Brazilian-born Montenegro was driven to have an international career from a
young age as she was strongly influenced by her father, who often traveled to the
states from Brazil.
“I always knew I wanted to have an international career to enrich my own
experience and drive meaningful impact through my work,” she shares.
For Montenegro, several individuals have influenced and made an impact in her
personal and professional journey. Growing up her grandmother, a social
activist who helped underserved communities, gave her a sense of wanting to make
a difference. Her father, a successful small business owner, also inspired her as he
was always committed to growing and bettering himself.
“His work ethic and determination served me very much to get me to where I
am today,” she says of her father.
Mentors and sponsors have also made a difference inside the firm as they
opened many doors in her professional journey.
“I think it’s a combination of personal experience and having strong
sponsors and advocates within JPMorgan Chase,” she shares of her success. “I
look at myself today knowing I am 100 percent Latina, Brazilian, and I also feel
American because this has been my home for the past 20 years.”
In her current role, she is serving a greater purpose of being a voice
for Latinos and Latinas. She is passionate about developing talent, driving
an inclusive workplace, and excelling at connecting the dots to deliver
business results.
“Since taking this role five months, I think we are making positive strides
in terms of presenting the holistic narrative of who we are as a community,” she
shares. “We are supporting the first cohort of Hispanic students through our 2022
fellowship program and are working on building a more inclusive pipeline of diverse
talent for people at all career levels.”
On a larger scale, Montenegro is making an impact by being a voice for the
community, both externally and internally. She also doesn’t shy away from the fact
that diversity and inclusion are important in the workplace.
“I don’t think we can be successful if we have people that think and act
the same way, and don’t challenge each other,” she shares. “Diversity alone is not
enough, we need an inclusive culture. For me inclusion is about the small things we
do or do not do every day. We need to be ready to embrace different perspectives
and experiences – this is where we have the biggest opportunity to lift each
other up.”
Of her 24 years with the firm, she spent 17 supporting the Latin America
business in various capacities, including as the Head of Latin America Talent,
Diversity & Inclusion, leading the function from the ground up and laying a
strong and sustainable foundation for the region. During her time supporting
Latin America, she played a critical role in advising Senior Management on
talent matters, in addition to leading key strategic efforts. A key example was the
set-up of the JPMC Colombia office, where she developed the local HR function
and practices, in addition to leading the recruiting and onboarding of over 30
new employees.
“I feel honored to work for a company that I’ve never had to leave,” she shares.
“As I reflect on these 24 years, I never felt like I had to leave a part of me outside
the door when I came to work, and I always felt like the company had my back.
Through this role, I am uniquely positioned to help advance opportunities and
career pathways for Hispanics and Latinos.” LS
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Silvana Montenegro (L) and Alba Baylin (R) at the 2021 USHCC
National Conference in Las Vegas, NV. September 28, 2021.
Oscar D’León and Silvana Montenegro at the 2021 Latin Recording
Academy Person of the Year Celebration in Las Vegas, NV.
November 17, 2021.
(L-R) Naibe Reynoso, Dr. Betty Uribe, Silvana Montenegro, and Bel
Hernandez at LATINAFest in Los Angeles. October, 17, 2021.
LATINAStyle V ol. 27, No. 6, 2021 www.latinastyle.com 27