Can you tell us a bit about your career journey, from beginning until now?

I studied law in Colombia and became a lawyer in 2009, specialising in financial regulation for foreign institutions willing to do business in the country. In 2013, I moved to London for a Master’s in Law and Finance, because I really wanted to have the experience of living and studying abroad. After I finished my degree, I was in love with the idea of living in London, it is a global city where I was meeting people from all over the world and I could experience innovation first hand.

While looking for a job in London, I had the need to send money back to Colombia to start repaying my student loan and I realised how expensive and complicated sending money internationally was, especially when trying to use a traditional bank. That’s when I found Wise (then TransferWise) and recognised the need for better solutions in Latin America.

I was already obsessed with the idea of being part of the change, of making it really easy, fast and affordable to transfer money to Colombia and Latin America. Wise was looking for someone to join their expansions team so in 2015 I joined to drive the expansion to Latin America, focusing on markets like Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Things worked out perfectly. 

In 2019 I took the role of Global Head of Banking and Expansion, joining our Executive Leadership Team at Wise. Today, I lead the teams at Wise that drive our global regulatory expansion, connections to domestic payment rails - via domestic partner banks or as direct participants - and Government Relations. People in my team are based all over the world, from Sydney, Tokyo, all the way to Austin and Mexico City. Having this team of such talented people is one of my favourite things about my career.

Can you tell us a little about your Latin American and Colombian heritage?

I was born and grew up in Bogota, Colombia. All my family is Colombian, my parents met and got married 61 years ago in Bogota. I am very, very close to my family, and while I live in London and they all live back in Colombia, we speak every day and spend plenty of time together. My partner is also Colombian, so our home in London feels like our own version of our Colombian heritage combined with 11 years as Londoners. 

Tell us more about your experiences being the Executive Sponsor of our Wise Women community and part of the Latinx Wiser community at Wise?

Since starting at Wise, I've had incredible opportunities to connect with teams, bank partners, and regulators in different regions. Looking back, I wish I had seen more role models who looked like me. As a Latin American woman in a leadership role at a top fintech, I feel proud and empowered. I want to show others that anything is possible. One of the things that mean the most to me is how people around me have gotten used to pronouncing my name in the Latin way (dyah-nah), instead of the English one. It wouldn’t have bothered me, but seeing that people can see me and value me considering my heritage is also a way to inspire others and encourage them to be proud of where they come from.