Alexander Noda – Retail Market Manager, Miami, FL

Alexander Noda rarely meets a stranger. And he’ll be the first to tell you that openness to connection is the key to his success. As the Retail Market Manager for the top performing branch in the Synovus footprint, Alexander’s primary responsibility is to build relationships — something that comes easily to this charismatic banker who joined the company in October 2020, mid-pandemic.

“We are diversity personified here at Doral,” Alexander announces with pride. Among those team members at the Doral branch, you’ll find countries like Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru represented. They’re as widely diverse as the community that surrounds them.

As a young boy growing up in Cuba, Alexander understood the importance of hard work, service, community, and kindness. He recalls growing up with his close-knit Cuban family, where everyone pitched in. “My grandparents owned a business, a restaurant called Las Aspas del Molino. It means ‘windmill’ in Spanish.” Alexander remembers the windmill they built behind the restaurant with a laugh. “We built it from the ground up,” he recalls fondly. “We would go to another city and cut down tiny, fat palm trees and used the trunk, along with the leaves, to build it up.”

“One of my favorite childhood memories of growing up in Cuba was being in that family business. I have great memories of serving people. Even as just a six or seven-year-old boy, it taught me many life lessons at an early age.”

One of the best lessons Alexander learned in his abuelo’s restaurant, who he affectionately called Papi, was the art of connection. “In a market like Miami,” Alexander says, “it’s important to sell yourself before anything else.” He proudly says he’s “in the business of people.” When Alexander meets Hispanic community members, whether casually or for business, his primary focus is to build trust. “In the Hispanic & Latino community, people want to get to know you first—your personality, your place within the community, your commitment…everything that comes after that is built on trust.”

Alexander’s place within Miami’s Hispanic and Latino community is set. He’s part of the team of Synovus employees participating in the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and actively involved in events in the cities of Doral and Coral Gables. In addition to his connection with the SFHCC, Alexander has found community in Liliam Lopez, President and CEO of the SFHCC, and many Miami-based attorneys of Hispanic origin who have been mentors to him.

He’s still deeply connected to Papi, who relocated with the rest of his immediate family from Cuba to Miami. “He lives here in a home health center, but I still spend a lot of time with him,” Alexander shares. They go together to Calle Ocho to play dominos, visit Hispanic restaurants, and experience the sense of belonging he misses from life in Cuba.

“Miami is like North Havana,” he jokes. “When you’re in the community, whether serving or enjoying the rich culture on your own time, you feel like ‘you.’ You feel seen. Like you fit in.”

Indeed, Alexander has worked hard to ensure others feel seen and heard — to fit in. After moving to the US in 2009 at age 17, Alexander attended Miami Dade College for his associate's degree, then Florida International University for his bachelor’s degree. “With the sponsorship of Synovus, I completed my master’s in management in August 2022.” Since then, he’s proven his loyalty to the Hispanic community through his acts of service, volunteerism, and mentorship.

Even with his work at Synovus, Alexander’s loyalty is clear. Not only to his community, but to the team he’s helped build and the community they support. “Hispanics love saving,” he begins with an audible smile, “we love to save a buck. But sometimes, it can be hard to walk up to a minority business owner and expect them to trust you and your advice when they’ve never heard of you or the bank. That’s why it’s important to sell myself first.” By establishing himself as a reputable member of the Hispanic community and raising awareness of the brand in a way that feels almost like a grass-roots initiative, Alexander builds his relationships one trusting conversation at a time.

As the newlyelected Chair of Aquí Nos, Synovus’ Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group (ERG), Alexander is just as committed to embracing his culture and teammates as ever. And he feels supported knowing Synovus’ commitment to visibility, representation, and opportunity for minorities.

“Synovus has created a culture of diversity and inclusion that makes you feel at home. Many of my coworkers are from multiple ethnic backgrounds, but we all call Synovus home. Aquí Nos, which I now lead, has also made strides in getting the Hispanic associates to come together and stay connected within the bank. I am honored to work for a company that values the differences in others and allows us to show what is unique in each of us.”