Hi, my name is Carlos Torelli and I'm Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining in Illinois, I was a professor at the Carlson School of Management in University of Minnesota. I teach a variety of courses at the undergraduate, MBA and PhD levels. Beside this course on Cultural Psychology, I also teach international marketing, Brand Management, Marketing Management, and Global Perspectives in the Strategic Branding. I received my PhD in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign so joining Illinois felt like coming back home. Indeed, my daughter was born here in Urbana so my personal connection to the area is very strong. I also have a master degree in Business Administration from Arcade University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as well as a master degree in Business Engineering and a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, both from my home country, Venezuela. Before becoming an academic, I worked for more than 10 years in market and related positions across a variety of industries, including consumer goods, Engineering and financial services. My last assignment was as marketing vice-president of Citibank in Venezuela and in Turkey. In this role, I have responsibility over many different South American and Middle Eastern markets, including Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel. My research and teaching is highly influenced by the multicultural managerial experience as an executive of one of the world's largest financial institutions. I integrate this experience with my rich academic background in order to find creative solutions to the pressing problems brand managers face in a complex global marketplace. As I said earlier, I'm originally from Venezuela where I married my wife of 25 years, I had my first son, who has had the privilege of living in three different continents, South America, North America, and Asia. I guess that's why one of our favorite family activities is traveling around the world. We have traveled together to China, Thailand, France, Italy, Egypt, and Greece and have plans to visit many other parts of the world in the years to come. Coming from a Caribbean country swimming and going to the beach is my thing. I find it to be a very relaxing activity. I have swam recreationally in beaches throughout the world but I'm not training to swim competitively. I'm still far from where I would like to be, but I still have about six months to improve my time in preparing for my first competition. Well, this is all about me for now. I look forward to meeting you soon and to start our interests in discussions about Cultural Psychology.
