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Viva forever!
March 2024
We can’t all be Latino… but sometimes we might want to try.
I’ve said it before. And I’ll say it again: I love my trips to Latin America.
This year I visited two new countries - spending time with our teams in Bolivia and Chile, meaning I’ve now been to 8 in South America, plus 7 other Latin countries (in Central/North America).
Not that I’m counting, (well, I suppose I am…) Bolivia and Chile were my 69th and 70th country in the world, and they didn’t fail to impress.
But let’s highlight the magnificent Medellin, Colombia, (the venue for Russell Bedford International’s 2024 Ibero-America conference). This was my second time in Colombia, previously visiting Bogotá. Our network has a fantastic group of five offices covering the country.
At this conference, we had a colleague attending from our firm in Hungary, since he’s been learning Spanish and wanted to experience the event. ¿Por qué no?
His words to the group (translated from his very good Spanish) were “the most important thing is that all of you felt like you were not at a conference but at a family reunion. The best conference I have attended. You have achieved great success in the region and I wish you the best for the future.”
I could not have said it better myself (even in my best Hungarian!).
There’s something about Latin America. Despite the economic and political struggles, with the frequently high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates, the people know how to be positive, they know how to turn a challenge into an opportunity. And they know how to celebrate! The embrace, las fiestas, the happiness, the optimism… is what drives this region.
And our firms have been highly successful - Since our event, it was announced in the International Accounting Bulletin’s World Survey that our Latin America region had experienced the highest growth last year of all Top 20 networks, achieving a 30% increase in revenues.
Our firms are highly collaborative, united, with passion and unfaltering energy.
And most of all, it’s infectious. Try it and see!