📰 Le Fil | Florence Pourchet | PGE 1988

1988 was a year of acceleration in Florence’s life: after juggling with her final exams between Lyon and Austin, she graduated from both emlyon business school and the University of Texas, got married and started her career in banking. For a few years, she went back and forth between France and Germany – passing through Commerzbank in Frankfurt, Paribas in Lyon and Deutsche Bank in Coblenz – following her husband’s assignations. 

In 1997, she finally returned to Paribas in Paris as Credit and Business Manager for Western Europe. She took the opportunity of the merger with BNP to move on to the management of Global Credit for energy, commodities and export project: “I travelled a lot to meet my customers worldwide and caught a first glimpse of Latin America at that time” she recalls. 2005 marked the start of a new adventure as Florence was appointed Head of Commodities Structured Debt for Latin America (LATAM) in New York. This time her husband – and children – followed her. The family enjoyed the experience so much that they never quit: “We planned to stay in the United States 3 to 5 years… 

19 years later we’re still here” she laughs. After becoming Head of Acquisition Financing LATAM in 2009, Florence kept extending the scope of her responsibilities, creating notably the structure of Corporate Social Responsibility Americas and joining the CIB Americas Executive Committee, till she took the reins of Corporate and Institutional Banking LATAM in 2020. “BNPP has been strongly established in Latin America for more than 100 years. Our role is to accompany our clients in the long run to help them face the uncertainties of the region. I like the spirit of our local teams, who are very positive, engaged and willing to find solutions whatever the difficulties are” she underlines. 

Florence advises young graduates to make the most of their freedom to travel, move abroad and contemplate the advantages of a career in big corporations: “You have to make time to forge strong link, find sponsors, build your network. It is also much easier to switch positions and locations. In 34 years at BNPP, I never got bored, I always found new challenges.”