What does it take to rise from the front lines of customer service to directing strategy at Visa?
For Gabriela Díaz, it started with a bold move from Managua, Nicaragua, to the United States as a teenager. After earning her business degree in the States, she joined Visa in a customer service role and began a steady, deliberate climb. Each new opportunity brought more responsibility, and each step forward built on the last.
By 2019, she found herself at a professional crossroads. She was a working mother of two, managing increasingly complex projects, and looking for a graduate program that could help her grow without stepping away from her career. She needed flexibility, real-world relevance, and a global lens. That’s when she discovered FIU’s Master of International Business (MIB) program.
A program that matched her pace
The MIB’s fully online format made it possible to balance her responsibilities at home and work. But more importantly, the content of the program aligned closely with what she was facing in real time at Visa.
“It was a great fit for me because it would give me the real-life tools, scenarios, examples that I was living parallel in my real-life career,” she said.
As her role expanded into different continents, countries, and U.S. states, she needed something that could sharpen her global business acumen. “I realized I really needed that skillset if I wanted to be successful from an international business perspective,” she said.
One course stood out in particular: geopolitics. “It really created in me the discipline of watching the news, reading what’s going on. Not just in my environment, but from a global perspective,” she said. “Because of these courses, because of the requirements of the classes, I developed the discipline. And it’s something that I use up to today.”
From quiet contributor to confident leader
While Díaz had built strong technical skills, she credits the MIB program with helping her grow into a more confident communicator.
“Something people don’t know about me or don’t realize is that I’m actually an introvert,” she admitted. “It’s very hard for me sometimes to do public speaking. And in the job that I have to do today, I am forced to constantly be giving presentations to bigger teams.”
She remembers one course vividly: “There was one particular course when the professor said, ‘You’re not going to spend eight weeks without speaking out. You have to have an opinion.’” That consistent push helped her develop the leadership presence she uses today.
Learning across cultures
Díaz says the international diversity of the MIB classroom made a lasting impression. “Everybody had a different background. It enriched me from that perspective,” she said.
Through team projects and class discussions, she learned how to adapt to new ways of thinking and lead with empathy. “You really start exercising that muscle on hearing a different perspective, understanding where that person is coming from,” she explained. “That’s something in the international business world you have to be okay with. You have to learn how to navigate that.”
Turning electives into opportunity
While others slowed down during the pandemic, Díaz leaned in. “I took other courses that FIU offered around data visualization and data analytics. I personally deep-dived into Tableau Developer,” she said. Those additional skills paid off. “That’s how I got my first global role.”
She also enrolled in a marketing course to strengthen her presentation design. “Nobody told me I had to, but guess what? I can put together beautiful PowerPoint presentations and I’m pretty confident on that because I really took advantage.”
“I really like to spend time with my team, pushing them and thinking through what’s next for them. Not because I want them to leave, but because I believe in developing people.”
Leading strategy and developing people
Now as senior director of business strategy and operations for North America at Visa, Díaz helps shape long-term planning and manage daily operations, from performance management to communications and events.
“We are responsible for making sure that we have an aligned and well-executed strategy, which is our long-term goals,” she explained. “We do operations, which is our day-to-day activities. That involves performance management, communications, events, you name it.”
But for her, leadership goes beyond metrics. “I really like to spend time with my team, pushing them and thinking through what’s next for them. Not because I want them to leave, but because I believe in developing people.”
“Relationships are like plants. If you don’t water them, they will die,” she said. “But that same network you nurture here? It might be your next opportunity.”
Advice for future international business leaders
Díaz encourages those pursuing a global business career to take a proactive, intentional approach to growth:
- Stay curious. Business never stands still.
- Don’t underestimate the power of soft skills. Communication and leadership are just as important as technical knowledge.
- Choose electives that push you out of your comfort zone.
- Seek out mentorship and build long-term relationships.
- Be intentional with your network. “Relationships are like plants. If you don’t water them, they will die,” she said. “But that same network you nurture here? It might be your next opportunity.”
Build your international business career
FIU Chapman’s Master of International Business program offers the global perspective and practical skills needed to lead in today’s business landscape.
Learn more about the Master of International Business.