Marco Tiozzo Fasiolo, our Director of Americas, gave us his take on what it is like to build up an entire business (LATAM) from scratch while living abroad. As an Italian living in Mexico City, he had to adapt and create a business model that represented the global company values as well as the local market. Marco shares with us his insights into managing a team and growing it despite challenges and cultural barriers.

What is your role in Kilpatrick? How did your journey in LATAM start? 

My journey at Kilpatrick started in June 2018 when I met with the company while I was already working in Mexico City for another Executive Search Firm.

Kilpatrick offered me the challenge to start up their business in LATAM, opening a branch in Mexico and I decided to trust the project and Kilpatrick’s entrepreneurial vision. Four years later I run the Americas region (Latin America and North America) with clients across the whole American continent.

What has been the most challenging part of starting a branch of Kilpatrick in a foreign country? 

I was a foreigner with the mandate of establishing an office for a foreign company in Mexico City and creating a hub that could be a reference for the group.

This means that the most challenging part was to think “glocal”. Playing with the local rules without losing the sense of being part of a global organization. Luckily, when I joined Kilpatrick, I had already spent almost 2 years working in Mexico, this means I was used to the culture and had a solid understanding of the local market dynamic. Despite this, recruitment in this region is a crowded marketplace, so I had to find the gap of what other companies did not offer and make our brand unique.  I had to constantly ask the question “what am I fixing in the market that is not fixed yet?”.

Certainly, knowing your market is the first step to be successful and consequently, having a solid business plan, helps the development of your idea. You plan and you try to cover all the key areas: business intelligence, sales, staffing and the financials.

The first six months are the most important ones and during them, it is key to gather information about potential customers and competitors already operating in your area. This information will serve as a competitive advantage for your business.

Having a roadmap on how to structure, run, and grow your business is fundamental to translate your idea into reality.

What qualities do you look for in your team? 

As an organization, we strive to stand out from our competitors so we look for people that have that same vision. We look for outstanding people with entrepreneurial attitudes. We look for self-starter people with a high level of curiosity about market trends, technology, and an empathetic approach to human interactions. I truly believe that smart people are attracted to smart people and that is why having an intelligent and innovative business model will convince people that working with you is a smart choice for their careers.

How would you describe your professional journey at Kilpatrick? 

My journey at Kilpatrick has been one of growth. The most exciting thing has been seeing the impact of your ideas on the business and on the organization.

This is what we offer to our colleagues, the experience to make an impact on the business and grow consequently as a professional. Growing certainly faster than in a big corporation full of bureaucracy. We are not full of bureaucracy; we are full of ideas and opportunities. In my case, I just took the opportunity given, transforming it into a life changing experience.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self? 

I would give myself the same advice I was given when I joined the job market: study, be curious and stay hungry, without losing your humility and the sense of camaraderie. Achieving goals as a team is always better than succeeding as an individual.

What key elements have played a role in building up the LATAM sector? 

Kilpatrick is a business made of people. Having chosen the right people to navigate this journey has been the key to our success. We hired great people and we will continue to hire great people, making sure that they can see the impact of their ideas and actions on the business. Showing a vision as a business has also contributed to building up our legacy. As a professional you want to be in a place that is growing. You want to be in a place where your potential can have long-term growth.

Then there is passion, the energy that we put on all the things that we do. It takes a lot of passion, a lot of energy and a lot of yourself to get where we are from where we started. We need to make sure that we continue to have the same passion and to inject new energy to keep the business healthy and the team happy.