Manuel
Job Title
Director, Lloyds Broker
Organisation and Location
RFIB Group (formerly part of Flemings Investment Bank)
City of London
Industry sector
Financial Services
Background
Eastbourne College , East Sussex
9 O-Levels
4 A-Levels (including Spanish and French)
How would you describe your job?
I have nearly completed 20 yrs in this industry and am responsible, primarily for development and production in Latinamerica and the Carribean. I have been travelling to Latinamerica for 15 yrs and currently make approximately six to seven annual trips to this region (approx three months).
We have been successful in developing a very profitable portfolio and our commitment to the region is being emphasized by some recent investments in Guatemala . By the end of this year we expect to have a financial stake in a Colombian Broker. Our short-term business plan is to have a network of strategic alliances/joint ventures in this region.
Why is Spanish important for your job?
Needless to say Spanish is extremely important to me and has most certainly facilitated business production. Whilst most of our clients speak good English they would much prefer to converse in their mother tongue and the ability to be able to do this has enhanced our profile and helped to break down any initial barriers. We have dedicated a lot of time in creating a specialised team (seven people) that can deal with this language and cultural issue, and feel that our clients have greater respect for a broker that is capable if conducting fluent business negotiations in their language.
How do languages come into play?
It is extremely satisfying to visit a client in their offices and after weeks/months of marketing their product and tailoring a programme to fit their needs against extreme competition, to be given a firm order, which means a legally binding agreement to handle their business for typically a twelve-month period. Those are some of the most satisfying highs in my role and make all the hard work worthwhile. Travelling is also a major plus. Certainly, my job has allowed me to visit territories that I would definitely not have had the opportunity to do so. I have visited approximately 15 countries in this region from Mexico down to Chile and this continuous contact with South America has very much helped maintain my fluency; a very high percentage of my calls are carried out in Spanish although I am told that much of my vocabulary is becoming South Americanised (por ejemplo digo carro y no coche, digo "ta bien" en vez de "está bien", digo celular y no móvil.....)
Do you speak any other languages?
I studied French to "A" level standard. Unfortunately through my lack of practice, my current role has no need for this language, and this has invariably affected my fluency.
What about outside work?
Fluency in the language not only helps business negotiations but makes my travel much more straight forward (hotel bookings, airport check ins, local transportation are some examples). Not only is the language important but the mentality / mind set invariably helps personal relationships.
Source:Consejería de Educación