This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 50-year-old Marco Santos, the Global CEO of GFT Technologies, an IT solutions company headquartered in Germany. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I’ve worked in IT my entire career.
In 2011, I joined GFT as a country manager for Brazil.
I focused on growing our presence there, but over time, I assumed more responsibilities. I became the CEO of GFT USA and Latin America, and then CEO of the Americas as a whole, including Canada.
I was honored to become the company’s global CEO in 2024, overseeing its strategic direction and over 12,000 employees. In July, I moved to Germany, where we’re headquartered.
During my tenure at GFT, I’ve lived and worked across South America, North America, and Europe.
Here’s what the work and business culture were like in each of those areas and how I think leaders can adapt to different environments where they may have to travel.
Latin American business culture was very relationship-driven
I joined GFT in Brazil after working for an IT consultancy.
I led a small operation of about 80 people, working for clients in Europe. We didn’t have any clients in the local market.
I had to take a startup approach, focusing on growing the business and building a local client base in Brazil.
At that time, business culture in Latin America was very relationship-driven. Delivering on promises to build trust was very important.
I leveraged my IT connections in Brazil to build good relationships and open doors. I tried to meet with people I already knew in the market and had worked with before, talking with them about how GFT could meet their needs.
As we scaled, we were able to grow the business throughout Latin America more broadly. I assumed responsibility over GFT Costa Rica and Mexico, and then I assumed the whole of Latin America.
The US market is super competitive
I became CEO of GFT USA and Latin America in 2020. I couldn’t fly to the US because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so I had to manage things remotely until moving to the US in July 2021.
Our US headquarters are in New York, where I’d travel frequently, but I chose to stay in Florida because some of our key clients were moving operations there. Florida was also a more convenient location for flying back and forth from Latin America.
I believe the US has the most sophisticated business environment in the world. I noticed clients are so open to new things. Innovation and transformation come before regulation.
With so much innovation, particularly in IT, there’s a lot of competition. I had to come to understand the US market well and articulate the company’s competitive advantage.
When we pitched to top banks, we communicated our previous experience in this area, how we solved problems for our clients, and the skills we had that no one else had.
Compared to Brazil, where pitches were more generic and often involved talking about who you are and what you can do, pitches in the US have a heightened focus on the metrics you achieved while solving problems for previous clients, and your key differentiators.
People in the US tend to be more direct and to the point than people in Brazil. They place a stronger emphasis on efficiency, key performance indicators, and return on investment. I learned a lot from my US colleagues and was eager to adapt to this communication style.
In Europe, I’m learning to navigate a longer decision-making process
I moved to Germany in July 2024. The former global CEO and I worked together as co-CEOs until January 2025, when I fully assumed the global CEO role.
Recently, I’ve noticed a desire to accelerate the pace of change in Europe, but compared to the US, the decision-making process takes longer here, and the culture is more risk-averse. If there’s an opportunity to bring something new, there’ll be a longer process to evaluate that new thing.
Across our clients, teams, and partners, there’s a focus on planning strategically before implementing ideas. The culture requires you to look at all the options and scenarios, produce a comprehensive analysis of where you are and where you want to be, and create an operational plan. People will expect you to understand all the variables at play.
As GFT’s CEO, I have to learn from this culture to ensure that I’m planning more and assessing all the scenarios before we execute something.
I’ve noticed that in Europe, once you do this comprehensive planning and come to an agreement, you can really start to execute, and things don’t change.
Meanwhile, in the US, things accelerate very quickly, but they can also change very quickly due to the competitive environment. Even if you’re doing a good job with a project, a competitor might come along and start outpacing you, so you may have to make rapid changes.
Leaders need to be adaptable to lead globally
As an executive, I have found it very enriching to travel to different continents and cultural contexts.
Coming to Europe is like experiencing a new world. It’s multicultural, and it’s relatively easy to visit different countries on the continent, so the diversity I’m experiencing is fantastic.
Living in different countries has developed my skills. Being a fast learner and an adaptable person are essential for strong leaders, especially in IT.
When changes happen in business, leaders with these skills should think about how to adapt and keep moving toward their long-term goals.
Do you have a story to share about work culture in different continents? Contact this reporter at ccheong@businessinsider.com.
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