Brennan Comfort

Vice President & Director of Analytics, WesBanco Bank, Inc.

By Maggie Hatfield

Brennan Comfort, vice president and director of analytics of WesBanco Bank, got to where he is today with hard work, great mentors and good timing.

“I had taken a roundabout way to realizing I wanted to pursue a career in finance,” he says. “With an undergraduate degree in physics and math, I knew I needed to make connections in the finance industry, so I drafted an email asking for advice and tracked down as many email addresses as I could for executives at local banks and investment firms. Within a day, David Ellwood, the chief investment officer for WesBanco at the time, responded with an invite to grab coffee. Of the 20 emails I sent, his was the only response.”

That cup of coffee led to an internship, which turned into a full-time position at WesBanco in 2015.

Since his start as an intern, Comfort has climbed the ranks while serving in several positions, including research analyst, financial analyst, officer of asset and liability management and assistant vice president of asset and liability management and analytics. To advance even further in his career, Comfort earned his master’s degree in business data analytics from West Virginia University (WVU) in 2019.

Today, he enjoys that no two days are alike. Analytics is a new dedicated function at WesBanco, and he has been instrumental in building the infrastructure from the ground up.

“This involves finding the right talent to build the team, bringing in the right technology and software and working with various departments across the organization to help imbed data and analytics into our day-to-day processes,” he says. “In a few short years, the analytics department has gone from a department of one to seven people and has brought a host of new tools and software to the bank—but we still have more to do. Developing a scalable and sustainable analytics department presents a unique but thrilling set of challenges. While we will continuously look for ways to improve, my team and I are excited about reaching a point in the near future where we provide departments across the entire organization with analytical insights into their business that benefit the bank and our customers.”

Comfort credits his family and his mentors for the success he has amassed so far.

“I owe my current successes to the guidance and support of my family. Without their sacrifices, I would not have had the opportunities that made me who I am today,” he says. “I am thankful for Brent Richmond, my supervisor for the last five years, who has placed faith in me even when I thought I wasn’t up for the challenge, and David Ellwood, who has been a constant example that you can be successful in your career while also dedicating your time to your community.”

The respect Comfort has earned in his community is due to his commitment to effecting positive change. When he lived in Wheeling, he dedicated time to Wheeling Jesuit’s Service for Social Action Center, Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center and Wheeling Heritage. A recent move to Morgantown has allowed him to focus on his latest passion—Data Driven WV. Created as a way to give students real-world experiences with West Virginia-based businesses while also granting those businesses access to analytics talent, Comfort played a key role in establishing this partnership between the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics and WesBanco.

“My involvement in the program has allowed me to marry my passion for data and analytics with my desire to help the state by making analytics more accessible to local businesses and giving students a path to a career in West Virginia,” he says.

Comfort is optimistic about the potential of the Mountain State and excited to be part of its future progress.

“As someone who is building a life here with my fiancé, Gabrielle, I know first-hand what the state has to offer,” he says. “There is an intense feeling of community that makes West Virginia a place I am proud to call home. I look forward to further planting my roots and playing what role I can in the state’s continued growth for many years.”