Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Meet Diana Avila Gonzalez, our Global Head of Banking and Expansion
"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."
Global Head of Banking and Expansion
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 bit about your career journey, from beginning until now?
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.
Who are some Hispanic figures (past or present) who have inspired you?
When growing up, it was inspiring to see Latin American women taking powerful roles internationally. Particularly, I admire Sonia Sotomayor, born in New York, to Puerto Rican parents. When I was just graduating as a Lawyer in Colombia, I was amazed to see how being nominated by Barack Obama, she became the first Latina and third woman to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court of Justice. More recently, I find Alexandria Ocasio -Cortez inspiring for being a brave Hispanic woman, able to use her voice to represent many in the U.S. Congress.
Beyond politics and justice, I admire Hispanic women artists that have developed their careers internationally and positioned themselves globally. Actress Sofia Vergara, as well as singers Shakira and Karol G are Colombians that have worked hard for decades, taking their heritage to international audiences and being recognised for their talents and achievements.
What can organisations do to create a more inclusive environment for Hispanic employees?
There are two main things that organisations can do to continue creating more inclusive environments for Hispanic employees, and for those from diverse backgrounds in general.
First, recognising employees’ backgrounds. Understanding where they come from, what is important to them in terms of their heritage and fully welcoming and recognising this diversity.
Secondly, as companies increase their number of Hispanic employees in senior and leadership roles, more people will feel empowered and inspired. When you are a young professional, seeing a diverse group of people leading and making the big decisions, you’ll feel encouraged and inspired because you can envision yourself making it there one day.
Read more about DEI at Wise and our 12 global Wise Communities below.
Tags
Roles you might be interested in
Salary
32500 - 39160 MYR Monthly
Location
Kuala Lumpur
Team
Banking
Locations
Kuala Lumpur
Description
We’re looking for a Country Manager / CEO to lead our expansion efforts in Malaysia. Malaysia is a growing and important market for Wise and your success will mean helping millions more potential cust
Reference
af2f05c1-88b0-4248-8e56-bc905204fbf0
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
€3500 - €4350 gross/monthly
Location
Tallinn
Team
Analytics
Locations
Tallinn
Description
We’re looking for an Operations Analyst who is passionate about our mission of Money Without Borders to partner with our operational teams to help drive data-driven decisions that would support our fa
Reference
5e228c34-ff0d-45b7-9324-7d77fa17f3a5
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
3650 EUR Monthly
Location
Tallinn
Team
Operations
Locations
Tallinn
Description
We’re looking for a Senior PEP Screening Team Lead to lead our PEP and Adverse Media Screening teams in Tallinn or in Budapest.The main purpose of the team is to screen Wise customers for Politically
Reference
556dc08d-1b9a-4975-ab9c-9237f1350142
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
26 - 27 USD Hourly
Location
Austin
Team
Operations
Locations
Austin
Description
What’s In It For You?A chance to learn and develop in the field of Due Diligence with hands-on trainingBe part of a company that’s on a mission to make money without bordersJoin a diverse and collabor
Reference
c01116cd-c2aa-4e97-a5f3-ff2a99414c4e
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
$24.00 USD Hourly
Location
Austin
Team
Customer Support
Locations
Austin
Description
Your mission is to help customers have an excellent experience with Wise mainly via phone, email, and chats. This isn’t your normal call center – we do things differently – and our Business Customer S
Reference
0bd75781-c412-44a9-b849-a6c9f9916a2f
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
5670 BRL Monthly
Location
São Paulo
Team
Customer Support
Locations
São Paulo
Description
Your mission is to help customers have an excellent experience with Wise mainly via phone but also via email. This isn’t your normal call center – we do things differently – and our Business Customer
Reference
533a75bf-2c5e-40b0-a532-95ee490857f6
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
5,670 BRL + 7.5% language differential
Location
São Paulo
Team
Customer Support
Locations
São Paulo
Description
Your mission is to help customers have an excellent experience with Wise mainly via phone but also via email and possibly chat contacts. This isn't your normal call center - we do things differently -
Reference
82128fa6-d01a-4bc9-bc3c-7d431374fd50
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
21.5 - 21.5 USD Hourly
Location
Austin
Team
Customer Support
Locations
Austin
Description
Your Mission:To provide our customers with an outstanding experience using Wise. You’ll be helping them through calls, chats, and emails, resolving issues, and ensuring they walk away satisfied.Here’s
Reference
8ee5d089-f27e-432e-ac5f-5cd91de33abd
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
78500 - 103000 USD Annual
Location
Austin
Team
Operations
Locations
Austin
Description
What You’ll Get:A starting salary of $78,500 annuallyCompany Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)—a chance to share in our successComprehensive benefits that support you both in and out of the office (more d
Reference
3a62d7e4-e818-42ff-89fd-cc62945ea0f0
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
-
Location
São Paulo
Team
People
Locations
São Paulo
Description
We’re looking for an Employee Relations Advisor for our Latin America region to join our People Operations Team in São Paulo. This role is a unique opportunity to have an impact on Wise’s mission, gro
Reference
9f331f8b-e635-4065-8beb-9ec1e78525a8
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Articles you might like
Teaser
Early careersContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/03/2024
Summary
My name is Niv, and I’m currently pursuing a degree in Law with English Law at the University of Aberdeen. This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at Wise as an ESG (Envi
by
Holly Sellers
Teaser
Diversity Equity & InclusionContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/03/2024
Summary
Meet Omolade Olorundare, our FinCrime Quality Specialist “The Black Wisers community goes beyond celebrating culture; it’s about building strong, meaningful relationships that help us stay
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Our workContent Type
BlogPublish date
08/18/2024
Summary
Introducing our first ever Product Academy At Wise, we're committed to fostering innovation and growth, not just in our products but in our people. This year, we launched a new
Teaser
Our cultureContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/15/2024
Summary
My name is Cynthia. I'm a fraud agent at Wise, based in the Austin office. We strive to prevent fraudulent activity on the Wise platform. It can be tricky, as Wise supports many diff
Teaser
Our cultureContent Type
BlogPublish date
03/15/2024
Summary
At the end of 2023, we released one career map for all of our multidisciplinary Design team, and moved our tiered salary to one equitable band. We set out to create a career framework
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
02/28/2024
Summary
Wise Brussels has a very special and unique positioning in the heart of EU institutions. We caught up with three of our Brussels Wisers to find out a bit more about their roles and wha
Teaser
Diversity Equity & InclusionContent Type
BlogPublish date
02/26/2024
Summary
Wise is committed to fair and ethical employment practices and dedicated to providing our employees with a fair wage that meets the basic cost of living.That’s why we’ve officially become accr
Content Type
BlogPublish date
01/24/2024
Summary
Wise’s volunteer day is not just a perk; it’s a celebration of community, camaraderie, and making a difference.Meet Claire Adelman, Customer Support Training Specialist, and Javier Perdo
Content Type
BlogPublish date
01/08/2024
Summary
How many people can say they’re lucky enough to work at a company that supports their ideas, values and passions – even if these are not directly related to the company’s mission? Well
Teaser
Our cultureContent Type
BlogPublish date
01/05/2024
Summary
Hi there, I’m Gabriela, but you can call me Gabe. I work in the SEO Content team, writing on the other Wise blog and am based in the Budapest office.I’m originally from Brazil, but am al