Episode 24
Acclimating to the U.S.
This week our panelists will discuss their personal journeys to the United States, the biases still present against workers who join companies from abroad, advice for leaders acclimating to the United States, and how their companies can better support them.
Guests
Diana Figueroa
Travel Merchant Business Development Lead, Visa
Born and raised in Mexico City, she has a B.A. in Marketing from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, where she graduated head of her class. Diana started her professional career in the Publishing Industry where she was a Brand and Public Relations Manager for The Reader’s Digest Association for the Mexican Market for about 5 years.
After that, she made a significant career course change entering the Payments and Technology Industry by joining Visa Mexico, where she helped build and implement the Merchant Client strategy for the Mexican Market as a Business Development Manager.
5 years in into her Visa career, she relocated to Maryland in the U.S. to join the Visa Inc. North America Merchant Sales and Solutions Team. Where she has managed Merchant Client Accounts from a diverse array of industries, from Insurance and Bill Payment, to Carriers and e-Retailers. Currently, Diana leads the Visa North America Business Development function for the Merchant Travel vertical, working closely with client accounts within the airline, cruise line, hotel, and car rental segments. As well as proudly serving as the Global Lead for Visa’s Latinx Employee Resource Group.
Outside of Visa, Diana enjoys volunteering, swimming, concerts and traveling. Especially to Mexico because of family, friends and food.
Yang Luo-Branch
IT professional, Tyson Foods and Founder and President, Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses
Dr. Yang Luo-Branch is the founder and president of the Arkansas Association of Asian Businesses, a member of the advisory board of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, an IT professional at Tyson Foods, and an artist at Yillustrations.com. She was named one of the “Top 25 Influencers in Arkansas in 2020” by Arkansas Money and Politics magazine. Born and raised in China, Dr. Luo-Branch holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture, a master’s in sociology, and a PhD in land-use planning. Passionate about building meaningful and sustainable communities for the future, she delivered a TEDx speech about “the meaning of place” in 2016. Dr. Luo-Branch now lives in Rogers, Arkansas, with her husband, Andrew, and daughter, Lucy.
Bhagya Subbareddy
Vice President, Business Process Intelligence, SAP
Bhagya Subbareddy works as Vice President at SAP, leading the business transformation of large enterprises across ERP, HR, Business Networks, and Supply Chain solutions. With over 25 years of experience in the software industry, Bhagya has led business outcome-driven customer engagements in sales, presales, and product development roles. Bhagya has advised Fortune 500 customers in 20 industries on complex digital transformation journeys. An Electronics Engineer by education, Bhagya learned to program as an after-school activity that gravitated her to a career in software. Bhagya lives in Georgia and enjoys time with family, friends, outdoors, and contributing to causes related to education, children, and women.