Latin America: A Region with Future Potential

From Mexico to Chile: Gerardo Montenegro Aznar is the HELU Regional Director for all of Latin America. In this interview, we discuss what he finds so exciting about the region, what opportunities and potential he sees for the future of the company there, and what brought him by way of Hemmingen from Mexico to Switzerland, of all places.

You have worked at HELU for more than ten years. What first brought you to the company, and what has your career path looked like up to today?

I coincidentally found my way to HELU, which is what makes it so exciting. I studied in Germany and used to even live in Stuttgart. Before I came to HELU, I worked for a German general contractor there, where I was responsible for energy projects in Chile. Ironically, we sourced solar cables for this project from a competitor. One day, a close acquaintance who worked at an employment agency told me about an open position at HELU for Latin America. I applied that very same day, and the rest is history.

From the beginning, my career at HELU has been heavily focused on sales. Over the years, I was entrusted with various tasks within the company until I eventually took over responsibility for Latin America. I am particularly driven by the strategic growth of our local presence with customers and teams.

You were born in Mexico, work for a German company, and are based in Switzerland. How did this come to be?

In short, through love and dreams. After I had already begun working at HELU, I met my wife. She's Swiss. Some time later, we came to the decision together that we wanted to live in Switzerland. The company supported me tremendously through this and made me the offer of continuing my work from there. I was—and still am—very thankful for this. An international arrangement has always been natural for me, and I find Switzerland to be an ideal place to live. It is international, stable, and, at the same time, very close to the HELU headquarters and our global structures.

Are there any customs or traditions from Mexico that you have brought with you to Switzerland?

Yes, of course. For example, Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is one of the most important holidays in Mexico where we pay our respects to friends and family members who are no longer with us. As part of our tradition, we build a colourful altar at home with photos of the deceased and some of their favourite things. Together, we remember the many wonderful and happy times we shared with them. This is a very important and valuable tradition for me that I would like to pass on to my children. Every year, it reminds me of where my roots lie, even when my daily life has such an international focus.

As Regional Director LATAM, you are responsible for the HELU subsidiaries in Latin America. Which countries does this include and what are your duties?

I am responsible for multiple subsidiaries in Latin America including Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, as well as for our colleagues and partners in other key markets. My duty is to lead the region holistically, whether it be in its strategic direction, growth, profitability, or the continuous optimisation of its processes. This also includes close collaboration with local management and the further development of our subsidiaries.

One especially important aspect of my role is to serve as a bridge between headquarters and the local teams. This means translating global strategies into concrete, regional measures while simultaneously maintaining enough flexibility for country- specific market requirements. I am often tasked with finding the most constructive way to incorporate different ideas.

What are some of the economic and cultural features of the Latin American markets and customers, and how do the individual countries differ from one another?

Latin America is a very economically, culturally, and industrially diverse region. Each country has its own conditions, decision-making processes, and business cultures. This makes my work incredibly exciting and sometimes also challenging. There is one thing that applies almost everywhere, though: business relationships and long-term partnerships based on trust and reliability are extremely important. My job is to understand these cultural particularities and reconcile them with our HELU global processes, quality standards, and governance structures. This balance between global consistency and local flexibility is a key factor for success in the region.

In international business, we have witnessed increasing levels of unrest over the past few years, partly due to the new tariff policies in the USA. Has this put any strain on businesses in Latin America?

Latin America is a very economically, culturally, and industrially diverse region. Each country has its own conditions, decision-making processes, and business cultures. This makes my work incredibly exciting and sometimes also challenging. There is one thing that applies almost everywhere, though: business relationships and long-term partnerships based on trust and reliability are extremely important. My job is to understand these cultural particularities and reconcile them with our HELU global processes, quality standards, and governance structures. This balance between global consistency and local flexibility is a key factor for success in the region.

In international business, we have witnessed increasing levels of unrest over the past few years, partly due to the new tariff policies in the USA. Has this put any strain on businesses in Latin America?

The geopolitical and economic tensions over the last few years have, of course, impacted Latin America. Countries such as Mexico and Brazil, that play an important role in the international mechanical engineering or automotive industries, have been particularly affected. At the same time, we are seeing how these changes are opening new doors of opportunity. Subjects such as regional added value and more resilient supply chains are becoming ever more important. For HELU, this means that we are required to orient our supply chains, operational processes, and investments more regionally while, at the same time, working in concert with headquarters. Especially in volatile environments, customers appreciate stability, technical expertise, reliability in planning, and a strong, global partnership even more.

Which industries are of particular importance for HELU in Latin America, and what kind of potential do you see for the future?

Currently, Mexico and Brazil are the two economic heavyweights of the region. In Brazil, we are working intensively with a number of mechanical engineering firms that export their products worldwide and have the strictest requirements for quality and technical solutions. Right now, Mexico is the most dynamic Latin American market, and we are seeing large investments into the automotive industry, as well as in other industries such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, cement, food, mining, oil, gas, and infrastructure. I see great potential for all countries in Latin America in the future, especially where there is increasing customer demand for complex system solutions instead of individual products.

The demand for these exact system solutions is growing globally, even in Latin America. Why is this? And what additional value can HELU offer its customers here?

Our customers in Latin America are under ever-increasing time and cost constraints. As a result, the demand for pre-assembled, installation-ready solutions is rising. These solutions simplify processes, reduce installation times, and improve operational safety. HELU is well-positioned here since we combine technical knowhow, product diversity, and operational excellence together with global strength and local presence. This is of great value to our customers.

Which product, successful solution, or customer feedback impressed you the most as of recent?

Together with our partner VITEL in Chile, we worked intensively on a project dealing with the automation of central warehouse processes. We were in direct competition with multiple other suppliers. In my opinion, what made the real difference was our close collaboration within the HELU Group. Working together with our colleagues from KABELMAT, we were able to develop a custom solution that perfectly addressed our partner's needs. This is how we won the contract and is an excellent example for how much you can achieve when trust, teamwork, and technology come together.

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