Author Archive for William Plasencia
William Plasencia is the former managing editor for Latin Trade.
LT CFO Events-Miami, USA, August 28, 2009
The outlook for the region is turning brighter, And CFOs are looking ahead to 2010.
Travel Smart
The LT Guide to gadgets that make travel time as productive as office time
Blackberry 8800
Most professionals today cannot live without email, and Blackberry Smartphones are the undisputed kings for handling electronic correspondence. But traveling overseas with one can be challenge, especially because mobile telephony networks vary from country to country. That’s where the [...]
What’s Old Is New Again
Rum ranks as one of the oldest spirits to be distilled in the Americas, yet its resurgence in popularity is a totally modern phenomenon as consumers rediscover the flavors and versatility of a drink with 500 years of history.
Rum, and sugar cane-derived cousins such as cachaça in Brazil, have been around since colonial times. Sugar [...]
The Age of Global Mergers
Latin America’s mergers and acquisitions activity in 2009 heralded the age of Brazil. Corporations in the South American giant dominated the market for buying and selling, once again eclipsing the pace of European and U.S. firms that used to dominate these transactions.
Digging Out
The world community and Haitian leaders and elite have repeatedly pledged a new start; this time it will be even more difficult to stay the course despite the more than $1 billion in government and private aid pledged.
A Decade of Up
The performances of Latin America’s bolsas were all the more striking given that the U.S. stock market ended the decade in negative territory – its worst performance since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Tech Meets Fashion
HP’s venture into the intersection between fashion and personal technology resulted in a pair of special edition netbooks whose outward looks are crafted by the Dutch-born Boontje and fashion designer Vivienne Tam.
In Work We Trust – Best Workplaces in Latin America 2009
The global economic crisis has generated waves of cost cuts and layoffs that even the most solid blue chip companies in Latin America have been unable to avoid. The fundamental difference between the companies that have downsized and those that have managed to retain top talent and stave off the worst cuts by negotiating concessions from workers seems to come down to trust.
A Phone For All Seasons
There is the good and the bad to be found in Nokia’s E75, the latest of the company’s enterprise smartphones.
Environmental Leader of the Year: Douglas Tompkins – Preserver of the Land
The notion that Douglas Tompkins is a living, breathing dichotomy is not lost on the man himself. The multimillionaire who made his fortune in the apparel business followed a calling to become a dedicated conservationist in the second act of his professional life.
Exclusive: LT CFO Interview with SABMiller’s Matt Wyatt
At the August 28 Latin Trade CFO Event, in Miami, Managing Editor William Plasencia had an opportunity to interview SABMiller’s Matt Wyatt, the director of finance transformation for Latin America. Wyatt flew in for the event from Bogota – via stops in London and Johannesburg – and talked to Latin Trade about leading the back-office [...]
I Can Hear Clearly Now
Recall those headphones that came with your music player? Sock them in a drawer and don’t look back. To really enjoy music you need to invest in a pair of quality headphones, and typically, you get what you pay for. Good headphones usually start in the $70 range and the price goes up from there. [...]
Corporate Social Pacts Under Pressure
Will corporate social responsibility survive the economic downturn?
Three Gadgets
Here are three gadgets you could live without, but why would you want to?
To the Touch
Not too long ago, leather was the material of choice to protect valuable belongings. Durable, supple and able to take a variety of hues, leather these days is more of a fashion statement. Still, leather retains all the qualities that make a wonderful wrapping for items that matter the most.
How Does the World See Latin America?
The debate continues over whether Latin America and the Caribbean have made progress on corruption and transparency in recent years. Clearly the region still struggles with the public perception that it is a difficult or dangerous place to do business in. Every year, the U.K.-based consultancy, Maplecroft, publishes indices that measure corruption, transparency, compliance with [...]
LT CFO Event – March 20, 2009
On March 20, Latin Trade brought together more than 25 top financial officers from multinational corporations for the first LT CFO Forum of 2009. The program, sponsored by Ernst & Young, began with a look forward at what commercial, financial and regulatory challenges companies in the region – especially multinationals – will face this year.
Panelist [...]
Light in Weight, Heavy in Power
It’s a scene repeated in airports all over the world: a harried executive, rushing to make a connecting flight, lugging a suitcase and a cumbersome laptop through security lines and onto the aircraft.
The overloaded traveler may become a sight of the past, like airport passengers talking on pay phones, because of the growing trend toward [...]
They Love Me, They Love Me Not
With economic challenges buffeting the entire region, the political winds in Latin America seem to be shifting as well. Polls measuring presidential popularity during the first quarter 2009 show marked changes compared with polls taken in the last quarter of 2008, indicating the strain people are feeling.
