Sofia joined Grupo Bimbo in late January 2020, just weeks before COVID-19 lockdowns began. She started her career almost entirely on video calls, learning the company and building relationships remotely during a period when Grupo Bimbo experienced a surge in demand and its treasury function faced rapid, real-time shifts in strategy. The fact that she built her career foundation under those conditions makes her subsequent rise all the more notable.

Sofia advanced to manager within 18 months. She reached director level two years after that and now leads the entire Global Corporate Financing and Banking Relationships function. Professionals in comparable roles at multinational corporations of this scale typically arrive there after 15-20 years. Sofia did it in six.

Sofia leads a diverse, predominantly female team, a rarity in the male-dominated finance industry. She is proud to serve as a role model, demonstrating that women can excel in complex treasury roles and actively working to create a more equal playing field. Her leadership by example, rather than volume, has inspired both women and men in her team and beyond.

Additionally, Sofia grew up in Monterrey, a culturally conservative city in northern Mexico where traditional gender roles remain deeply entrenched. She moved to Mexico City at 15 and later enrolled at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, one of the country’s top universities for finance and economics. That transition put her in rooms where women in finance leadership were visible and present, and it continues to inform how she mentors others and advocates for a more equitable finance industry.

“Sofia is a young professional who possesses a unique combination of qualities that make her stand out and naturally lead in various fields,” said Maria Jose Porrero, Global Treasurer and Insurance VP at Grupo Bimbo. “As Head of Corporate Treasury Financing at Grupo Bimbo, her role has been pivotal in optimising the company’s capital structure, strengthening its relationship with the international financial system, and building a high-performing, professional team that delivers results to the highest standards. Without a doubt, Sofia embodies the definition and values of a rising star.”

Sofia manages a team of seven professionals and oversees a dynamic debt portfolio of more than US$8.7bn, structured through diverse issuances and financing instruments that have supported Grupo Bimbo’s accelerated growth and global expansion.

Her responsibilities span the full breadth of Grupo Bimbo’s treasury operations at the holding-company level. She directs the company’s global funding strategy across multiple instruments: a US$2.4bn committed, multicurrency, syndicated revolving credit facility; bilateral banking facilities across dozens of markets; and bonds issued in both the Mexican market and international 144A/Reg S markets. She manages relationships with banks worldwide and leads Grupo Bimbo’s communication strategy with Moody’s, S&P and Fitch.

Sofia has driven meaningful innovation within the treasury function. She helped lead the implementation of Grupo Bimbo’s first treasury management system, automating processes that had previously relied on manual workflows. She has also structured sustainability-linked bonds to align the company’s funding strategy with its broader environmental commitments and tap into growing investor demand for environmental, social and governance instruments.

Sofia’s leadership is rooted in Grupo Bimbo’s values-driven culture, which places the person at the centre of every decision. She leads with respect, fostering transparent and humane communication both internally and with external partners.

At only 30 years old, Sofia manages a scope of responsibility typically held by professionals with decades more experience – and she continues to find ways to expand the impact of the treasury function both within and beyond the company.

Through Bimbo Ventures, Sofia coaches founders of early-stage companies on funding strategy. She sees this advisory work as a preview of a longer-term aspiration: expanding access to fair financing for small and medium enterprises across Latin America.