the next chapter holds, both inside and outside of N6A.
For starters, we have set up a family office holding company called North Sixth Group, which will own interests in N6A. This will be used as a platform to continue building the N6A brand, expanding our reach and capabilities to better service our clients, and to pursue strategic opportunities.
I will be staying on as Chairman of N6A so I can spend time working with our clients on entrepreneurial and business challenges, and to help our employees through culture and innovation programs.
Outside of N6A, most of my time will go to pursuing other passions, including strategic opportunities and investments aligned with the mission and vision of North Sixth Group, which is to invest in “Passion, Purpose and Progress.” Through North Sixth Group, I also am going to be dedicating time and resources to give back to the people who have supported me and played an important role in my journey over the past 11 years.
I can’t wait to share some of our plans in the weeks and months ahead. Until then, I couldn’t be happier to welcome our new CEO, and to keep things all in the family.
#EmbraceThePace