Gus Fernandez
Atlanta
Summary
Revenue-Driven Vice President & Consultative Account Leader with 18+ years of success in financial services, B2B payments, and high-stakes partnership management across North America. Expertise centers on operating as a trusted strategic partner to community institutions and C-suite clients, deepening relationships, and driving the adoption of innovative payment solutions that accelerate commercial growth.
Proven ability to align internal resources to solve complex commercial problems and deliver against ambitious P&L targets. Seeking to leverage mastery in full-funnel B2B GTM strategy, complex contractual negotiation (up to nine figures), and account expansion to shape the future of payments for Mastercard’s North America community institution partners.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Vice President of Marketing
U.S. Bank
Atlanta
04.2021 - Current
- Own national B2B go-to-market strategy and full-funnel marketing for the United States and Canada, successfully driving material revenue growth from small to mid-size businesses and emerging market segments.
- Pioneered and continues to scale “Small Business, Big Ambition”—an award-winning digital and experiential platform reaching over 10,000 business decision-makers annually across North America through executive events, enablement content, and the launch of high-impact fintech/payment solutions.
- Lead end-to-end B2B content strategy and full-funnel performance marketing (LinkedIn, ABM, search, industry events), directing marketing-tech-stack optimization that consistently delivers measurable pipeline and high ROI.
- Build and activate high-value strategic partnerships and sponsorships that successfully open new revenue channels, and deepen penetration of the North American B2B ecosystem.
- Develop high-impact B2B content and storytelling that accelerates pipeline conversion and consistently positions the U.S. Bank as the strategic payments partner of choice for clients.
- Play a critical, enterprise-wide role in employee engagement and organizational culture across the entire Payments organization; co-founder of the Nosotros Latinos Atlanta Business Resource Group (BRG).
Sr. Director, Account Management & Client Success
You Are Here Agency
Atlanta
06.2018 - 04.2021
- Drove Revenue and Profitability: Owned full P&L responsibility for the agency’s fastest-growing practice, successfully scaling revenue and profit through new client wins and expanded scopes with Fortune-500 brands.
- Negotiated Multi-Million Contracts: Negotiated and activated multi-million-dollar sponsorships and pass-through rights deals, blending large-scale live events, social, and digital executions to deliver measurable ROI for clients.
- Led C-Suite Strategic Partnership: Served as the senior strategic partner to C-suite clients (including Coca-Cola, AT&T, AFLAC, and Synovus Bank) on brand experience, media strategy, and full-funnel campaign architecture.
- Directed Integrated Campaigns: Directed integrated sponsorship, experiential, and digital media programs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, ensuring seamless execution across diverse markets.
- Fostered Account Growth: Built and led client and account teams that consistently increased share-of-wallet with existing accounts while successfully winning new logos in competitive pitches, demonstrating strong relationship deepening and client success expertise.
Director, Account & Client Services
Van Wagner
Orlando
04.2008 - 01.2017
- Managed Large-Scale P&L: Owned P&L responsibility for a $40M+ annual client portfolio, consistently delivering strategic value that resulted in revenue growth and increased department profitability by 30%+.
- Negotiated High-Value Sponsorships: Negotiated and activated eight- and nine-figure national sponsorships, securing complex media rights, broadcast integrations, and pass-through assets across television, live events, aerial, and digital platforms.
- Drove Multi-Year Renewals: Served as the senior strategic partner to C-suite clients, driving significant multi-year deal renewals and expansions through deep partnership strategy and commercial alignment.
- Led Integrated Execution Teams: Led a team of 14+ across account management, creative, and field execution, successfully delivering integrated sponsorship and experiential programs for major clients (including AT&T, MetLife, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Universal Pictures).
- Executed Industry-Benchmark Programs: Designed and executed innovative, industry-benchmark activations (e.g., stadium takeovers, aerial media, digital integrations) that set the standard for measurable brand impact and client ROI.
Education
Minor - Spanish Language
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon, WVBachelor of Science - Marketing
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Buckhannon, WVSkills
- Consultative Account Management
- Partnership Strategy & Deal Expansion
- P&L management and revenue growth
- Fintech & Payments Solutions Adoption
- Full-Funnel B2B Performance Marketing
- Community Institution Engagement
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Complex Contract Negotiation (9 figure scale)
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
Accomplishments
U.S. Bank Legends of Possible 2022 (Top 1% Enterprise-Wide performance in the Financial Services Sector)
ETA Forty Under 40 (Electronic Transactions Association - recognizing top young leaders in the Payments/Fintech Industry)
Women in Payments Award (Recognizing leadership and achievement within the global payments ecosystem)
Multiple MediaPost and Adweek Creative Awards (Validating award-winning strategic and creative execution)
ETA Forty Under 40 (Electronic Transactions Association - recognizing top young leaders in the Payments/Fintech Industry)
Women in Payments Award (Recognizing leadership and achievement within the global payments ecosystem)
Multiple MediaPost and Adweek Creative Awards (Validating award-winning strategic and creative execution)
Timeline
Vice President of Marketing
U.S. Bank
04.2021 - Current
Sr. Director, Account Management & Client Success
You Are Here Agency
06.2018 - 04.2021
Director, Account & Client Services
Van Wagner
04.2008 - 01.2017
Minor - Spanish Language
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Bachelor of Science - Marketing
West Virginia Wesleyan College