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You started as an equity trader in São Paulo before moving into corporate finance. What made you make that shift?
I’d wanted to work in the stock market from a very young age, so starting on a trading desk felt natural. It was an extremely interesting foundation because you learn to work under pressure, with compressed timelines, and make decisions with incomplete information.
But over time, I realized I was speaking with a lot of confidence about companies I didn’t really know, the management, the internal processes, what they were actually doing day to day. I felt it was a little too shallow and transactional for me. I wanted to see what the industry actually looked like from the inside. I’m very happy I made that move. It really helped shape me as a professional.
You’ve been a CFO across very different industries. What’s one thing that transfers from one industry to another?
For me, what’s transferable is problem-solving skills. I always tell FP&A teams during budgeting: the only thing I know is that you’re going to miss the budget. You’re not going to get every variable right.
What matters is the thinking behind it, understanding the drivers, talking to the people making decisions, documenting the rationale, and putting that into the model. Then, when something changes, you know how to act and how to readjust your forecast. That way of approaching problems has been transferable to every job I’ve had.
Was there a decision along the way that you got wrong?
Many times. There’s still a bit of the trader in me that says I’d prefer you to act with incomplete information rather than wait until you have everything in your hands. One example was when I joined a PE-backed retail business. I saw inventories over the roof and immediately thought: let’s reduce inventory, liquidate, purchase less. What I hadn’t understood yet was that, in that industry, stock-outs could be worse than having high inventory. Then the supply-chain crisis hit, and the companies that kept selling were the ones that had inventory locally. I don’t regret taking the action. The lesson was: don’t get attached to an idea or a solution. What matters is how fast you realize it’s wrong and how fast you pivot.
Petrochemicals doesn’t always get an easy headline. Has working inside the industry changed how you see it?
Yes. Before joining, I probably had the same image most people have - burning, grey smoke, pollution. But once you’re inside an industry, you realize things are much deeper than what you can see from the outside.
A lot of innovation in materials, packaging, paints, coatings and compounds is driven by these companies. At the same time, companies need to be challenged. It cannot be a blank cheque. Media, governments and the public should question what industries are doing.
I just think there’s another side that often doesn’t get the same share of voice.
You’ve worked in PE-backed businesses and family-owned businesses. Which one produces better-run companies?
They’re very different. PE is fast. You get access to capital quickly, you’re always thinking about where to invest, how to grow, and you normally have the exit in mind. So you’re working backwards from that end goal and you have to jump into execution. Family businesses are more of a long-term play. There’s legacy, succession, and every decision can carry a lot of weight. Which one is better is very difficult to say. What I can say is that I’d rather work with a great family managing a family business than an average PE fund managing a company. The quality of who manages the business makes the difference.
You’ve worked across Latin America, MENA and Asia. What do you want people to understand about the way you work beyond the titles you’ve carried?
If you look at my background, I’m an economist. I like facts, data and models. But at the end, I think what I bring to the table is much more on the people side. You cannot work across different cultures with one approach to everyone. You need to understand how people connect and how they behave. I also believe in being very accessible. When I moved to Dubai, I was given a big office. For days, nobody knocked on my door. By day five, I was sitting in the middle of the finance team. I wanted them to see me as one more person there to help. I needed them to tell me their struggles and their problems, because that’s the only way I could help and make better decisions. You cannot manage a business just sitting in an office and getting emails. At the end, it’s all about people.
What would you leave finance leaders with today?
Be open to the new generation coming into the workforce.
They don’t have the same background or experiences that we had. I grew up in an analogue world before becoming digital, so their relationship with work and personal life is different.
If you keep looking at them the same way you looked at yourself in the past, it’s not going to work. Understand what they can add. There’s a lot of value this generation is bringing to companies. I think the companies that understand how to embrace this new workforce are the ones that will succeed.
