FINCA Guatemala serves clients with responsible and affordable financial services, including individual and group loans, remittances and third party payments.
FINCA Guatemala Management Team
Our Management Team brings vast experience, professional skills and expertise from various industry backgrounds.
Fermín Sánchez Gómez
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Fermín Sánchez Gómez
Fermín Sánchez Gómez, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, has more than 20 years of experience in finance and business working in several countries developing successful organizations. One of its main purposes is that, together with the organization’s staff, FINCA Guatemala is positioned as an institution that supports society and drives economic development in the communities; so that small entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs continue to improve their quality of life. For Fermín, the success of an organization is reflected in the improvement and development of its employees; That is why it gives special attention to its entire work team.
Manuel Fuentes
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
Manuel Fuentes
Manuel has a degree in Science and Systems Engineering from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala. He has worked at FINCA Guatemala since 2008, starting as Director of Information Technology creating innovative solutions optimizing processes and implementing a multitude of multifunctional initiatives, leading the operational excellence program for the subsidiary and later as Operations Manager.
Before joining FINCA, Manuel worked for three years as a microfinance software programmer analyst. For three years he was head of the technology department of the Roosevelt Hospital X-ray department, implementing patient control systems and technological infrastructure, in recent years he served as COO and since November 2020 as CCO of FINCA Guatemala.
Claudia Marroquín Recinos
LEGAL MANAGER
CLAUDIA MARROQUÍN RECINOS
Claudia Marroquín is a Lawyer and Notary graduated from the Rafael Landívar University with more than 15 years of experience in the field of Corporate Law.
Her experience in regional law firms and in regional financial groups allows to have a broad perspective of what is required to advise financial entities with multinational scopes.
She indicates that what she is looking for FINCA is to collaborate with the commercial and financial growth, by an adequate administration of legal risk of the institution, with a focus on the adequate compliance with current regulations.
On a personal level, she describes herself as a person with a deep vocation for service, with a special inclination to work in a team, whose ethical principles and values govern her day to day.
Pedro Meléndez
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PEDRO MELÉNDEZ
Pedro Meléndez has more than 24 years of experience in international companies and organizations, he has served as Regional Director of Finance for Equifax Central America and previously as Finance Manager of the AES Corporation in the El Salvador subsidiary.
He also served as Regional Comptroller of TOTAL for the El Salvador and Honduras subsidiaries and was Head of Accountancy for the GIZ Office in El Salvador. In 2012 he became part of the FINCA family as Finance Manager at FINCA El Salvador, in 2016 he moved to Nicaragua where he works in the same position and additionally from December 2020 CFO of FINCA Guatemala.
FINCA Guatemala Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors brings a breadth of expertise and dedication to providing access to responsible financial services.
KEITH GARY SANDBLOOM
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN FINCA IMPACT FINANCE WASHINGTON, DC
KEITH GARY SANDBLOOM
In June 2008 FINCA Zambia received its microfinance license to collect deposits from the Bank of Zambia. During Keith’s tenure, FINCA Zambia became the leader of the Microfinance Institutions in the country in terms of customer reach and portfolio quality and achieved three consecutive years of sustainable profitability. In February 2012, Keith was appointed General Manager of FINCA Kosovo.
Keith led the organization during a difficult period of regulatory uncertainty and operational restructuring. In August 2013, Keith accepted the position of Deputy Regional Director of the LAC; Two years later he was appointed Regional Director for Latin America.
Prior to joining FINCA, Keith specialized in serving clients of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and nonprofit institutions while working for Citibank in multiple international functions and at SunTrust Bank in Washington, DC. Sandbloom has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University in Washington DC and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the State University of California.
CHIKAKO KUNO
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
CHIKAKO KUNO
External Director for FINCA subsidiaries in Latin America, Caribbean and Eurasia. Member of the Global Management Team of FINCA International (2010-2017). Specialized in global leadership for investments and transformations, strategy and capital increase at the holding and subsidiary level, sales, mergers and acquisitions.
Chikako Kuno established 4 bank subsidiaries in 2 years, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan (transformation), Pakistan (acquisition), Nigeria (Greenfield) and 4 subsidiaries with deposit capture. Chikako Kuno has 30 years of experience working in emerging markets in Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa and Latin America. Before joining FINCA, Ms. Kuno led the Small Business Finance team as director of the Group of Financial Institutions of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London. He also has previous experience in commercial banking and with the institutions of the Inter-American Development Bank.
ALEJANDRO JAKUBOWICZ
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
ALEJANDRO JAKUBOWICZ
RODRIGO ÁLVAREZ
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
RODRIGO ÁLVAREZ
Rodrigo Álvarez holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Economics from Francisco Marroquín University with Postgraduate Degrees from the University of Chicago and a Master’s Degree (MBA) from the University of Notre Dame in 2001.
He has more than 25 years of experience in leading financial institutions such as Citibank, GTC and Bancolombia, serving as regional and country head in the three. Since 2011, he has followed his passion for strategy and finance. Until CBC (Bottler Anchor Pepsi Co Latam). As CBC CFO, he is in charge of all financial decisions for all CBC and Pepsico brands in Latin America. Rodrigo credits his success to his work team with our complementary skills.
He belongs to the Board of Directors for the Preservation of Lake Atitlan and is Vice President of the Board of Processed Meat.
JUAN CARLOS ARRIAGA
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
jUAN CARLOS ARRIAGA
Juan Carlos Arriaga has more than twenty years of experience in Distribution Channel Management for FMCG Companies such as Procter & Gamble and Mondelez, and also in the Telecommunications and Home Appliance industries. In 2010, He became Head of Tigo Money Guatemala (Millicom), the first deployment of Mobile Financial Services in Central America.
His career with Millicom began in 2007 as Director and Chief Commercial Officer. He later developed Utiba Americas’s Mobile Financial Services platform client portfolio in Mexico, Central American and the Caribbean markets, diversifying his expertise through corporate advisory and consultancy in Go-to-Market implementations of Mobile Financial Services strategies.
Over the last years, Mr, Arriaga led Whirlpool Corporation’s commercial business in the Central American marke and also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Fundación Internacional para la Asistencia Comunitaria FINCA Guatemala. Mr. Arriaga holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from INCAE Business School.
FINCA Microfinance Holding Company Global Leadership
The FMH leadership team manages a global organization of more than 12,000 employees.