Maria Marmolejos

Vice President, Client Services Central America, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

Dominican Republic

Ever since she joined Wachovia (now part of Wells Fargo) in the Dominican Republic in 2006, Maria Marmolejos has enjoyed working for the bank. “For me, working at Wells Fargo is a very enriching experience. Every day is different and an opportunity to enhance my skills. What I love most is the interaction with team members and clients from different cultures, in Central America and in the U.S.”

Working for “a great bank”

Based in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Maria manages a team of three, that provides customer services for large financial-institution clients in Central America (Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) and support to Wells Fargo relationship managers based in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.

As her major accomplishment since joining Wells Fargo, Maria has acquired extensive experience in customer service. “I have become a subject matter expert, a ‘go to person’ and have contributed to many initiatives. I see myself as a change agent and innovator with commitment to and passion for my job.”

With 19 team members working across customer service, compliance, country risk, and relationship management, Wells Fargo’s representative office in the Dominican Republic is the bank’s biggest office in Latin America. In the Caribbean, where it does not compete directly with local banks but only acts as a correspondent bank, Wells Fargo has an excellent reputation.

“Wells Fargo is a great bank with so many products. It offers different types of work for recent graduates, mid-career professionals and seasoned executives. I am so grateful for the opportunity to lead a team. When I joined in 2006, the bank saw the potential in me and gave me the opportunity to grow. Now, when I look to hire new team members, I apply the same approach. I assess not just their qualifications and experience, but look at candidates holistically and try to identify their potential.”

What is life like at Wells Fargo in the Dominican Republic? “Working in the representative office is energizing. In February 2017 our office moved to new premises located in Blue Mall in the center of Santo Domingo with stunning panoramic views over the city.”

Team members are also committed to volunteering. With financial support from Wells Fargo and the active encouragement from Maria, they take part in the “Reading First” program which helps children to acquire reading skills.

Benefiting from the same opportunities and company culture

After joining Wells Fargo, team members have a whole lot of career-development opportunities open to them. Maria has benefited from Wells Fargo’s well-structured Talent Management program, which gives her the opportunity to acquire new job-related skills. Additionally, as a participant in the organization’s Mentoring Program, Maria receives professional guidance from a mentor based in the U.S., who is helping her to prepare for a Project Management course.

Across its global footprint, Wells Fargo offers the same working environment and opportunities to connect as in the U.S. “While it is true that our office in Santo Domingo is relatively small, we benefit from the same office layout and company culture like the rest of Wells Fargo. In my job, I work with other team members who are based not only in the Dominican Republic but also in the rest of the Latin American region and in the U.S. I have always been able to build working relationships with team members throughout Wells Fargo. It helps to visit other offices and to connect to team members in different parts of the business.”

Building on your strengths

Working for one of the largest financial-services organizations requires from team members certain skills and strengths in order to excel in the job. For starters, Maria identifies leadership skills and the ability to handle different types of people as the basis for her successful career at Wells Fargo. As a leader of a team of highly experienced team members, she believes it is important to be able to form a professional bond to team members. In this, she is tremendously helped by her values – primarily, respect towards customers and team members.

Language skills are also important. Maria’s ability to speak two languages - Spanish (used in the Dominican Republic) and English (used in Wells Fargo) - has also been a contributing factor to her success.

Maria is looking forward to developing her career at Wells Fargo for many years ahead: “I am very passionate about my work and about Wells Fargo. It is an organization that will provide you with the opportunity to grow.”