CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
Michelle Dávila Franklin Templeton Investments HEADQUARTERS: San Mateo, California
TITLE:
WEBSITE: www.franklintempleton.com
Senior Associate General Counsel, Chief Legal Counsel -Americas
BUSINESS: Asset management REVENUES: $7.1 billion EMPLOYEES: 8,500
EDUCATION:
BA, Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges; JD, Columbia Law School › › ›
What does it mean to be a part of the fastest growing minority in the U.S.? How does that alter how you are treated as a consumer and a person? From a consumer and personal perspective, the attention is flattering, but it also means that we cannot be complacent with the present. We need to leverage our consumer and electoral presence to create positive advancement and lasting change in our community. How has your heritage been beneficial or helpful in your career/and or business relationships? When you do business in Latin America, connecting with your clients is more than just speaking their language. My heritage has helped me become fully engaged in their challenges and their success. And by being engaged I have become a better advocate and counselor. What advice would you give the next generation of Hispanic/Latino business leaders? What are some tips for other Hispanics/Latinos beginning their careers? Simple—prepare yourself for globalization. Across all consumer sectors, companies are expanding their reach and Hispanic business leaders need to be poised for international leadership. For those beginning their careers, biculturalism will be a minimum requirement and they need to equip themselves now for a global role in the future.
LAST BOOK I READ:
A Hora da Estrela, by Clarice Lispector MY PERFECT DAY:
December 25—all markets closed, 75 degrees with no humidity INTERESTS:
Documentaries, foreign films, crowd funding projects
Grace Lieblein General Motors Brazil WEBSITE: www.gm.com
TITLE:
BUSINESS: Automotive
President, General Motors Brazil EDUCATION:
BS, General Motors Institute (now Kettering University); MBA, Michigan State University › What motivated you to choose your field/career path? How did you come by your current position? My father worked at a General Motors plant and got me interested in cars and engineering. I’ve worked for GM my entire career and have held various positions in Engineering. I then moved to be the President of GM Mexico in 2009, and then to Brazil in 2011. › ›
What are the major values of your heritage? How have they helped you in your career? Because of the way that I was raised, I have always valued relationships as an enabler in business. This has been helpful in building teams, partnerships, and especially in my recent assignments in Mexico and Brazil. Are there any groups, social or business, that have been particularly helpful to you? HENNAC (Hispanic Engineering National Achievement Awards Conference), SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), and Hispanic Business Magazine have all been extremely supportive and inspirational to me, both personally and professionally.
278
PROFILES IN DIVERSITY JOURNAL
September/October 2012
LAST BOOK I READ:
State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett MY PERFECT DAY:
At our lake home in Michigan with family, with swimming and campfire INTERESTS:
Traveling, cooking, reading, exercise