The International Center is honoring Juan Gonzalez, president of KeyBank of Central Indiana as International Citizen of the Year.
The International Center, which has served Indianapolis as a guide for “the world’s cultural landscape” for more than 50 years, collaborates with businesses, organizations, government agencies, educational institutions and individuals to expand Indiana’s global interest, according a press release. International Citizen of the Year has been presented annually since 1985, and celebrates a community member’s ongoing commitment to supporting and growing international initiatives in Indiana.
Gonzalez will be honored with the award during the International Center’s premiere event on Oct 16, alongside the winner of the Global Impression Award. The Recorder sat down with Gonzalez ahead of the ceremony to discuss his continued efforts in the banking and financial industry in Indiana, giving back to the community and hopes for the future.
Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.
First, please tell me a little bit about yourself, your background and what brought you to Indiana.
Gonzalez: I am originally from Colombia and this is my 25th year living in Indiana. I came up to Indy to do a master’s degree, an MBA, with a concentration in finance. Ended up doing it at Butler University here in town. The last semester of my MBA, I did an internship at Bank One, now JP Morgan, that’s how I got into banking here locally. Then, after graduation, I got hired by a bank. Now, it’s been 22 years in banking.
What drew your interest to the business and financial industry?
Gonzalez: Growing up in Colombia, I had family members, uncles, that were involved in banking or in other multinational companies, in different divisions, running divisions. So, my dad was an engineer by training, but he ran a big PnL (profit and loss) division for the oil company in Colombia. So, I’ve always been kind of watching the interesting life of business cycles, and how you deal with people, and all of those challenges that businesses have to have to deal with, and how you find solutions.
Can you discuss the work you do with KeyBank and why it is so crucial to the growing community and economy here in Indiana?
Gonzalez: I’ve been at KeyBank now 15 years and counting. The last five and a half years, I had the great honor to be the president of the bank here locally … And that role itself, think about it like the face of the banking community, the face of the banking site, the banking teams and all here in Central Indiana. I oversee a line of business directly, which we call Business Banking for Indiana, Michigan, and Northwest Ohio. But for here in Central Indiana, I oversee the line of business in addition to supporting and helping the other line of businesses — retail, commercial, private bank — where we work together and collaborate to make sure that we continue to grow the market share, meaning adding new clients to bank … supporting their needs at the business level and the personal level.
In Indiana, we have so many companies that, I believe, is about 80% of them have less than 50 employees. And you think about the amount of people that they employ, the investments that they’re doing in the community, in the neighborhoods that we live and work at, it is so critical to have a banking partner that will grow with them and that will be able to help them grow and expand and continue to open new businesses. … We’re here to support them and make sure that they have the resources they need for that growth.
What does it mean to you to have been selected as this year’s International Citizen of the Year?
Gonzalez: It is a great honor and so humbling. To be honest, when you look at the list of people that have been recognized throughout the years with this amazing award, I still cannot believe that I was selected. I do what I do, not necessarily to be recognized, but just to help. It is great to be recognized. … but it’s just a testament that the work I’m doing is being noticed and is making a difference, and that just gives me more energy to continue doing more. And I hope many more people get inspired by not just me, but in general learning more about what organizations like the International Center are doing.
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You’re known for your commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as civic engagement across Indiana. Why are these things important to you as a leader?
Gonzalez: I do get involved significantly in the community. The way I was raised by my parents in Colombia, we were always giving back to the community. …There’s a growing Latino community here in Central Indiana… so, it was easy for me to start getting involved here locally.
This is an extremely hard-working community. So, if you’re willing to spend the time and do the work, chances are that they will come to you with open arms. I’ve been doing that for 25 years now. Along the way, I have had some strong mentors and supporters who believe 100% on the same concept: that if we make our communities stronger, we all win in many ways. So, the business idea is super simple. Now it takes time away from your home, and it takes commitment, but I’ve been a very fortunate person during my life, and I want to make sure I help others fulfill their dreams and pay it forward.
How do these types of initiatives help position the state to be more globally connected and inclusive?
Gonzalez: That’s one of the things with the International Center that is so fascinating, because there (are) so many companies in Indiana that are not necessarily from here; they’re owned by Japanese companies or Latino companies or European companies. In many ways, Indianapolis and Indiana have become their home base. They’ve been able to grow here because of our location. But having an open kind of institution like the International Center educating companies on how to bring people from different countries into Indianapolis and Indiana, is so critical, so people feel welcome. Also, they understand the system.
[In the] last 25 years, we have grown significantly on the business side, and in society overall, on how many people from different countries are living now in Indianapolis — which is great for somebody like me, of course, to be part of that and to continue to help. So, it is important that we continue to grow our talent here locally, and to bring more talent into our local communities.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the work you’re doing?
Gonzalez: We’ve got to continue to work together and continue to move forward with this important work. Again, the more that we understand our communities and our society in general, I think the most successful that we’re going to be and it is going to allow Indianapolis and Indiana to be on the forefront of success going forward, which is so critical for all of us, and you know our next generation coming up.
Gonzalez will be honored by the International Center during its annual International Citizen of the Year ceremony from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St. Tickets start at $300. For more information or to purchase tickets or a sponsorship, visit internationalcenter.org/icy-sponsorships-2.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
