Raimundo Diaz is Auxadi’s new Global Head of International Corporates.
Based in Miami, he joins Auxadi from TMF, where was appointed Head of Americas in 2016. Prior to joining TMF, Raimundo worked for Wolters Kluwer as CEO of one of their business units, developing business in Europe and the Americas for the world’s leading provider of online and software solutions for financial risk and compliance, origination and audit trail.
Raimundo sat down for a chat with our COO, Rima Yousfan.
- Rima Yousfan: Hi Raimundo. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Raimundo Diaz: I’m a Spanish national, though I’ve been living abroad for 24 years now. I’ve been all over but lately based in the US. I’ve been managing companies and had roles on executive boards for a long time in lots of different industries.
I started in banking & consulting in the UK, then went to heavy industry, then software services/cloud development for the logistics industry. I then worked in risk & compliance software for the banking & financial sector through the global financial crisis.
I’m essentially a curious guy, I like to learn new things and discover new places. I love to work with people, which is one of the main reasons I like the service business; in this industry, people are the strongest asset. The Auxadi offering is based on the quality of our people – I really appreciate that.
I like to interact with companies. I’m very proud of the companies I’ve served with. And that pride is helpful in sales; you have to be proud of your product and your company.
- RY: You’re now based in Auxadi’s Miami Hub. What drew you to Miami?
RD: My wife is from the US and Miami is the perfect combination for a European (especially a Hispanic) married to an American!I find myself at home in Miami. Most people speak Spanish, and Miami is the capital of Latin America from a business point of view; statistics say Miami is the 2nd largest centre for banks in the US, solely because any LATAM bank that wants to be accessible has an office here. Miami is a major hub for business between US & LATAM. Most large consumer product goods have centres in Miami to manage their LATAM business. Which makes it the perfect place to be based if you’re dealing with all 3 continents.And, I live in paradise 6 months of the year. The other 6 months have hurricanes and storms, but the paradise makes you forget those.
“Clients are looking for single point of contact with same quality of service and same standards. Auxadi’s One Stop Shop model assures consistency in delivery and contact with the client.”
Raimundo Díaz
Global Head of International Corporates
- RY: You’ve got an impressive work history and must have had a choice of roles – why did you choose to work with Auxadi?
RD: Auxadi has the right things to be successful in a very competitive landscape.
The 3 things that impressed me about Auxadi:- My first contact with Victor & key people in the company. You work with people, not machines, so the people are most important.
- Auxadi also has the right mindset and international footprint, and we know the realities of the different places. And this is of fundamental value for our customers.
- The single IT platform. Auxadi has the right combination of technology and that’s a very attractive selling point.
Objectives that Victor shared with me in our initial meetings are things I’ve done in the past, and they’re ambitious and achievable.
The energy at Auxadi is like the energy at a start-up company, and new initiatives are bringing the company to the next level. There’s a real sense of excitement.
I was also very impressed at how satisfied Auxadi’s customers are. US customers are very demanding!
I’m hoping to bring my pride, my energy and my love for the industry to help Auxadi to the next level.
- RY: What are your priorities this year?
RD: Taking the commercial team to the next level, including Country Managers & Key Account Managers. That’s a foundation of Auxadi’s presence in the biggest BPO market in the world. If you want to be a multinational, you need to be present. You have to behave, think and appear like an American.
We have a unique opportunity. Auxadi are in the countries US companies are interested in when crossing borders – LATAM and Europe.
- RY: Can you tell me a little about Auxadi’s corporate clients?
RD: Our corporate clients are a nice combination of companies from different geographies and industries, including the whole industrial roster, agricultural business to service business! I was surprised at how large the US companies group is represented among our clients – US headquartered companies are 30% of our customer base. They appreciate and need the opportunities we provide to help them become multinational.
I am also very impressed with quality of the customer base – there are some impressive and well-known logos there. But we also have start-ups, whose logos are not known yet, but we expect them to be, and will help! Start-ups are natural clients of Auxadi, we are able to grow with them and follow them along the road. We can be great partners for them and that’s a critical point of success. Trusted partnerships.
- RY: How does Auxadi differ from our US competitors?
RD: There is no competitor, either inside or outside the US, with Auxadi’s characteristics. Not one.
Our competitors are mainly aggregators; companies that have the IT but use partners to service customers in different countries. And those partners are used and abused, treated like Kleenex.
Auxadi nurtures the partnership relationship. And Auxadi’s acquisitions have been based on previous partnerships – they all have a cultural alignment, have a business alignment, and have known each other for years. They understand each other, through that nurtured partnership, before acquisition is even considered.
Other companies have the international foothold but no Single Point of Contact or single IT platform. Clients are looking for single point of contact with same quality of service and same standards. Auxadi’s One Stop Shop model assures consistency in delivery and contact with the client.
Clients appreciate a physical presence and local expertise. The main value of Auxadi is helping customers grow by taking them by the hand and making their life easier.
We take care of the complexities our customers might experience, be they regulatory, tax or legislative, so our clients can focus on selling and developing their product. We take care of the required work in the background, so our customers can focus on their foreground.
- RY: You’ve worked with many software systems in the past – how does Auxadi’s MultiCountry IT platform compare?
RD: The MultiCountry platform is a very nice combination of solid software base with the ability to localise. Auxadi’s Gold Partnership with Microsoft makes it clear that the platform hasn’t been produced by internal tinkering, and it is more than able to sustain growth. The support and partnership with Microsoft gives a credibility which is not often seen in Financial Services software.
All Auxadi’s offices, countries, and service centres work within this one system; speaking one accounting/tax language and localised (or, as the Brazilians say, ‘tropicalised’) for each the specific country.
That makes Auxadi’s MultiCountry solution extremely powerful and unique. Combining the largest software house in the world with our local knowhow and expertise.
Very few software vendors are able to do something similar – but their product is definitely not good. Auxadi’s cloud-based platform is years ahead of the competition!
- RY: Latin America has suffered under the COVID-19 pandemic. What do you think are the biggest opportunities for new businesses wanting to cross the border into LATAM?
RD: LATAM has been hit incredibly hard. But it’s important to understand that this is not a crisis driven by economic factors – this is driven by exogenous factors.
A lockdown in a service business economy like Europe or the USA does not mean eating or not eating. But for a street vendor in Lima, going out to sell his product is the difference between he and his family eating that day or not. Many people in LATAM don’t have the luxury of being able to stay home. They cannot afford to do the things we can.
Throughout the pandemic, though, LATAM retains its attractiveness for investment. Actions may be delayed by the pandemic, but the decision was made because the fundamentals of LATAM remain.
Companies interested in developing services in LATAM need help – they need Auxadi’s help. For example, Brazil has more than 90 different taxes! LATAM is one of the most complex regions in the world and you need local expertise.
And local administrations and councils in LATAM love multinationals. They must comply to all the regulations, the ramifications if they don’t are huge. Multinationals are easy prey – they don’t know the dos and don’ts. At Auxadi, we keep our customers compliant.
Companies should partner with Auxadi at the start of their expansion process, and we’ll take your hand and guide you through the regulatory and legislative maze; so you can concentrate on your product, not the admin.
If you’re there already, Auxadi can help you through the maze. If you’re not there, we can lead you by the hand. We know the path.
- RY: What do you do when you’re not helping make life easier for our clients? How do you spend your time?
RD: COVID has provided a unique opportunity to be closer to my family, which I’m enjoying a lot.
I love the weather here in Miami, so we as a family try to do a lot outside – often renting boats and doing a lot of water-related activities.
I like to know places and experience cultures. I love to travel and experience new things and see the world’s wonders.
And I love to read and my house in full of books! All my family love reading. Perhaps with a little music in the background; original R&B, releases on Motown records, and Brazilian MPB are my favourites.
