2. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 1
International Master in Microfinance for Entrepreneurship
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
c/ Tomás y Valiente, 5. Módulo E-II, Despacho 212
28049 – Madrid - Spain
3. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 2
INTERVIEWING
INTERNATIONAL MASTER’S
IN MICROFINANCE - UAM
ALUMNI
Brooke R. Cain
Julia Marín
I am from Madrid, Spain. I studied International
Relations at Universidad Complutense de Madrid
and at King’s College London for a year. I was first
introduced to the notion of microfinance while
studying abroad in the U.S., where I was an intern
for FINCA International, one of the largest
microfinance institution working in 23 countries
worldwide. This experience definitely motivated me
to keep learning about how inclusive financial
markets could improve the lives of poor people.
Where are you currently working?
I am currently in Paraguay working with Fundación
Capital in a program called Graduation. The core
goal of the program is improving the productive,
financial, human and social assets of people living in
extreme poverty. We develop, along with the
Government of Paraguay, different short-term and
long-term strategies that can help the participant
move out from extreme poverty.
My main role inside this institution has been to
develop workshops that could help the participants
develop their own business ideas, encouraging the
participants to set goals by themselves and to assist
them with budgeting skills. The workshops work to
comprehensively coach the poorest people from the
community to plan for their future. I am currently
working on a savings workshop, which shows
participants different ways in which they can save,
formally and informally, therefore encouraging the
sustainable construction of their own assets.
Why did you choose the International
Master in Microfinance for
Entrepreneurship (IMME) at UAM?
I was looking for a Masters taught in English, and I
was aware of the prestige of Universidad Autónoma
de Madrid.
4. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 3
What were the main advantages of the
IMME for you?
I was able to connect with a large number of
practitioners, who very professionally shared the
knowledge they previously acquired working hands-
on the field. I was also able to learn from prominent
academics up-to-date debates in the field of
microfinance. Each module of the Masters was
taught by a specialist on the matter at hand, which
happened to be an incredible and unique learning
experience.
How did the IMME help you get a job in the
microfinance industry?
As part of the Master’s program, I completed an
internship in AECID, the Spanish Agency of
Cooperation and Development. I assisted with the
Agency’s investments in MFIs all over the world,
which enabled me to learn from the obstacles and
innovations of those institutions. I believe that the
opportunity of gaining that professional experience
was a key factor in finding subsequent job
opportunities. After the Masters, I completed an
internship in IFAD, United Nation’s International
Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome, Italy.
Why would you recommend the IMME to
others?
I would recommend the Master to everyone
interested in learning about innovating ways for
poverty reduction. Microfinance is a development
field continuously evolving, and IMME adapts rapidly
to these innovations so students are able to finish
the year with a well-defined picture of challenges
and opportunities present in the industry.
José Andrés Véliz Orive
My name is José Andrés Véliz Orive and I'm from
Guatemala. Before the Master I had a degree in
Business Administration, and I worked for six years
in a bank here in Guatemala, but not in the
microfinance area. I worked in the areas of Credit
Cards and later insurance, so I didn’t have real
microfinance experience before the Master.
During the master I had the chance to do my
Internship for Fundación África Directo and learned
about their programs in Africa, especially in Uganda.
After the Master, I came back to Guatemala and
started working at FINCA Guatemala as Information
Analyst.
Where are you currently working and what
does your job entail?
I am working at FINCA Guatemala, as an
Information Analyst. My main responsibilities are to
perform various analyses, assessments, and reports
for the Chief Operating Officer related to different
indicators of the credit portfolio. Additionally, I
monitor the progress of the key performance
indicators of the 30 branches and their loan officer
5. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 4
staff and I prepare presentations related to business
results to be presented to the Board of Directors.
Lastly, I follow up the goal achievement of non-credit
products (such as remittances, payments
transactions, etc.), and I provide support as
requested for analyses, assessments or reports of a
specific situation, such as benchmarking of the
Small Business Loan Product, incentives policy
proposal, response time analysis and new product
development.
Why did you choose the International
Master of Microfinance for
Entrepreneurship (IMME) at UAM?
I was involved in the financial sector and wanted to
specialize in microfinance because it is an industry
that, through innovation, has made a big social
impact. And in my search, the IMME was the most
complete and professional program about
microfinance. I was also confident to know that it had
the support from one of the most prestigious
universities in Spain.
What were the main advantages of the
IMME for you?
One of the main advantages of the Master are its
professors and invited experts, who knew well how
to share their experience and knowledge in
microfinance. Another advantage is that the
program is very updated in the most recent
trends of microfinance and financial inclusion,
and it provides documentation and references
that I’ve been able to use in my current job. And
last but not least, one advantage, that in my opinion
is also one of the main advantages, is
networking. The Master gives you the opportunity
to meet a lot of great people who are experts and
very influential in the microfinance industry at the
global level.
How did the IMME help you get a job in the
microfinance industry?
It was very helpful for me. Before going back to my
country, I did some research about the microfinance
Industry here in Guatemala and made a list of the
main institution in which I would like to work. I was
quite surprised at how fast I could get a job. It took
me five weeks to sign my contract with the institution
I wanted to work with. The Master was a great
advantage for me because despite my little work
experience in microfinance they were willing to trust
me with this position which is helping me to grow
professionally.
Verónica Dos Santos
I was born in Asunción, Paraguay, in 1990. I
graduated from National University of Asuncion
in Economics with a specialization in
Microeconomics. During and after my studies, I
worked in the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), at
the Innovation Lab for the Inter-American
Development Bank Group (IADB). The Innovation
Lab conducts high-risk experiments to test new
models for engaging and inspiring the private sector
6. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 5
to solve economic development problems in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
For three years, I worked as a Project Analyst,
designing, implementing, and evaluating projects as
well as using the knowledge and innovation
generated through the projects to serve the
economic development in the region. I had the
opportunity to be involved in projects in areas of
financial inclusion to increase the availability of
formal savings and payment products and services,
and alternative distribution channels that, besides
being profitable to financial institutions, facilitate
access and adapt to the needs of the Paraguayan
low-income population.
Where are you currently working and what
does your job entail?
I’m working in the Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA
Group, a non-profit institution created by the BBVA
Group in May 2007 as part of its corporate
responsibility strategy, and it focuses its activity on
financial inclusion, investing its budget on the
creation and consolidation of microfinance
institutions in seven countries in Latin America
(Colombia, Peru, Chile, Dominican Republic,
Panama, Puerto Rico and Argentina).
In order to perform the important mission, when I
started working at the Foundation in December
2014, we created a Corporate Campus,
Knowledge and Learning Centre for its 8,000
employees, a place where we offer training to help
staff prepare to work with vulnerable people who
have no access to the financial system. With this
idea, using innovative learning methodologies we
prepared and launched a program entitled
“Managers’ School”, a training project to promote
knowledge of microfinance among the managers of
the banks’ branch offices, based on the model of
Responsible Productive Finance. The managers in
the commercial network will receive specific
academic instruction about risks, customer service,
high-performance team management, leadership
and programs that contribute to ensuring that the
banks' products and services are more effective at
reaching out to greater numbers of entrepreneurs.
In the same line, we are designing and developing a
digital solution for providing information to increase
the financial capabilities, health and women's
empowerment and knowledge of low-income
individuals and their families. The more people know
how to build a family budget, access banking
services, and understand credit management, the
7. master.microfinance@uam.es www.mastermicrofinance.com (+34) 914 974 216 6
more likely they are to increase their savings, and
improve their financial health and well-being.
Why did you choose the International
Master of Microfinance for
Entrepreneurship (IMME) at UAM?
When I was working in the Multilateral Investment
Fund, I realized that in my country we didn't have
experts in microfinance. When we needed to hire
consultants or advisors to create products or
develop alternative distribution channels, we had to
search for professionals abroad. All the people who
were working in the field, were learning by doing and
had strong influences in the bank sector, without
experience and knowledge of how to best serve
vulnerable people, so we made a lot of mistakes.
For that reason, I started to search for microfinance
master programs. It was difficult to find one that
covered all the topics that I expected to learn, in
terms of financial risk and project management
lectures. This Master suited perfectly what I
was looking for.
What were the main advantages of the
IMME for you?
For me the main advantages of the IMME are:
First of all, the Professors: their passion for the
subject, their knowledge of the field and also the
research and investigation skills to incentivize
students to work hard.
Classmates: people coming from different
parts of the world, with a lot of experiences,
enriching the classes with objective points of
views.
The Microfinance Project: put in to use all the
information and knowledge that we got in the
entire master program, with the creativity skills
of the students to develop an innovative project.
How did the IMME help you get a job in the
microfinance industry?
The IMME gave me the opportunity to apply for my
current job. I entered as an intern in the BBVA
Microfinance Foundation to fulfill the requirement for
the master degree and after that, the Foundation
proposed for me to stay in Madrid and work with
them, as a part of the organization.
The importance the Master’s gives to combine
theoretical training with practical experience is
helpful to start or continue your career in the
microfinance industry.
Why would you recommend the IMME to
others?
I really recommend the IMME to others if they know
this field is what they love, and if improving the lives
of vulnerable people makes them happy and useful
for society.
I remember when a man said me: “Think what you
see yourself doing here in 10 years without any
money in your pocket.” That is what you have to do.
