# What a decade bridging LATAM and Europe taught me about hiring global talent Source: https://www.tessera.partners/blog/decade-bridging-latam-europe-hiring Language: en Last updated: 2026-10-02 Founder Essay My personal journey from Buenos Aires to Brussels, what I learned at J.P. Morgan and Barclays, and why I founded Tessera. Published June 2, 2026 · Updated June 2, 2026 · By [Federico](https://www.tessera.partners/team/federico) I grew up in Buenos Aires. My parents encouraged education and global thinking. That was unusual in the 1980s, when Argentina was inward-looking. But my mother always said: "The world is bigger than Buenos Aires. You need to see it." At 23, I was hired by J.P. Morgan's Buenos Aires office. I was young, hungry, and thought I knew how banking worked. I was wrong. Within three years, I was offered a transfer to their Brussels office. My first instinct was fear. I spoke English, but not like a native. I'd never lived outside Argentina. But I thought: this is the opportunity mom talked about. I took it. ## The shock of moving to Europe at 26 Brussels in 2005 was nothing like Buenos Aires. The pace was different. The communication style was different. People didn't smile as much. Meetings were more structured. Feedback was indirect. I remember my first week. I presented an idea in a team meeting with the passion and directness I'd learned in Argentina. My manager pulled me aside afterward: "Great idea, but let's talk about how you presented it. In Belgium, we lead with data, not passion." That comment stung. But it was valuable. I realized there was no "right" way to work. There were just different cultural expectations, and moving between them required adaptation. Over nearly 10 years, I worked my way up at J.P. Morgan and later Barclays. I moved from Buenos Aires to Brussels, and later to the Netherlands. I hired teams. I worked with people from many different countries. I watched what worked and what didn't in international teams. The best international hires were never the smartest people. They were the people willing to adapt, curious about different cultures, and secure enough to admit when they didn't understand something. ## What I learned about hiring across borders By my 10th year in Europe, I was hiring for senior roles across LATAM offices from Brussels. I needed directors, VP-level people, sometimes C-suite. And I kept making the same mistakes the industry was making: **Mistake 1: Hiring by resume, not by readiness for international work.** I'd interview candidates in Buenos Aires or São Paulo who looked perfect on paper: top degrees, multinational experience, strong English. But they'd never worked remotely. They'd never managed in a different timezone. They'd never navigated being the "outsider" in a team of Londoners. Within 18 months, half of them wanted to move back to LATAM. I was hiring smart people who weren't ready for international work. **Mistake 2: Assuming English proficiency equals communication readiness.** I'd have candidates pass the English test, then watch them struggle in meetings because they were translating in their heads instead of thinking in English. Or they'd say "yes" to everything in meetings to be polite, then privately disagree with decisions. This isn't a language issue; it's a cultural adaptation issue. **Mistake 3: Not accounting for timezone and logistics stress.** Hiring a VP from Argentina to work for a Brussels-based company sounds great. But working four or five hours apart, with early calls for one region and late calls for another, is exhausting. The best candidates understood this going in and had a plan for managing it. They were not the ones surprised by it after day one. **Mistake 4: Underestimating the importance of a real network.** When I hired through recruiters in LATAM who weren't embedded in the market, I got surface-level candidates. When I made a phone call to someone I actually knew in Buenos Aires and asked: "Who's the best CFO you've worked with?", I'd get referred to incredible people I never would have found through a generic job post alone. ## Why we founded Tessera Partners Over time, I grew frustrated. I had spent years watching European companies try to hire Latin American talent, and the process kept failing. Recruitment firms treated LATAM like a commodity. They posted jobs, filtered resumes and hired the best application. But that isn't how senior LATAM talent works. The strongest people are usually embedded in professional networks, trusted references, and cross-border communities before they ever appear in a public funnel. I talked to Lidiane, a Brazilian colleague who'd made a similar journey (Brazil → Netherlands) and had the same frustrations. We realized: what if we built a recruitment firm that actually understood both sides? We'd have LATAM networks from having lived and worked there. We'd understand European/US company culture from having worked in those environments. We'd know what international readiness actually looks like. That's Tessera. ## The three principles that guide how we work **1. Relationship-based sourcing before job boards.** We spend time building real networks across LATAM and with LATAM professionals abroad. When you need senior talent, we first discuss the role thoroughly, then reach through people we actually know, references we trust, and curated talent pools. Job boards can be useful as a final layer, but they are never the foundation of the search. **2. Deep vetting beyond the resume.** Is this person actually ready to work internationally? Do they have experience with remote teams? How do they handle timezone pressure? Are they genuinely curious about other cultures, or just chasing a paycheck? We do reference calls with people we know. We ask the uncomfortable questions. We're not trying to fill a job quickly; we're trying to find a fit that will actually work. **3. Honesty about cultural transition.** We tell candidates: working for a US or European company as a LATAM professional is incredible, but it's also challenging. You'll be managing timezone overlap that's imperfect. You'll be the "outsider" sometimes. You'll need to adapt your communication style. We don't hide this. We prepare people for it. The best international placements are the ones where both sides go in with realistic expectations. ## What I wish I'd known at 26 If I could tell my younger self, getting on a plane to Brussels for the first time, one thing, it would be: *The transition is hard, but it's worth it. The best growth happens when you're uncomfortable.* I also wish I'd known that moving countries wasn't something to fear or apologize for. It's an asset. It means you're adaptable. It means you've proven you can learn new systems, navigate uncertainty, and build relationships in unfamiliar territory. These are exactly the traits that make great leaders. Most importantly, I wish I'd known that the people who make the best international transitions aren't the ones who are perfect at everything. They are curious enough to ask "why do you do it this way?" They are also humble enough to admit "I don't understand that culture yet." Every great international hire I've made had one thing in common: they were willing to be uncomfortable, ask questions, and adapt without losing themselves. That's what I look for now at Tessera. That's what I encourage our companies to look for. And that's what I try to build into every placement we make. [Learn more about Tessera's story and values.](https://www.tessera.partners/about) ### Ready to hire LATAM senior talent? I'm fortunate to have lived and worked across LATAM and Europe. That experience shapes how Tessera operates. We don't just fill job openings. We build placements that work. Let's talk about your hiring needs. [Book a call →](https://cal.com/tessera) If you are hiring senior leaders across borders, see how our [LATAM executive search](https://www.tessera.partners/services/executive-search) works.