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Susana Gonzales-Murillo is a Vice President at U.S. Bank and her job is directly related to international trade. She is based in Seattle, Washington and is the Country Manager of Latin America and Canada. She has spent 20 years in banking, but her last 2 years as Country Manager of Latin America. The country of Canada was just recently added to her list of responsibilities. Before becoming Country Manager, Susana held various positions in International Operations as well as Sales and Marketing positions at the bank. Why is trade important to a bank? What does a bank have to gain by being actively involved in trade? U.S. Bank is located in 17 states. In all 17 states, there are many clients who import and export. Importers and exporters work with banks to meet their financial needs, like applying for Letters of Credit or wiring money to a foreign bank. Clients who import and export also rely on banks to help them determine if the buyer/ seller they've selected to work with is financially secure. In what ways are you working with international trade day to day? My clients are mostly banks in other countries but they are also companies who are trading or thinking about trading. I may get a call from a bank in Argentina who has a customer who wants to buy computers from the U.S.. I will introduce my client in Argentina to a reputable, financially sound supplier of computers from my area. The main purpose of my job, however, is to promote trade finance. Which other countries do you work with? Currently I work with Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. I expect to be working much more closely with Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Central America by the end of the year. What do you see as your biggest successes to date? I think our biggest successes relate to expressing an interest in emerging economies and working with regions and countries with tremendous growth potential. We look at our work with these countries as an investment in trade opportunities of the future. Any obstacles you hope to overcome while in this position? I would love to create more time to read each day (or each hour!). I like to be as up-to- date as possible in order to make the best decisions. Latin America is a big region and there are a lot of differences between each individual country within Latin America. I would like to spend more time learning about these differences and keeping up with current affairs in each country. Describe a typical day. I travel to Latin America twice a year and Mexico four times a year. Each day traveling is filled with back-to-back meeting from dawn to dusk. I meet with six to ten banks each day, in addition to some time with importers and exporters. I spend a fair amount of time selling our region — looking for products my clients in Seattle may want to find in Latin America or Mexico and letting clients in those countries know what the Seattle area has to offer them. When I’m in the office in Seattle, the first thing I do is catch up on what has happened in the world while I've been sleeping! I read the Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times and scan some news screens from Reuters News Service. I spend the next few hours returning phone calls and answering faxes from clients, which can cover a wide range of questions or issues. I also spend time each day corresponding with bankers in Latin America. The key in banking is that everything has to be done quickly! When in town, I also spend time meeting with local businesses to understand how U.S. Bank can better assist them. These meetings are held in conjunction with a U.S. Bank "Trade Services Officer" who is a very experienced banker with a well-rounded background. The Trade Services Officer can teach clients the mechanics of international transactions. What do you like most/least about your job? I love the ability to work with other countries, especially Latin American countries. I was born in Bolivia, speak the language and understand the culture so it is really fun to work so closely with an area of the world which means so much to me. Banking itself is also very close to my heart because I've been in the industry for so long. The area of my job which causes the most frustration is the difficulty of keeping current on issues. There is so much to read and absorb, an overload of good information. I wish I had ten eyes! Any advise to kids K-12? I would like you to take advantage of every second! Learn and experience as much as you can. Adults aren't as crazy as they seem when they tell you things like this! Take advantage of all opportunities available to you. It would be very helpful to learn one or two other languages because globalization is here and the world is working very closely together. Don't be afraid to question things — ask yourself, "How do countries share products and resources? Where did my shirt come from?" Having a pen pal is also a great way to learn about other people, countries and culture. And pen pal relationships can turn into adventurous traveling opportunities. Growing up, I had a pen pal in France whom I was able to visit and get to know in person when I got a little older! |
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