Caroline Berna Perez

Vice President Technology Financing Programs, Wells Fargo Distribution Finance

Biography:

Since 2015 Carolina has been the vice president of Technology Financing Programs in the Middle East and Africa, overseeing the existing Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) receivable financing book.  In her role she is responsible for retaining and developing new relationships with channel partners (broad-line distributors, value-added resellers and systems integrators) in 10 countries across the MEA region.

Most recently, Carolina was the CDF regional sales manager for the UK and Spain. In this role, she delivered value to a variety of dealers and manufacturers across multiple industries (recreational vehicles, tech, marine). Carolina played an important role in building CDF’s inventory financing presence in Spain and Portugal, where CDF grew financed volumes exponentially year-on-year.

Prior to CDF, Carolina worked in GE Capital Real Estate in Paris and Madrid for 6+ years as an asset management finance analyst and expense/productivity leader.

A native of Spain, Carolina earned a Master in International Business Management from Universidad Carlos III in Madrid and Warwick Business School in Coventry. She speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian.

What advice would you offer to women just starting out in the industry?

I am a true believer that strong performance, coupled with active networking and positive attitude to challenge, will naturally lead to sponsorship and career progression.

Performance is key; it is the fundamental of gaining respect in any organization. Networking is a strong tool to promoting and branding yourself. Be proactive in pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone — learn, unlearn and learn again; it will only make you stronger. In the process, don’t forget to be patient; things will not always go your way or as quickly as you expected and don’t forget to celebrate victories with those who helped you.

When you enter the industry as a newcomer, you quickly notice that it tends to be a very small community of committed professionals with long steadfast careers — that is always a great sign.

 What do you know now that you wish you knew in the beginning of your career?

That there are truly no limits to what you can achieve. Don’t be discouraged if you are unclear about your personal career path. Stay curious, be patient and be kind to yourself: it can take time to figure things out and your priorities are continuously evolving.

What kind of role has mentoring and/or sponsorship played in your career?

I have had the privilege of having many mentors in my career and personal life: leaders, managers, peers, family members and friends. I started my career in commercial real estate in the finance function, I learned a lot and I am grateful for every bit of that experience. At some point I understood that my drive to serve internal customers could be leveraged to deliver: value to external customers in a commercial role. I used my network and my mentors to get introduced to the relevant people that could give me a headstart to the job I aspired to.

Sponsorship has only come very recently in my career; it is something you earn with consistent hard work and dedication. My sponsors have helped me to continue pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone and have propelled my career. Their support has been instrumental in my appointment to lead our technology receivable financing programs in the Middle East and Africa, a very challenging professional and cultural experience that has proven very motivating and rewarding to me.

What do you think the industry could do to attract and retain the best and the brightest today?

I believe there is much more we can do to create awareness of commercial lending activities at early stages. Many people don’t really know the range of alternative funding solutions out there and their impact on the long-term viability and growth of small, medium and large corporate businesses across an incredible variety of regions. Our business has done a great job putting together a 9-month Commercial Distribution Finance Graduate Program that enables young talent to discover critical aspects of our business during three-month rotations. As my CEO says, we should probably go a step further and start creating awareness of our industry and coaching young and diverse future talent in schools!

Retention is led by our team leaders; they need to be equipped to encourage an ongoing two-way dialogue based on trust – about assignments and about deliverables, of course – but, beyond that, about an employee’s career aspirations, training and work-life balance.  Our team leaders need to make it a priority to show ongoing respect for their team members as it will lead to a strong workplace culture as well as positive experiences and memories that they will never forget.