Jayhawk Career Network

Mentor Spotlight: Clarence Haynes

January 4, 2022

We’re highlighting Jayhawks who serve as mentors to fellow alumni and students to celebrate National Mentoring Month.

Clarence Haynes, b’71, has been an international finance consultant for more than 20 years. Learn how he got into international finance, how his mentors helped him along the way and the advice he has for students interested in his field.

Connect with Clarence on KU Mentoring.

How did you end up in your current career?

After graduating from KU in 1971, I received an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School in 1973. Afterward, I joined Bankers Trust Company, New York, where I became a part of the International Banking Division and had two international postings in Canada and Brazil. After leaving Bankers Trust in 1987, I joined the International Finance Corporation, the private sector financing arm of the World Bank Group, where I focused on the development of capital market instruments for banking and private sector entries in the emerging markets.

In 1989, I became an independent consultant and for over twenty years, I have been instrumental in assisting clients active in the emerging markets in structuring and arranging funding from among others, emerging market funds, syndicated financing, and export credit and other official agencies primarily in the areas of banking, aviation and other transport sectors, energy, and information, communications and technology. Market focus primarily included Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, but my advisory experience also carries over to countries including India, Romania, and Kazakhstan.

Who was or is a mentor for you? How did they help you?

At KU, my mentors were Professors HK L’Ecuyer and Geoffrey Churchill who kept their doors open to me for counsel. Their support paved the way for achieving the Dean’s List and ultimately acceptance to Wharton.

Early into my banking career, I received strong guidance from the Managing Director of Bankers Trust Company’s Canadian operations particularly as it related to financial institution management and operations. This guidance, especially as it related to liability management, became a critical element to my next assignment as the head of the Brazil Desk in New York, where I played a primary role in assisting with managing the liquidity problems of Banco do Brasil New York Agency and other offshore operations of Brazilian banks during the Latin American Debt Crisis in the early eighties.

What advice do you have for current college students or young alumni?

For those interested in a career in international finance, language proficiency can be an invaluable tool in understanding client project activities and operations. Proficiency in Portuguese and French and reading proficiency in Spanish have been an asset to me, as they have opened up numerous market opportunities in Africa and Latin America.

Additionally, international studies abroad for up to one year can be beneficial from the standpoint of understanding culture, politics, and the workings of the economies. This experience not only creates an understanding of the workings of the country in which you do your studies abroad, but it can also provide you with a framework fr other markets that you might pursue during one’s career.

Finally, summer and part time internships can be a useful in the development of business acumen as well as serve as a source of supplemental income.

Favorite KU memory?

After receiving my diploma, being a walk-on sprinter to the KU Track Team, which afforded me long lasting memories and friendships, is a favorite memory.

Need a mentor? Want to serve as a mentor? KU Mentoring is open to students, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends of the University of Kansas. Professionals who are looking for opportunities to connect with KU and provide assistance to Jayhawks are also welcome. Learn more about KU Mentoring.