Yesi Morillo

An award-winning entrepreneur and accomplished Wall Street executive, Yesi Morillo is a TEDx speaker, author, business strategist, and power igniter, focusing on helping others reach their fullest potential.

Yesi currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Citi, working as a
Talent & Diversity Advisor, curating and implementing a global strategy for the organization’s Hispanic/Latino population. She also provides expertise, guidance, and support for the Hispanic/Latino Inclusion Network.

Yesi is a prominent voice in shaping the narrative around positioning Citi as an employer of choice, serving as a subject matter expert in the design and deployment of diversity-focused initiatives across the firm; and provides support and guidance in measuring the effectiveness of programs and initiatives both within and external to the firm. In this role she manages multiple stakeholders and takes a consultative approach in informing and developing a global diversity strategy.

Prior to rejoining Citi, Yesi embarked on a sabbatical to focus on recalibrating life, travel, spend time with her sons and redefine self-agency – a practice she teaches others and strongly encourages individuals to pause for. This time afforded Yesi to align her purpose and experience for her next career; and rediscover her passion for creative writing and professional dancing (she won her initial first place award in competitive Salsa in 2021).

Yesi began her career at Citi in 1996 as an administrative assistant, and successfully navigated the space to ultimately become an executive Director in Capital Markets, where she served as the Head of Proposal Management and Investor Relations, managing a trillion-dollar bid proposal portfolio and an institutional investor framework, as well as various key business control and technology initiatives. In 2012, Citi recognized Yesi as one of twenty high potential women, making her a part of the firm’s distinguished Development Talent Program (DTP), which focuses on developing the organization’s future leaders. Her team’s technology proposal of chip/pin for the bank’s cards was implement by the organization in 2013.

Her soul work, outside her career, is as founder of Proud to Be Latina, an organization created to help Latinas banish self-doubt and break self-imposed barriers. A professional leadership and development firm, Proud to Be Latina focuses on helping women navigate the corporate space through impactful, action-driven platforms and programs, including the Latina Empowerment Conference and the coveted EMERGE professional development program, which has been delivered at dozens of Fortune 500 organizations. In its ten years, the firm has touched over 3.2 million women, men, and youth across the globe.

As an empowerment expert and motivational speaker, Yesi has been featured in Latino Leaders magazine, Latina magazine, Working Mother Magazine, New Vision magazine, NBC Latino, The Huffington Post, and has appeared live on New York’s WPIX news, among others. In 2017, the Dominican Day Parade recognized Yesi as a “Business Ambassador”, and LATINO magazine recognized her with a BRAVA award for outstanding leadership in the community in 2016.

In 2015, she was honored by the Association of Latino Professional for America (ALPFA) for “Making An Impact in a Global Society”. El Diario recognized Yesi as A Woman of Distinction in 2013, and in 2014 JWThompson recognized Yesi as a “positive portrayal of the Latino community”.

In April 2016, Yesi shared her story of progress as a TEDx speaker, through her talk: Breaking The Cycle.

In May 2016, Yesi earned her fourth degree, a Master of Science in Writing from New York University. She is currently a doctoral candidate, earning a Ph.D. in Education. She holds an MBA from Touro University and a bachelor’s in finance from Baruch College. A lifetime learner with a love for education, Yesi serves as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University and Baruch College in New York City.

She is the author of the RISE series of books for self-growth and the forthcoming novel Stay (May 2024). She resides in New York City with her two sons and their dog, Luna.