Fernando Sotelino

Fernando B. Sotelino is Adjunct Professor of international finance and business strategy for financial institutions at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). He also acts as faculty advisor to graduating SIPA student teams in capstone workshops, having conducted such consulting projects for Citigroup, UBS, Standard Chartered Bank, China Merchants Bank, IFC (International Finance Corporation, MFX Currency Solutions, IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), and the World Bank.

He is Chairman of the Board and Senior Advisor for the Americas of Brasilpar, Ltd (São Paulo headquartered investment banking boutique), a member of the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Law and Graduate School, and a member of the Advisory Board of Marco Polo Exchange (a US headquartered financial services technology firm).

Prior to joining SIPA’s faculty, he had 25 years of senior banking experience: 6 years as President of Unibanco (then Brazil’s third largest private sector bank), following 7 years in charge of the bank’s international and investment banking divisions; 5 years in charge of Citibank’s M&A and private equity businesses in Brazil; and 7 years with Crocker Bank in San Francisco, California, leading the Specialized Finance Group and managing project finance and corporate stategy advisories in the U.S., Asia, and Latin America.

He co-authored with Professor Irene Finel-Honigman the book International Banking for a New Century, Routledge, UK, 2015. Other recent publications include The Financial Services Industry 1808-2009 in The Brazilian State: Paths and Prospects of Dirigisme and Liberalization, Font M. and Randall, L. editors, Lexington Books, New York, 2011; Elasticity of Stock Prices in Emerging Markets, with L.P.Favero, in The Impact of The Global Financial Crisis on Emerging Markets, Thornton, R. and Aronson, R. editors, Emerald Publishers, 2011; How to minimize incentives to rating-centered regulatory arbitrage, with Gonzalez, R. and Savoia, J.R., Journal of Business and Policy Research, April 2012; and Universal Banking Post Crisis, with Gonzales, R., Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance, June 2016.

Professor Sotelino holds an MBA with concentration in finance and an M.A. with doctoral studies in economics from Stanford University; a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; and a Making Corporate Boards More Effective Certificate from Harvard Business School.

Education

• MA in Economics, Stanford University
• MBA with concentration in Finance, Stanford University
• M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
• B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro