Fernando Rey
Forging a Path to Success with Creativity, Savvy, and Grit
"I always knew I was going to open up some business, and I was never scared of failing."
As early as grade
school, Fernando Rey was the kid who spotted opportunity where others never saw
it coming.
Raised by his
hardworking single mother—after losing his father to lung cancer at the tender
age of 11—Fernando learned quickly that maturity and creativity were not
optional—they were survival tools.
It was during
this time that Fernando realized he had a knack for business. Having owned and
operated several small enterprises during his school years gave him a taste of
entrepreneurship—and from there he was hooked.
"I've always felt
that I had good business acumen, so I figured out how to make it work and turn
a profit."
Early adulthood
proved to be Fernando's career testing ground. He once considered dentistry,
then pivoted after realizing he was more energized by business, deals, and
figuring out "how things worked." During this time, he also identified that
making money was not the most important thing. It was more about the thrill of
the deal and helping people.
"While I needed
to make money, it ultimately became secondary…I was fueled by the chase of it
or the chase of a goal [mainly, helping people] that matters more," he
recalled.
In college,
numbers came easily, and he began to see accounting as the language of
business—and tax as the place where relationships and strategy collide—in the
best way. After internships in the middle market and Big Four, Fernando joined
a large firm. There, he spent the next 15 years building a specialty in real
estate and ultimately making partner.
Serving marquee
clients, he handled large, sophisticated structures and transactions, but what
mattered most was never the size of the deal.
"As a tax practitioner, I'm
representing the person. It's always been a
you-and-me-against-the-world approach…and I put all my energy into 'you
and me' winning."
That same
entrepreneurial pull that had him launching multiple businesses in grade
school, saving aggressively, and constantly looking for angles to learn
eventually pulled him away from his large-firm role. Even after a managing
partner proclaimed that he was walking away from "millions on the table,"
Fernando could not be swayed.
"The money just
wasn't that important to me. I wanted to start something of my own and apply my
hard-earned creativity and business savvy…peppered with a little bit of grit."
So, he left the
firm and spent six months with nothing but a desk, a laptop, and a
phone—reintroducing himself to the market and rebuilding his book client by
client. Within just a few months, he joined Alex Molieri (The Molieri Group) as
a partner, where he was responsible for domestic tax, mainly within the real
estate vertical.
"That was where I
was supposed to be…in a place where I could build a successful business with
amazing partners and help our clients win at business and life."
Fernando has
built a successful career by following his gut, but more importantly by
"doing." Over the years, he's honed this unique superpower: Leading from the
front.
And what does
that mean to Fernando? Simple: He motivates by doing, not directing. If a
deadline requires late nights, he stays in the trenches with the team, side by
side, until the work is done.
"If we have to
work until midnight, we're going to do it together," he said. "I'm never going
to be the person who heads out and leaves the team alone."
What drives him
now is equal parts people and purpose. And that means easing the pressure for
overworked CFOs, helping clients navigate high-stakes decisions, and making
sure those around him—colleagues, clients, and family—feel supported and seen.
Fernando has accumulated a lifetime of experience (despite his relatively young age), and is always willing to share lessons and insights with those around him. His advice to those still finding their path is simple and thoughtful:
