Mariel Creo is Managing Director and General Counsel, Latin America, for Citigroup – the fourth largest bank in the world.

Based in New York, her job is in the Investment Banking, Capital Markets and Advisory part of the bank, which provides traditional banking products such as cash management, corporate loans, trade solutions and derivatives, as well as advice on mergers and acquisitions.

Mariel joined Citigroup following three years with the Firm, during which she was an associate in the Securities team.

“My time with the Firm in New York has really helped me in my current role, although the jobs themselves are very different,” she says. “At Citigroup, it’s a much broader role compared to the focused one I had at the Firm.

“Obviously, as a lawyer you are largely involved in the legal parts of a transaction, while here I’m involved from the very start of a transaction, from pitching and structuring, to offering legal and risk-related advice.

“I’m very much immersed in the business here, with multiple stakeholders both internally and externally.”

Mariel’s experience at White & Case has proved invaluable. She says: “I worked at the Firm from 2007 to 2009 following a short spell at Mayer Brown.

“I joined the Securities team at the height of the market and, when the financial crisis hit, it was clearly a very turbulent time. I had to be flexible to adapt and learn new skills to fit the changing needs of our clients – working on banking, lending and infrastructure projects. It was an experience that has given me a solid foundation for my current role.

“What I learned during my time with the Firm stood me in good stead for all I’ve done since.”

“Another great thing about working for the Firm is the fact that it has such a strong presence in Latin America.

“I grew up and qualified in Mexico and, while at the Firm, I got several opportunities to work with our offices in Latin America. There were also many foreign lawyers in the New York office at the time and I developed a lot of lasting friendships and connections.”

Mariel joined Citigroup in 2010, earning two promotions on the path to her current job.

She says: “I was attracted to Citigroup because I saw it as a great financial institution that, at the time, was already on the up following the financial crisis and had a bright future.”

Her relationship with the Firm has continued though, with Citigroup regularly working with White & Case on a broad range of matters.

Mariel says: “The Firm is usually involved on the company side, rather than from our perspective, but there are signs that this is changing.

“For instance, we’ve currently got a White & Case associate in New York, Jessica Cauley, working on my team on a six-month secondment, which can only benefit us and the Firm.

“Jessica has got the chance to really get to know our business, how we operate, and to build relationships with key players at the bank. That’s something you don’t usually get to see when working for a law firm and it will be great for her to take back.”

So how does Mariel look back on her time at the Firm? She says: “I really enjoyed my time at White & Case. It gave me the chance to broaden my skill set and meet and work with some great people. What I learned during my time with the Firm stood me in good stead for all I’ve done since.”