Born and raised in Mexico City, Manuel Alvarez can trace his relentless determination back to his teenage years. “I was lucky enough to join summer camps in European schools to get a better education, understand different cultures, practice sports, and improve my English and French,” Alvarez says. In 2007, he completed a chemical engineering degree at Universidad Iberoamericana, but it was during his yearlong international exchange program at Université Laval, Quebec, that he developed a “competitive mind-set” and decided to pursue an MBA at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Today, Alvarez serves as a management associate at Citibank, specializing in wealth management for the Latin American region.
Career Goals
I want to be a well-recognized and successful private banker at Citibank and in the financial industry. In the future, I aim to be the head of a team of hard-working and innovative bankers, focusing on affluent and high-net-worth clients throughout the entire Latin American region. During this journey to become a great banker, I would also like to raise a fund for low-income communities in Mexico so that they can get a better education and health-care treatments.
Work experience
Current
Management Associate
Citibank
2011-2013
Volunteer
Junior Achievement, Los Angeles
Summer 2012
Finance Intern
Mattel
2009–2011
Investments Analyst
MIRA Companies
2007–2009
Business Analyst
Monsanto, Latin America
2006–2007
Project Analyst
Banobras
Dream job
I am currently in my dream job, because I am in an intensive program designed to have an accelerated development and exposure inside Citibank, a truly global financial institution.
Education
Master of Business Administration
UCLA Anderson School of Management
June 2013
Diploma in Corporate Finance
Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México
August 2009
Chemical Engineering
Universidad Iberoamericana
December 2007
Role models
It’s always good to have several role models. One of mine is my father, Gerardo, who has taught me how to manage and solve difficult situations in professional and personal surroundings. Another role model is my mother, Amparo, who has taught me how to persevere in my short- and long-term goals. Last but not least is my brother, Jerry, who has taught me how to be curious in every aspect of my life.
Define Success
Success is a path in which human beings think, learn, work, react, enjoy, and sacrifice in order to achieve specific goals. Most of us have to be well-rounded in various aspects of our lives in order to achieve our objectives. For example, you need to leverage your virtues and try to improve your areas of opportunity, so that every day in life you can accomplish outcomes in a better and more efficient manner.
Industry Pulse
“During the next decade, the Latin American emerging markets will become more important players in the global economy. Latin American countries will start investing more among countries, and this effect will create an enormous opportunity for financial institutions, such as banks, to think and grow regionally, not just locally.”
