Leading Well

How do you leave your mark?

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Nathan J. Hiller, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Center for Leadership

 

Roberto R. Muñoz brings more than 35 years of financial experience to his leadership role as President of the Miami Market for Commercial Banking and Wealth Management at First Horizon Bank, a $42 billion bank with over 275 branches headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. He was previously Commercial Banking and Wealth Team Leader for South Florida for Synovus Bank.

In his banking career, Mr. Muñoz has facilitated more than $28 billion of economic activity in Florida, the Caribbean, Central and South America in the areas of commercial banking- large corporate and middle-market lending, public, institutional, and specialty lending areas, as well as global wealth and treasury management services including project finance, M&A, and direct foreign investment. Mr. Muñoz has held executive positions with BBVA Compass Bank (President, South Florida Market), Professional Bank (Chief Lending Officer and Senior EVP), Marquis Bank (CEO, President, CLO, and Voting Member of the BofD), Regions Bank (Senior Managing Director), Israel Discount Bank (Chief Lending Officer), Mizuho Bank (Chief Representative), and Barclay’s Capital, PLC. He began his career with Bank of America in 1980.

Mr. Muñoz is the 2020 and 2019 chairman of the World Trade Center Miami and serves in leadership roles in other South Florida civic organizations. He is first vice-chair of the of the executive board of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and its Foundation; secretary of the executive board of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and its Foundation and chair of the Advantage Miami Development committee; and former chairman and president of the Florida International Bankers Association. He serves on the executive and advisory board of The Center for Financial Training International; the advisory board of the Center for Leadership at Florida International University; the advisory board member of the Tibor and Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate at Florida International University; the board of the Florida Alternative Investment Association; and holds the keys to Miami-Dade County, the City of Miami, North Bay Village, and the Zoo Miami Foundation.

In the community, Mr. Muñoz is president-elect of the South Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America, chair of the Distinguished Citizens Award Committee, and VP of Finance and the Investment Committee; a board member of the Chapman Partnership for the Homeless, and a trustee board member of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of South Florida. Reflecting his commitment to the community, Mr. Muñoz has received numerous awards and recognitions including being named in July 2020 to the Marquis Who’s Who in America and in December 2019 obtained the “Lifetime Achievement” award plus his induction into the “Second Century” Society by the South Florida Council, Boy Scouts of America. He received the “Public Service and Capital of Industry” award in Global Trade and Banking from the CSC, Triple C Organization in July 2019 as part of the United Nations Public Service Day initiative. Mr. Muñoz received the 2019 “Diamond Circle” Award for Leadership and Management from First Horizon Bank in February 2020. Twice named “The Achiever” by Miami Today in February 2020 and in May 2014, and received the “Banker of the Year Award” from the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in March 2020. With more than 29,000 contacts on LinkedIn, Mr. Munoz has a wide social following and posts regularly on a variety of topics.

Mr. Muñoz was born in Panama to American parents and lived in Hong Kong for six years as an adolescent. He earned his bachelor degree in finance and international business from Florida International University, an associate in arts degree at Miami-Dade College, and High School diploma from Miami Springs Senior High. He also holds numerous diplomas and certificates in the field of banking. He and his wife Teresa have five children, and have been named “Parents of the Year” by the Miami-Dade Public Schools in 2019, 2018 and 2017. In addition to spending time with his family, Mr. Muñoz loves to cook, travel and enjoy the world’s many cultures. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Austin Hollo joined Florida East Coast reality (FECR) in 2009, becoming the third generation of the Hollo family to be welcomed into the company. Named as Vice President, Austin quickly has become a valued member of the team, focusing on the development of upcoming projects, the marketing and positioning of existing properties, and the coordination of property management and leasing activities, as well as the company’s strategic vision, day-to-day administration and operations, and business development. Further, Austin is integrally involved in all financing efforts, oversees the company’s risk management and insurance portfolio, and is responsible for underwriting and evaluating any real estate acquisitions and investments.

Austin graduated from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis in 2007, with BSBAs in Finance and Marketing, as well as a minor in Organizational Psychology. Prior to joining FECR, he spent two years as an analyst in the Real Estate Finance and Servicing Group at LNR Partners, Inc. in Miami Beach, Florida, working on the acquisition, surveillance, servicing, and disposition of Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS).

Additionally, Austin serves as Chair of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council’s New Leaders Taskforce, Executive Committee Member and Co-Chair of Development for the United Way of Miami-Dade Young Leaders, Director on BBVA Compass Bank’s South Florida Market Advisory Board, and Advisory Board Member for Florida International University’s Center for Leadership. He is a member of the Developing Leaders Group for the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties South Florida Chapter, the Young Leaders Group for the Urban Land Institute of Southeast Florida, and the Young Professionals of the Lighthouse for the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Austin also was selected as one of Brickell Magazine’s Top 20 Professionals Under 40 for 2017.