CI T Y O N T H E MOVE The multinational sector is big in So Paolo, and major businesses across many industries are represented here CRISTIANE BALISTA, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT FINK MOBILITY, SO PAULO When exports decrease, imports increase, or vice versa, so there is always business 72 FF296 AprMay20 pp64-75 Sao Paolo.indd 72 Lars Peter Lemche, CEO of Teamwork, pictured with his wife, Katia, next to an Air Greenland plane certain locations. That can be tricky when we are delivering a shipment in a restricted area. Thom cites bureaucratic difficulties in common with other Latin American regions, plus high costs with fees and ports. But we have noticed an improvement in this environment recently. For example, today we can offer our partners and customers the flat rate for port charges (in Santos). This was not possible a few years ago. He added: Competition between moving companies A Gerson and Grey trolley loaded and ready to go is quite fierce in So Paulo. But this makes the business environment healthier and more challenging, thereby increasing the quality of services for clients. At Gerson & Grey, Capani cites local tax burdens and fiscal complexity as major challenges. However, she says: Changes are under way in Congress aimed at making the country more competitive. They should be approved this year. Teamworks CEO Lemche adds: The Latin world is very different from the rest of the world. Bureaucracy and high taxes are the worst enemies of foreign companies coming to South America in general. Corruption and insecurity are also challenges. There are, however, reasons to feel positive about the future. Thom sees increasing decentralisation of the moving and hiring process affecting global mobility and believes corporations will give their employees more freedom to choose who to move with. With the resumption of (growth in) the Brazilian economy with our new president, and an end to the corruption scandals, we are confident that our international moving market can grow by around 12 per cent in 2020 and 2021, and end a series of recessions in recent years, he says. For FINK, Balista cites the general health of the Brazilian economy. We have all types of foreign industries investing in Brazil, she says, all of them with executives that move to and from the country. Infrastructure, oil and gas are some of the sectors we believe will grow in the next few years. RED HOT CULTURE SCENE Aside from the thriving business scene, there are many other reasons to move to Brazil, and WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 31/03/2020 09:02