UHY GLOBAL JANUARY 2023 PERSONAL PROFILE
RISING HIGH
Susana Blancas, senior partner, UHY Blancas Sandoval & Asociados, Peru, embodies the focus, courage and innovative spirit that marks out the UHY network’s most inspiring people As a successful lawyer in Peru who topped up her skills with a US accountancy degree so she could fast forward her career in the United States, Susana's route to where she is right now has not been straightforward. Her entrepreneurial ambition is stronger than ever, though. She sets a great example for other female leaders across UHY and particularly those in Latin America. “I have always made bold shifts in my personal life and career to ensure I can make the most of any given situation and now it is paying off." says Susana. "The accountancy firm that my father-in-law set up in Lima, Peru, many years ago has been an associate member of the UHY network since 2012. In 2020 my husband, Carlos Sandoval, as managing partner of the firm, achieved full membership. The benefits of this latest move have been tremendous for us and our client base is flourishing as we have one of the region’s fastest growing economies which is attracting substantial international investment.” A CAREER JOURNEY As a young lawyer based in Lima in the 1990s, Susana had been working for a legal firm and the Peruvian tax authority in her country’s capital city and was happy. But like so many contemporaries, Carlos, who grew up in the Netherlands, was ambitious and keen to leave Peru, which at that time was enduring a period of extreme terror and armed conflict. It was a difficult choice to leave her homeland but after marrying in 1996, Carlos and Susana made the decision to set up home in Miami, US. Once settled in America, Susana faced problems trying to pursue her legal career. She was unable to practise law without a resident’s visa or a qualification that was recognised in Florida. She used her time to study English and volunteer at the Florida International University's Latin American and Caribbean centre, helping to manage major congresses and developing an understanding of US corporate life. “Attending a state law school to convert my qualifications to meet US criteria was prohibitively expensive and Carlos was already studying for his Master’s degree, so voluntary work suited me well. I had time to look after my young son, Diego, and I learned so much from the people I met at the university,” says Susana. “I look back on this happy time as a brilliant commercial grounding for me.” When Carlos accepted a new position as head of diversity at a major bank, the family moved to North Carolina where Susana decided to embark on an accountancy degree at North Carolina University, from where she graduated in 2008. “At last I had professional qualifications I could use in the US. As a bilingual Latina woman with two degrees I was invited for high profile job interviews, but when the financial crash arrived major firms stopped hiring. Everyone in Carlos’s team at work was laid off except him, but he insisted on moving back to Miami to continue developing new commercial opportunities for his employers in the wake of the economic crisis. Once again we relocated. I found work as a financial advisor and became a licensed broker, and in time I was employed by Wells Fargo Bank and then by Morgan Stanley. Finally I was realising my potential and gaining confidence daily.” FAST TRACK SUCCESS Outside the US, watched carefully by Carlos, the economy in Peru had been gaining real strength since 2010. Two years later he decided to take advantage of his home country’s heightened status, alongside Brazil, as one of Latin America’s most thriving countries. After ten years in Miami, Susana and Carlos packed their bags again and returned to Peru in 2012. “I was nervous about moving back to Lima because we both had good jobs we enjoyed in Miami," says Susana. "Carlos had never really worked in Peru but was keen to help his father to develop the scope of his accountancy firm.” It is a move that has consolidated UHY Blancas Sandoval & Asociados as one of the region’s fastest growing UHY member firms. Since returning to Lima, Susana has built a strong legal services department that she believes will be as big and as well respected as the accountancy offer if the member firm’s strategies are on course. “When we first moved back to Peru our firm’s focus was on governmental auditing but we identified a strong need for broader consultancy services because so many important businesses were looking to trade in Latin America. We were new in the market but our ideas, experience and confidence were watertight. Being a part of the UHY network was incredibly useful because 90% of our clients came from abroad and the referrals opportunities our membership gave us were vital. Our bilingual team enabled clients to start their businesses in Peru with the reassurance of being able to speak in their own language. “After 20 years in a different environment, starting again in another country was difficult but clients were reassured by our experience of working in two such different cultures. We were ready for change and our early strategies have helped us to secure solid progress quickly." THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP Susana is clear that an effective working relationship with Carlos, and with other UHY member firms, is key to the success of UHY Blancas Sandoval & Asociados. “Our success is down to the way Carlos and I complement each other’s skills at work and we operate very closely as a team. We trust each other’s expertise completely. We have also been helped enormously by our close regional relationships with UHY Consultores S.A.S. in Bogotà, Colombia and UHY Macho & Asociados, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Collectively we form a strong UHY presence in Latin America. Roberto Macho, managing partner, UHY Macho & Asociados and a UHY Board director, supports all our cross-border work with the US, as well as allowing us to use his Miami offices.” Life for Susana and Carlos is still played out across their familiar bases of America and Peru and they have homes in both countries. Susana spends most of her time developing operations in Lima while Carlos continues to carry out much of his UHY work in the US. “Many of our clients are Peruvian businesses who want to expand to other markets and see Miami, and sometimes Texas, as the best places to develop. These are the people who really benefit from our consultation. As part of the UHY network we are perfectly poised to take advantage of this appetite for growth,” says Susana. ENJOYING PERU Taking time out of the business is difficult, but Susana enjoys seeing more of her mother, father and extended family after so many years away. She also enjoys trips to the desert area of Paracas, relaxing at their country club or dining at some of the capital’s best restaurants. “I am simply enjoying getting to know Peru again and we visit our son in America regularly too. He is working very successfully for a not-for-profit agency in Washington DC and has no intention right now of joining his parents in the accountancy world!" “I am a great believer in taking every opportunity that life offers and embracing it with everything you have,” says Susana. “My career was challenging to build in my earlier years but I would not swap any of the experiences I have had. My drive, ambition and determination to deliver my very best while always making sure that people and their wellbeing are my focus, is as sharp as it ever was. I love my home country of Peru and the whole Latin American region, and I am proud that the rest of the world is now recognising all the opportunities it offers. I will do my best to make sure this continues long into the future.”
iStock.com/Christian Vinces
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