Analysis: Why are Argentines moving to Uruguay?

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Not all who choose Uruguay to live in are “fleeing” from some complicated situation; often their move to the country is associated with a job opportunity or personal growth.

This is the case of Jorge Goulu, Christopher Jones, Valeria Pardal and Benjamin Mountford, 4 Argentine executives who live with their families in Montevideo and left with clear work goals.

In December 2020 Jorge Goulu left IBM Argentina after 33 years. There he had gone through several leadership positions: he was president and CEO of the Argentine subsidiary, general manager for the whole Spanish-speaking region and general director of Sales, among other roles. He also developed IBM’s business ecosystem for the whole region, including Mexico and Brazil.

But 3 years ago he married a Uruguayan and his personal situation changed: “Since I met her I have been traveling once a week back and forth, trying to be with my children in Argentina and with her and her daughters in Uruguay, but the pandemic limited my trips and I stayed in Uruguay,” Goulu recounted.

When he left IBM, he came across the possibility of developing professionally in the neighboring country, leveraging the arrival of several Argentine companies. In February 2021 he joined Think-Thanks, a firm specialized in supporting companies in digital transformation, in the business development aspect for Latin America from Uruguay.

“We are a transformation consultancy, a digital marketing agency, a sustainability consultancy and we have ways to add value to any of the industries in Latin America. I’m learning a lot, the name tells you, ‘think and be thankful’. The company’s principle is that if you stop learning, you can no longer be in this business, because we are constantly introducing new things. The day you know everything, you are out,” the entrepreneur said.

Goulu says that Uruguay is becoming a technological hub, because of the companies currently established and those that will come. Although it is a small country, Goulu highlights “the possibilities of developing, testing and exporting any technology very easily.”

“It is a nice export hub, with many tax benefits. The conditions and institutions are in place for that to happen,” he continued.

On a personal level, he decided to stay in Uruguay because his wife is Uruguayan and he has teenage daughters who are still studying, while his children in Argentina are older and independent. “The change for me was spectacular, living in a city like Montevideo with all the advantages it offers and with the possibility of being able to cross to Buenos Aires from time to time is an ideal combination,” which is why he is doing everything possible to make a life in the country in the long term.

FROM CÓRDOBA TO MONTEVIDEO, A SIMILAR PATTERN

Christopher Jones has lived in Chile, Brazil, the USA, India and the Philippines, in addition to his native Argentina. He has been based in Montevideo for four years now and the experience of living in Uruguay led him to decide to stay with his wife and daughter. “I see myself retiring in Uruguay,” Jones said.

He moved to the neighboring country to take over as general manager of Ta-Ta, after a long career with the Walmart retail chain that was sold in Argentina to Grupo De Narváez.

Jones knew Ta-Ta from having worked for the Tía group in Argentina several years ago, when he had just graduated: “I knew the philosophy and idiosyncrasies of the family, so it was a pleasure for me to return to my beginnings from another place.”

This was the opportunity that led him to a CEO position in the multinational in 2017 and to settle in the Uruguayan capital. “I was born and raised in Córdoba, I like the pace and friendliness of the people in Montevideo, I feel at home and that’s why we decided to stay,” he said. He says that he did not find it difficult to adapt and that what he most appreciated about the organizational culture he found was “the kindness, the solidarity and the good people.”

He also became a father during the pandemic and that implied an extra challenge at the family level. “My wife traveled a lot for work before the pandemic and now she is working remotely much of the time. Emma is just over a year old and I’ve even been seen feeding her in the middle of a meeting. We managed to split up the work,” he said.

As for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, he has an optimistic long-term view. “We are optimistic about our business model and the value we are bringing to the population, which is paying off. Our clients, employees and founders are happy,” he said. He also pointed out that the company will invest over US$120 million in Uruguay over the next 4 years.

BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING

Valeria Rodríguez Pardal has been working for multinational Nestlé for 15 years, but her move to Uruguay marks a milestone in her career and in the local subsidiary: in February 2021 she will become Nestlé Uruguay’s first female country manager.

“I came to Uruguay as part of a development opportunity that reflects the company’s decision to promote female leadership. I want to stress that,” Pardal said.

Throughout her 15 years in the company, Pardal has held different positions in the Marketing and Sales area and her last post in Argentina was as executive director of the coffee business. In November 2020 she was asked to take over as the head of the Uruguay team and in December she moved to the country along with her husband and their 3- and 5- year old children.

Her expertise in the coffee business was ideal to fill the position in Uruguay, as the company is starting to expand coffee exports in the local subsidiary. “The group made an investment here 2 years ago to build a state-of-the-art model plant for coffee production for local brands. In Uruguay we now have the only line that can supply Starbucks for all of Latin America. And this project that was initially only for Latin America, now has the possibility of exporting to other countries in Europe and Asia,” Pardal stated.

“My main challenge now is to transition the business model from a Nestlé designed to supply the local market to a Nestlé that will supply the world. In addition to managing the local brands and working on positioning the company for Uruguayan consumers,” she added.

Moving in pandemic made the family realize that they would no longer be able to travel between Argentina and Uruguay as easily as in the past, and they have not seen their relatives on the other side of the river in person since they settled in Uruguay.

For Pardal, moving to Montevideo was “like a breath of fresh air” and she appreciates the harmony and the openness of the people. “I tell you also as a mom, as a woman who is moving and bringing her whole family, how important it is that children are able to adapt and that they have friends, that the adjustment is quick, because once they do it’s a relief,” she said.

As for business development, Pardal sees Uruguay as having “impressive potential”, thanks to the country’s conditions, stability, legal and political framework. “The rules of the game are clear, which, coupled with the policy of attracting investment, has led to the establishment of large and important companies, particularly fintechs,” she said. I see Uruguay at a key moment to make a leap in quality, in addition to the exemplary management of the pandemic.”

A CAREER ON THE RISE

In March 2020 Benjamin Mountford landed in Uruguay with his wife and their 5- and 7-year-old daughters to take over as general manager of Fábrica Nacional de Cervezas (FNC).

Mountford has been working for 15 years at Anheuser-Busch InBev, of which FNC is part. There he worked his way up through various positions, such as brand manager for Quilmes, Stella Artois and Andes, and sales director, until he was offered the top position within FNC in Uruguay.

“It was an incredible professional development opportunity for me, I came from a career of many years in Marketing, passing through Paraguay, Colombia and Argentina, and in the past few years I was more focused on the Sales area. Coming to Uruguay to manage a country was a chance to lead a business with a more comprehensive outlook,” Mountford said.

On a personal level, both he and his wife liked the country, had friends there and did not hesitate “not even for a second” in taking on the challenge.