Gonzalo Montes
I’m Gonzalo Montes and I’m from Spain. After studying the Master in Finance, I landed a role as a partner in the Debt Advisory & Restructuring department at KPMG Spain, leading a team of about 100 people. I’m lucky to have a job that allows me to combine finance with the interpersonal aspect, since I like working with and talking to people. As far as my personal life goes, I am a very family-oriented person, as well as a lover of literature. In fact, I recently published a novel in which my personal passions shine through.
"Beyond learning about technical topics, the master’s is a life experience."
Before Gonzalo joined the IE Community, he had already completed a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University Carlos III of Madrid and an MBA from the Technical University of Madrid. After working in the banking sector for some time—specifically, at Santander bank in the auditing unit—he realized he would benefit professionally from specializing in finance, so he decided to pursue the Master in Finance at IE University.
Gonzalo is confident he made the right decision. After graduating, he landed a role at Fortis in the corporate and investment banking department. Now, he works in the Debt Advisory & Restructuring department at KPMG Spain, as a partner and team lead for around 100 employees. His work involves anything from capital markets to insolvency, distressed M&A, and operations (improving logistics, working capital, purchasing, etc.). Gonzalo is also a professor at IE University.
The Master in Finance alum says the program gave him the skills necessary to make this career shift. In addition to the technical knowledge he acquired, the experience also opened his mind, changing the way he sees things and approaches situations.
The program opened his mind in other ways as well, giving him the courage to branch out of his comfort zone and pursue another passion: writing. His recently published novel “Naura” dives into the life of Alejandro, an executive who finds himself trapped in a rut. The fiction work explores the current issues we face in contemporary society, while touching on a financial system that has pushed us to doubt our very existence. His Master in Finance allowed him to draw on current events and use his new knowledge-base as a creative outlet.
For those considering applying to the program, Gonzalo has some words of wisdom: “Beyond learning about technical topics, the master’s is a life experience. You get out of it what you put into it. IE University gives you the tools, and the rest is up to you. If you put in the time and effort, the experience will be unforgettable.”
