Charina Amunategui: Banking, bodybuilding and the power of personal branding

Charina Amunategui, this year’s PIDCI Grand Marshal,  is all that and most certainly more. An Executive Director at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, her life’s narrative demonstrates the power of perseverance, unwavering determination, and the quest for holistic wellbeing, which includes physical, mental and emotional health.

The harsh realities of life came early enough to Charina when her father passed away when she was merely eight months old. However, her life took a pivotal turn when her mother married Pedro Visperas Jr., a man who became more than just a stepfather to her. “He was my real Dad in every respect.”  Tragically, he passed away from cancer in 2007, leaving an irreplaceable void in her heart. She continues to cherish his memory as the “best father any girl could dream of.”

Her coming of age in Tondo, and her family’s  immigration to Canada when she was 14 have shaped her identity in profound ways. Although she grew up in Tondo with her mother’s family, the Tiangcos were of middle-class means. Charina went to school at St. Scholastica’s College, and the family lived in a multi-generational dwelling together with her grandparents, uncles and aunties.

“I was very close to my grandmother, Rosalina. I called her ‘Mama Chi’. I would always sleep on a couch in her bedroom,” she said.

The family’s machine rebuilding business in Tondo survives to this day.

Life in Canada was one of hardship.

“My parents who had corporate jobs in the Philippines, all of a sudden they were working in a factory in Canada,” she said in an interview with The FilAm. “We’re not ashamed of it. We’re proud of what we’ve made out of our lives. But it was a time of hardship.”

She believed the transition from corporate jobs in Manila to minimum-wage work in  Missisauga, a suburb of Toronto, highlighted the family’s “resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.”

She looked back on some of the moments that served as their initiation to Canadian life.  One example was the comedic episode involving the  cultural etiquette of raising hands in the classroom.

“In Canada, I stood up to answer the teacher without knowing I did not have to stand up, and all the kids in the class laughed. Nobody stood up in class, you just speak up,” she said laughing so hard. “Sometimes you don’t even have to raise your hand.” 

Despite the initial challenges, Charina’s indomitable spirit propelled her forward. At the young age of 15, she embarked on her journey of financial independence, working part-time jobs while excelling in her studies. She worked as a folder in a clothing store at the shopping mall and also as a cashier at KFC.

“I would fold clothes at this shop called Fairweather for a minimum wage of   Cdn $5.25. That was my first job. I was there up until I went to college.”

Suits in college

She earned a degree in economics at the prestigious University of Waterloo. She boldly took out government loans to finance her education, determined to carve out a bright future for herself.

College was when her goals began to sharpen  and she started to “visualize” what future awaited her.   That’s when she started wearing suits to school.

“I always believed in the power of visualization,” she said. “My mother would always bring me to  her office  in a bank,  so in college, I would study in a suit.  I envisioned myself up a corporate ladder, working in a bank because I was dressing for success.” True enough, Charina has been a banker for almost two decades ascending the ranks  at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.

PIDCI and the Filipino community

She moved to New York City in 2014, after she was transferred by her bank, UBS, from Toronto. It was not until 2020 when she  got involved with the Filipino community through ISFFA or the  International Society of Filipinos in Finance and Accounting. She became a member and delivered a closing keynote speech at their national conference in Anaheim, California in 2022.

The power of connections manifested when a board member of ISFFA, Maria Fides Balita, nominated her to the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) to receive the Most Influential Filipina in the World award, which landed her within the  scope of Nora Galleros’s attention. Nora, an accomplished CPA in New York and New Jersey, was one of the interviewers in the FWN selection committee. She happens to be the immediate past president of PIDCI or the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc., which mounts the annual Independence Day parade on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

“We were in Prague together in 2023,” she recalled.  “For the award ceremony I got to know Nora better. When we came back to the U.S., she mentioned how she liked my presentation about the importance of mentoring young girls to help build their confidence. She said PIDCI’s theme this year  is about uniting generations and getting them to be more involved and engaged.”

“PIDCI’s goals aligned with my goals,” Charina continued. “I want to see a future where we are raising  youths who are assertive, are aware of  the resources that are available to them and have guidance on how to maximize their potential.”

Competes in bodybuilding

Unknown to many, Charina is a serious bodybuilder and participates in amateur competitions.

“Just for fun,” she said, eliciting a self-deprecating chuckle.

She’s not exactly a dilettante fitness buff. She has a training coach, has put in five days a week at the gym over the last 10 years, watches what she eats and religiously tracks her weightlifting routine, cardio, and blood sugar on a spreadsheet! Her disciplined regimen reflects her dedication to self-improvement. She believes that with physical fitness, “I am able to handle stress, the academic and work-related.” She is currently completing her MBA at Yale University and is due to graduate this coming May.

Charina’s story of navigating cultures,  as well as academic and professional excellence is one of triumph over adversity. She hopes to inspire others with her journey. —The FilAm