Government Affairs Connections

As multinational companies fan out across the globe to tap developing markets, executives weigh whether it’s best to manufacture products locally, or source them from another plant in another country. Several factors, including technical expertise in country, labor wages, government incentives and trade barriers, all play in part in where companies decide to put their…

Latin America weathered the global economic downturn better than many regions of the world and in the process became home of some of the world’s darling economies and a growing middle class. Multinational corporations are increasingly finding opportunities throughout the region, but have also learned dealing with governments from across the political spectrum looking to…

Latin America represents a wealth of opportunity, but businesses must be proactive about working with the region’s governments to minimize regulatory hurdles and maximize growth. That was a key takeaway from World City’s Government Affairs Connections event on June 17 at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables. The breakfast discussion was held exclusively for key…

Faced with limited resources for government relations across Latin America, Marcos Malfavon tried a novel approach: Recruit a team of executives region wide to share the task, many from sales positions. But there’s a learning curve for sales staff to master government affairs, he soon found out. Building relationships with officials to discuss policy, laws…

Here’s a challenge that multinationals will face in Latin America in 2011: As fast-growing nations roll out new investment programs, from broadband to airports, companies must find ways to work with governments on planning, purchasing and regulations for those new ventures. One tip to help reach key Latin American officials: Team up with the embassy…

Doing business in Central America presents unique challenges: small and fragmented markets, diverse rules and laws, inconsistent application of rules and rising security concerns, to name a few. Chevron’s Alexandra Valderrama leads the company’s public policy initiatives Panelists discussed risks and rewards in Central America at WorldCity’s Government Affairs Connections on Oct. 22. Leading the…

Yahoo’s Laura Juanes often finds precedents in either the United States or Europe to issues in Latin America. When it comes to complex regulations on banks or the Internet, Latin American nations often look to the United States and Europe for cues. But varying interpretations can result in a pastiche of different rules across countries…

Nokia’s Jose Martinez talked about the disparity between regulation in Latin America compared to the U.S. and Europe. Self-regulation may be key to dealing with international privacy and Internet regulation Privacy, data exchange and the disparity in country laws regulating the internet in Latin America emerged as key issues affecting everyone from cell phone provider…

Discovery Networks’ Gustavo Lopez oversees legal issues in Latin America and the Caribbean It was to be the Latin American version of the Charles Dickens’ classic, a Tale of Two Cities. For Gustavo Lopez, vice president of Legal for Discovery Networks, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, the discussion he was to lead at WorldCity’s Government…