BBVA Ambassadors: Roberto Rostaing, looking toward the future

Roberto Rostaing had a hard time getting a job at the bank. He had to participate in three selection processes. However, that just encouraged him to work twice as hard to reach his goal. So, at just 20 years old, he joined BBVA Continental and realized one of this dreams. “At college, I had classmates who worked in banks. Our goal was to get a job in a bank, and I always preferred BBVA. I thought: “I’ve got time, I’m not going to get nervous. And the third time was the charm.”

Although he says he is happy with his current role as a specialist in International Trade, he knows he will face new challenges in the future. That’s what led him to get a degree in Industrial Engineering on top of his B.S. in Economics. “I want to keep advancing, that’s why I keep studying. My new degree will open up more career opportunities for me. Now I’m almost half-way finished and time is flying by.” He knows how important it is to find balance in all his activities:

The truth is that I don’t know how, but I have time to do everything. However, my responsibilities come first

His obligations have a direct impact on those who work in the branch offices. “On many occasions, whether or not their transactions are processed depends on us. I like to work side by side with them to ensure that all our needs are met.” Roberto thinks that’s the key. “You have to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see how you can help,” he emphasizes. But you can’t provide support for others all by yourself.

This has to be done as a team. When one person has to make an effort, we all do. And when it’s time to take break, we all do

Music as a way of life

Roberto compares that sense of teamwork to another passion of his, music, which he plays in his free time. “I’m a percussionist. I started with the Peruvian “cajon” (drum box), in a Peruvian creole music band.”

His passion for this traditional style of music comes from his upbringing. “I’m from a very traditional neighborhood in Lima, El Rímac. It lives and breathes music. Any meeting or celebration includes creole music. I grew up with all that and I’ve carried these memories with me since I was a very small child. Later I studied music formally. It’s like therapy for me.”

He acknowledges that what he likes most about music is the applause. “Sometimes we are playing in a park, in our suits, because we just got out of work, and people think we’re a group or that we playing for money. But we just want the applause.”

That attitude carries over into his job, too. ”I try to keep the job from being repetitive, to make it spontaneous and fun. I like to do things in an orderly and disciplined fashion, step by step, but I also like to change things up every day. It’s the same as with music, you need a beat, but I also want it to touch my heart. Because no matter how good you are as a musician, if you don’t put your heart in it, you’re not going to move the audience.”