Yolanda Perez is a Senior Vice President and International Wealth Advisor at Truist Wealth, where she is responsible for the development of relationships with international individuals, families and companies. Yolanda has over 18 years of experience working with high-net-worth clients in various roles throughout her career in North America and Europe. She is a member of numerous organizations, including the Finance & Investment Committee of the Broward College Foundation Board and the Planned Giving Advisory Board for the University of Miami. She is also Regional Director for LATAM for the Hedge Fund Association and a member of Lives Amplified.
Yolanda is passionate about financial literacy education and has done seminars and workshops for professional athletes in various sports and for organizations, such as the Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies. She is also the co-founder of the Miami-Dubai Chamber of Commerce, established in 2024.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CXO Outlook Magazine, Yolanda shared her inspiring journey into wealth management, insights on the role of mentorship in professional development, the secret mantra behind her success, future plans, pearls of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Yolanda. What inspired you to pursue a career in wealth management, and how did you break into the industry?
There are so many inspiring and challenging aspects of wealth management. It allows me to connect with clients, to travel the world and keep up with financial trends. It also enables me to help families secure their legacy and support the next generation. Wealth management is not an easy career to break into it and there is no exact path. I applied to a banking position in NYC for a French speaking private banking role at a top US bank in 2006. I was incredibly lucky and blessed to start my career at a Tier 1 financial institution. That role helped me open doors to future roles in various parts of the world and led me to work in Investment Banking and Wealth Management.
What do you love the most about your current role?
I love to know that the work I have done truly impacts clients and families in a positive way. To understanding their business model and help create an infrastructure for clients, means that they can secure their family legacies for years to come. I am always learning and challenging myself to find creative solutions. Trends, laws and the political & financial climate is always changing and adapting to help those around me be successful and live better and more efficient lives is very rewarding to me. My role also allows me to think outside the box and connect with clients through meaningful interactions. I get to know what keeps my clients up at night and I try to ease their fears and give them hope.
How do you approach financial literacy education for professional athletes, and what unique challenges do they face in managing their wealth?
The life of a professional athlete is distinct. Athletes come from diverse backgrounds and need a lot of support to launch their professional careers. While they need to focus on their craft, they also need a dedicated team to help them achieve their success in various ways. More than often, they do not have any financial experience, and have an entourage that they are supporting, which includes family and friends. Learning to manage their wealth is key early on and ideally before their professional contracts are signed. Providing financial literacy education empowers athletes to take charge of their careers and keep their retirement earnings intact. Oftentimes, they face bankruptcy or do not have any earnings left post-career due to financial mismanagement. It is key to help set them up for success early on to take better decisions.
How do you balance your professional responsibilities with your commitment to community service and philanthropy?
I acknowledge that my professional responsibilities are important, because they can potentially impact the lives of the families I serve. I am therefore careful to add outside volunteer activities because they demand crucial time and attention. I was very privileged growing up to have had a great education and enough resources to grow my career. As experienced professionals we all have a responsibility to give back to the communities we serve in some shape or form. I also ensure to balance my personal family life because my children are incredibly important to me. By conducting community service, I can help guide the next generation and help others succeed. It also makes me feel that I am leaving the next generation the tools they need to find abundance and purpose.
What role do you believe mentorship plays in professional development, and how have you benefited from mentorship in your own career?
There are many layers to mentorship. Mentors are people that we learn from and emulate as we try to unlock the art of their genius. The secret sauce that makes them so interestingly profound and achieve things with ease. I have had various mentors, both men and women, throughout my professional life, cloaked with integrity and finesse, that I still deeply respect and can call to consult. As a leader in their field, I am blessed to have found them and hope to pay the learning forward to those newly starting their careers and needing some help navigating their professional lives. If I can share one valuable learning with another, then I feel honoured and content.
You were recently recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Miami for 2025. As a female leader in Miami, our readers would love to know the secret mantra behind your success.
I decided long ago that no matter what happens to live life to its fullest. That every day, is a new day, where I can put one foot in front of the other with purpose and conviction. If I can sleep well, it is because I carry my life with authenticity and honesty. I treat my clients with care, as if I would my own family. I live with integrity, and I am able to manifest abundance through positivity and kindness. By remaining humble, I am able to connect with others and find creative solutions that others may not necessarily see or imagine. If I work with high expectations and towards excellence, then I can also influence others by setting a good example, which enables them to raise their bar and exceed their own standards.
How do you keep your mind healthy and stay resilient? And how do you motivate your team?
A healthy body and environment nurture a healthy mind and spirit. I eat a balanced diet, and I exercise regularly. I take walks in nature and listen to positive podcasts to raise my spirit, give me hope and strengthen my determination to achieve my goals and objectives. I am also able to stay resilient when I face resistance or push back on some of my pursuits. I believe there is always a solution and set both short-term and long-term goals. While I prefer to motivate others, by setting a good example, I provide honest and constructive feedback, suggestions and always cheer people on. I am quite pleased by the success of others, and I am always happy to share my success. There is no “I” in team, and without a robust support system, the team could not function to reach its capacity or achieve excellence.
Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?
I am grateful to many people as it has been a long road. My grandmother was the first businesswoman I ever met. In her thirties, she was an executive at a Swiss firm in Peru and had to navigate her professional life during a time period that was not particularly favorable to women. She was elegant, classy, professional, brilliant, intentional with her words and very kind. If you were in her presence, she would make you feel like you were number one. I aspire to make others feel empowered, the same way she could make others feel. By elevating others, I am able to honor her and my family legacy.
What do you hope to achieve in the next 5-10 years, and how do you plan to get there?
In the next ten years, I hope to either be promoted to the next phase in my career, by leading a larger group within my institution, or alternatively branching out and managing my own firm. I would also love to write a book, learn a new language, buy more real estate and travel to new places around the world. I have always wanted to go to Kyoto in Japan and also see the Aurora Borealis. I also recently established a chamber of commerce and would like to see it scale and help others grow their businesses. My ultimate plan is to reverse engineer my plans, to imagine the short and long terms outcomes I would like to achieve, then figure out what strategic plan I need to create to get me there.
What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders in finance, and what challenges do you think they may face?
Even in 2025, finance is still a male dominated field. I would advise aspiring women leaders, that if you want a seat at the table, you will sometimes need to add a new seat to it, because there may not necessarily be a placed created for you. While we all sometimes need validation to ensure we are doing the right things the right way, be assertive, be courageous and if you are right, then tell the truth, do right by others and to yourself. Learn how to lobby, negotiate, manoeuvre, and hold your ground when needed. Be easy to work with, be kind, humble and no matter what it is a small industry; you will always see the same people. Your reputation will follow you, so it is important to stay on good terms with others. One minute you could be the leader and the next, it can be your subordinate in the same or another firm. Finally, work the hardest, expect the least and prioritize your family always. Family always comes first, and no employer should make you feel guilty for that.