Our Advisory Council

Gail Birks is an experienced independent corporate director since 1994. She has been an active member of the governing body of a financial institution that began as a privately held organization before merging in 2005 with a publicly traded financial holding company. She was invited to continue as a member of the board when it was repurchased by private investors in 2009. During her tenure as Chairperson of the CRA Committee, using her knowledge of the target market and experience in branding and customer relations, the Bank has received numerous Community Awards and recommendations of “Outstanding” and “High Satisfactory” from regulatory agencies (OTS and OCC).

Ms. Birks, a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, has served as an active member on several key Board committees: Audit Committee, Board Oversight and Governance, Director’s Loan Committee Committees as well as the BSA/AML Committee.

For over 30 years Ms. Birks has demonstrated board leadership and enterprise risk management expertise by serving on numerous non-profit and civic boards in South Florida. She is a subject matter expert on board oversight, sustainable strategic planning, human resources management, marketing and branding, compliance and regulatory requirements and profitability models.

In her career success for nearly 30 years, Ms. Birks has served as President/CEO of CMA Enterprise Incorporated. CMA, (www.cma-ent.com), specializes in performance and process improvement solutions for corporations (private and public sectors), governmental agencies and large non-profit organizations. Her company has a proven track record of saving millions of dollars for her clients through improved performance models for executives and professionals, infrastructure development, financial analysis and recommendations on newfound revenue streams. She has worked with both domestic and international corporations.

Eduardo Cano currently serves as Director of Inside Sales & Marketing for Softtek North America. In addition to carrying out several marketing and development activities, Eduardo frequently interacts with CIOs and senior leaders to uncover areas of opportunity and collaboration with Softtek. Prior to working at Softtek, he managed all aspects of marketing and lecture programs for Young & Rubicam, covering 18 states in the U.S. in addition to Mexico. During his tenure at Y&R, Eduardo worked closely with marketing leads from Johnson & Johnson and Colgate, among other global brands. Eduardo has twelve years of executive experience in both the legal sector and in marketing.

As a Law student, Eduardo worked at two different law firms in Connecticut with a focus in civil litigation, copy right/intellectual property/marketing, and memorandum writing. He prepared and analyzed legal documentation pertaining to the refinance, purchase or sale of real estate properties as well as represented individuals and lending institutions in real estate transactions for commercial and residential properties in New York State and Connecticut. Eduardo holds a BS in Criminal Law, a BA in Political Science/ Marketing and Business Administration, both from Sacred Heart University. Currently, Eduardo is pursuing his MBA degree with focus in Corporate Management at the Jack Welch Management Institute – Strayer University located in Washington D.C.

Camilo Padron is a business leader and social entrepreneur backed with over 25 years of experience in strategic marketing, engaging and understanding the “customer”. As a business leader, Camilo has successfully been a key member in assisting startups and prominent South Florida enterprises reach next level market growth. He has forged partnerships that today play a significant role in the business community and higher education institutions. As an entrepreneur, Camilo has contributed to Miami startup ecosystem as a mentor, fundraiser and has applied his strengths in the area of marketing facilitating startups reach market fit and penetration. His “big-picture” approach to strategizing is highlighted by his proven ability to leverage high-potential opportunities and amplify revenues.

Early in his career, during the advent of digital convergence in new multimedia communication Camilo has often found himself in the position of team leader on the forefront of technological advances in interactive communication and website development before and during the dot com boom. His training in the mechanics of digital design, intuitive creativity, and understanding of key functional dimensions enabled him to architect effective corporate interactive experiences, earning him an multiple Shockwave Website Awards, The Interactive Award of Excellence and “Gold ADDY” for Best Interactive Website in 2001.

Camilo’s years of experience working in private equity has allowed him to broaden his knowledge in a vast portfolio of varied industries thus allowing him to gain experience and execute strategies to various audiences. As VP of Marketing for CIMA Group, Camilo established and led an in-house marketing department to serve CIMA and its various subsidiaries. He led marketing strategies for verticals in: telecommunication, home entertainment services, IPTV products and fashion ecommerce. As Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Sales for The Fresh Diet, Camilo served as a driving force on the executive team that undertook a comprehensive turnaround to elevate the business’s profitability and drive value for shareholders that included publicly traded merger under IVFH.

Today, Camilo continues his social entrepreneurship and business development efforts with a focus on digital strategies and new business development for enterprises including: Natcom Global, ValueDOC and Welever USA. He has been named “Entrepreneur of the Year” 2018 by Miami Today, an advisor for entrepreneurship at the Israel Consulate in Miami and a key contributor to building innovative programs at Miami Dade College including Startup Nation and most recent Cyber Security Center of the Americas. He proudly sits on various advisory boards including The Idea Center at MDC. Camilo has an Executive MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Florida International University. He is a member of the CMO Council, and is invited yearly to speak at various meetings and conferences globally and has been featured in publications as a leader in entrepreneurship.