IAm Ricardo Araya

My career path began in 1991 when I started working for the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica. I did not know at that time the great responsibility that awaited me and the challenges that lay ahead. Discipline and persistence have been key factors in my success as CAE of this institution.    

I am passionate about swimming, cycling, and hiking, which reflect that I am a believer in focusing on results. My ascent of Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica (3,820 meters above sea level), and my journey of more than 8,000 kilometers on a mountain bike around my country in 2021 have shown me the roads are not always easy and will require me to search for new or different routes to reach my goals. Creativity and critical sense are necessary tools to obtain solutions, and there are no pretexts when it comes to achieving objectives.

Undoubtedly, swimming has greatly enhanced my life. I enjoy swimming in the early hours of the day. It forces me to remain in constant progress, with endurance and sacrifice, always looking ahead, regardless of the obstacles around me. Open water swimming has been instrumental in me facing my fears and taking on great challenges.

I am also fond of preserving the moments and places where I have been and reconnecting with those emotions over the years. Photography enables me to admire the scenery around me and focus on the point I wish to capture, just as audit management is completely tied to observation and keeping perspective and focus for the benefit of the business.

I have a close relationship with my two dogs from whom I have learned the strength of collaborative work and the advantage of valuing different skills and abilities. I’ve also learned that management should be based on mutual support, empathy, solidarity, respect, responsibility, and above all, loyalty. All this has contributed to shaping my role as a leader. In addition to the importance of obtaining results, I’ve learned the importance of developing soft skills to guide and direct my team in the fulfillment of the strategy.

Self-development and networking are tools of utmost importance in a rapidly growing, digitally transforming world that requires informed personnel capable of taking on new challenges. For this reason, I constantly encourage my team to investigate, to be promoters of change, to grow professionally, and to generate innovation within a framework of excellence and client-centeredness to add value, and together move toward the audit of the future.