Business Partners Consulting joins Friisberg & Partners network

Business Partners Consulting, a human capital consultancy with four hubs in South America, has joined the international network of Friisberg & Partners. The Brazilian-based player becomes Friisberg’s second member firm on the continent. 

“I am absolutely delighted to have found like-minded professionals in Friisberg and I am looking forward to working with more multinational clients in South America in general and Brazil in particular,” said Luis Saverio Stateri, founder, chairman and CEO of Business Partners Consulting. 

Established in 2007, Business Partners Consulting supports clients with HR consultancy (leadership development, talent management), recruitment (talent hiring, recruitment process outsourcing) and executive search services. The firm, which has three offices in Brazil (São Paulo; headquarters, Campinas, Curitiba) and one in Chile (Santiago), works for clients across a wide range of industries, from financial services and retail to energy and fast moving consumer goods.

While Stateri had rebuffed affiliation approaches from various international human capital networks over the years, he said that becoming a partner of a “renowned international network such as Friisberg” offers numerous and compelling benefits. Since inception in 1977, the Swiss-origin firm (formed in Fribourg) has grown into a player with more than 250 professionals in 40+ major cities around the world. After first expanding across Europe, the company then made forays into North America (7 offices), Asia (2 offices) and Africa (1 office).

The tapping of Chile-based Argento Consultores in August last year marked Friisberg & Partners’ entry into Latin America, with the addition of Business Partners Consulting consolidating the firm’s footprint in the Southern part of the continent. Commenting on last summer’s joining of forces, Argento Consultores’ founder Gabriela Castro Sepúlveda said, “In addition to extended geographic reach for our international clients we can now offer enhanced leadership consultancy services, wider experience and deeper knowledge of more markets to our local clients too.”

Peter Strandberg, chairman of Friisberg, said that with the bolt-on of Business Partners Consulting, the partnership now can offer “extended capabilities into the vibrant economies of Brazil and Chile.” In Brazil, after a period of strained economic performance, private sector businesses are betting on improved fortunes on the back of a newly formed government (led by South America’s own Trump – Bolsinaro) that according to many has what it takes to push for deep reform. A recent survey by Deloitte among over 800 senior business leaders in the country found that economic sentiment is now on the rise, with several other economic indicators showing positive signs. Meanwhile, São Paulo and Rio de Janiero remain South America’s top financial centres, alongside Mexico City, offering the country significant potential to capitalise on its leading position in the region’s financial services industry.

Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, and globally, the country holds eighth spot, according to benchmark data from the World Bank. On the back of the country’s growing population and rising middle class, Brazil is projected become one of the five largest in the world in the decades to come. 

While Chile is struggling with a relatively high debt burden, as uncovered in a recent McKinsey & Company study, the country is regarded as Latin America’s best country for doing business according to an in-depth analysis of economic, social and innovation factors. “Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade and a reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy, providing the country with the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America,” the researchers concluded.