Guillermo leads the Telecommunications, Media and Technology (TMT) Team at IDB Invest, which he joined in 2016. He is responsible for developing business strategies and plans, and for managing clients and structuring the transactions of the TMT sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before joining the IDB Group, he worked at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for more than nine years, as Head of the TMT sector for Latin America and the Caribbean. He previously worked at ABN AMRO Bank for 12 years. He was Enron International’s Global Finance Manager for two years. He served as board member of Pan-African and Pan- American companies engaged in broadband and cell tower distribution and infrastructure, with portfolios in various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Guillermo earned a master’s degree in finance from Universidad del CEMA and a professional degree in business administration from Universidad de San Andrés (both in Argentina).
High-speed 5G Internet connections will help more remote work and information access, reducing emissions from cars and planes, and facilitate self-driving vehicles, leading to fewer accidents and shorter commutes, as well as the widespread adoption of smart buildings with less energy use.
Latin America and the Caribbean is presently the fastest growing e-commerce market in the world (+37% in 2020), with still plenty of room to expand. E-commerce accelerators can help drive this expansion within a sustainable framework.
Spendthrift consumerism comes with massive environmental costs, and the “fast fashion” model in the clothing industry is highly wasteful and damaging to the planet. New digital business models focused on re-use and re-sale are changing the shape of the industry for the better in the region and elsewhere.
Driven by social distancing imposed by COVID-19, the online grocery ecosystem is becoming more diverse, and increasingly innovative. Colombia’s Merqueo is a good example of a solid business model in a rapidly transforming market.
Foreign-born founders, including many Latinx, account for around 40% of entrepreneurs in Miami, as South Florida evolves from a “stepping-stone” in and out of Latin America and the Caribbean, becoming a tech hub for the region.
The region's trucking industry is gigantic, and inefficient, with shippers struggling to find available trucks and carriers struggling with driver security and limited working capital. The potential for tech disruption is clear, and startups are filling the void with online marketplaces.