Alumni Spotlight: Kalavritinos on Latin American Economics, Politics
Michael Kalavritinos (Pardee ’90) was hosted by the Latin American Studies Program (LASP), an affiliated program of the The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, on April 20, 2018 for a discussion entitled “Navigating the Changing Economic and Political Landscape in Latin America.”
Kalavritinos works as the Deputy Head of Global Client Management for Latin America at Bank of New York Mellon, where he manages a team that is responsible for strategic relationships with the top banks and Central Banks in Latin America.
Speaking to an audience of current students, Kalavritinos emphasized that the interdisciplinary education offered at the Pardee School is something that is currently highly sought after in the banking sector.
“Interdisciplinary skills are increasingly very valuable and very much in demand in the private sector and the banking sector specifically, but in others I can imagine as well,” Kalavritinos said. “I think the Pardee School is a wonderful forum for you to have access to — as I did — to learn about political geography, international trade, international economics, international relations, public diplomacy, and development in whatever region you have an interest in.”
Following his talk, Kalavritinos participated in a question-and-answer session which was moderated by Amb. Paul Hare, Senior Lecturer at the Pardee School.
Kalavritinos joined Bank of New York Mellon in 2007 as a senior institutional relationship manager for Latin America and after holding several positions, including several years working out of the company’s Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo offices, he was named Deputy Head for Latin America in 2014.
In a 2017 Alumni Spotlight, Kalavritinos said his time at the Pardee School provided him with an in-depth background on Latin America that is crucial to his current position at BNY Mellon. Kalavritinos specifically points to classes he took with Professor Emeritus of International Relations and Political Science David Scott Palmer as being particularly influential.
“It provided me with a multi-dimensional background on the region the analytical tools to conduct research and keep current,” Kalavritinos said. “Professor David Scott Palmer had a great influence on me and I enjoyed his courses on Latin America and in particular his expertise on Peru.“