Mexico City, Mexico
In commercial leadership, pricing pressure and shifting global dynamics can quietly erode years of hard-earned market position. Most organizations react. The disciplined ones build platforms that hold their ground — and grow. That distinction has defined my work for the past 30 years in the paper and packaging industry. I've had the privilege of leading commercial strategy across Latin America, Europe, and beyond — working inside Mexican, Finnish, Swedish, American, and Chinese organizations, both in manufacturing and international trading. Each environment taught me something different about how value is created, defended, and scaled across cultures. For one year, I led the European market reporting directly to Nine Dragons headquarters in China, while continuing to oversee Latin America for ND Paper in the United States. Aligning priorities across Asia, Europe, and the Americas — three continents, three time zones, three business cultures — sharpened my conviction that execution discipline and cross-regional collaboration are what turn strategy into results. After a successful transition to a dedicated European team, I resumed full focus on Latin America, where I lead growth today. My approach is built on a few principles I've seen work through every market cycle: → Pricing integrity is non-negotiable → Route-to-market design beats short-term tactics → High-performance commercial teams are built deliberately, not assembled → Long-term relationships outlast every cycle I hold an MBA from EGADE Business School and a General Management Certificate from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. Always open to exchanging perspectives with peers, partners, and leaders who share a passion for our industry and for building things that last.
Leading commercial strategy across Latin America for ND Paper — a wholly owned subsidiary of Nine Dragons Paper Holdings Limited, the world's largest paper manufacturing group by production capacity, with annual design capacity of over 25 million tonnes, more than 20,000 employees, and operations across China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the United States. The role spans the full ND Paper product portfolio — Printing & Writing, Containerboard, and Kraft grades — serving both direct customers and international trading partners. Key contributions: → Driving significant sales growth of ND Paper's U.S.-produced portfolio across the region — opening new accounts, developing new markets, and strengthening relationships with strategic commercial partners, with consistent focus on pricing discipline and sustainable growth. → Concurrently held responsibility for the European market for the Folding Boxboard and Printing & Writing portfolios of Nine Dragons China HQ from March 2024 to March 2025 — working directly with corporate headquarters in China for these product lines while continuing to lead Latin America for ND Paper, contributing to the growth of the European business before its transition to a dedicated team. → Relaunched the Brazilian market for Nine Dragons HQ — establishing new commercial channels and customer relationships to rebuild the company's presence in one of the region's most important paper markets, before leading a structured transition to a dedicated regional leader without loss of momentum.
Led commercial strategy across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, directing a team of four sales managers serving consumer goods companies and packaging suppliers throughout the region — through the COVID-19 disruption, global supply chain volatility, and the post-pandemic recovery cycle. Key contributions: → Expanded regional scope by integrating containerboard sales from the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico into a unified Latin America commercial platform — strengthening cross-border coordination and unlocking new revenue streams across multiple product lines. → Won back and re-engaged strategic accounts through deep industry insight and disciplined commercial analysis — restoring volume and reinforcing long-term customer relationships across the region. → Elevated team performance by designing and delivering individualized training and coaching programs — increasing sales effectiveness and accelerating the development of next-generation commercial talent. → Played a key role in the Grupo Gondi / WestRock integration as a member of the post-merger taskforce — helping align commercial structures, processes, and culture across legacy organizations during one of the most significant M&A events in the regional packaging industry. → Contributed to diversity and inclusion leadership as a member of OLA (Organization for Latinx/Hispanic Advancement) — supporting talent development and representation across the organization.
Led commercial strategy across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, directing a team of four sales managers serving consumer goods companies and packaging suppliers throughout the region — through the COVID-19 disruption, global supply chain volatility, and the post-pandemic recovery cycle. Key contributions: → Expanded regional scope by integrating containerboard sales from the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico into a unified Latin America commercial platform — strengthening cross-border coordination and unlocking new revenue streams across multiple product lines. → Recovered strategic accounts previously lost to competitors by combining deep industry insight with disciplined commercial analysis — restoring volume and reinforcing long-term customer relationships. → Elevated team performance by designing and delivering individualized training and coaching programs — increasing sales effectiveness and accelerating the development of next-generation commercial talent. → Played a key role in the Grupo Gondi / WestRock integration as a member of the post-merger taskforce — helping align commercial structures, processes, and culture across legacy organizations during one of the most significant M&A events in the regional packaging industry. → Contributed to diversity and inclusion leadership as a member of OLA (Organization for Latinx/Hispanic Advancement) — supporting talent development and representation across the organization.
Led containerboard and paperboard sales across Latin America — building and executing customer-centric commercial strategies during a period of significant industry consolidation, pricing volatility, and shifting global supply dynamics. Key contributions: → Recognized as a consistent top performer, earning the WestRock Winning Together Award in both 2016 and 2017, presented directly by the WestRock CEO — an honor reserved for individuals delivering exceptional commercial impact across the global organization. → Designed and executed customer-centric sales strategies that strengthened market position and deepened relationships with strategic accounts across the region — translating long-term commercial discipline into sustained revenue growth. → Played a key role in the Grupo Gondi joint venture commercial activities, contributing to the development of the partnership that ultimately led to WestRock's full acquisition of Grupo Gondi. → Represented the company on the international stage as a featured speaker at the Fastmarkets-RISI Latin America Conference in São Paulo, Brazil (August 2018) — sharing industry perspectives with senior leaders from across the global paper and packaging community. → Developed and mentored commercial talent across multiple countries — fostering a high-performance culture aligned with the company's growth objectives and capable of operating in fast-paced, evolving market conditions.
Led the commercial organization for Mexico and provided strategic support across the broader Latin America region — driving sustained sales growth, building the commercial team from the ground up, and strengthening CellMark Paper's market leadership during a period of intense competitive activity in the regional paper trade. Key contributions: → Built the Mexico commercial organization from the ground up — recruiting and developing a team of four sales professionals and expanding the company's physical footprint by opening new offices in Monterrey and Guadalajara. This transformed CellMark from a centrally operated business into a regionally embedded one, with direct presence in Mexico's three most important commercial hubs. → Led the commercial strategy and execution for Mexico while providing strategic support to align and reinforce sales initiatives across the broader Latin America region — ensuring consistency between local execution and the company's regional growth objectives. → Strengthened CellMark Paper's leadership position through disciplined account management, customer-centric service standards, and a relentless focus on sustained sales growth — protecting market share in a highly competitive international trading environment. → Combined commercial leadership with cross-functional discipline — navigating administration, negotiation, and stakeholder management across distributors, suppliers, and end-customers to deliver results across multiple planning horizons.
Led commercial development for Mexico and Latin America at one of the world's largest forest products companies — translating Stora Enso's global corporate strategy into regional execution and strengthening the company's commercial platform across diverse end markets. Key contributions: → Led the relocation of Latin America's commercial operations from Miami to Mexico City — managing a smooth account-by-account transition that preserved customer relationships, reduced operational costs, and improved regional efficiency by placing the team closer to its largest market. → Restructured and optimized the regional commercial headcount — aligning team size and capabilities with the actual demands of the Latin America market and ensuring the right balance between coverage, expertise, and cost discipline. → Developed and executed regional sales strategies in alignment with Stora Enso's global corporate plan — coordinating with multiple divisions to maximize cross-portfolio opportunities across the company's broad product range. → Established structured market intelligence and CRM practices — building analytical foundations through systematic review of import, export, and consumption data, and integrating regional reporting with the global corporate sales network. → Strengthened customer relationships across key accounts — combining technical product knowledge, reliable execution, and consistent service standards to protect and expand Stora Enso's market position in the region.
Led commercial strategy and execution for a major paper and packaging operation — directing local and export sales for the CRB mill, providing commercial support to the Productora Nacional de Papel (Pronal) mill, and integrating multiple commercial functions under a unified leadership structure. Appointed as the youngest Director in the company's history. Key contributions: → Delivered a record-breaking commercial year in 2004, growing sales by 16% versus the prior year and exceeding budget by 10% — setting a new all-time sales record for the company through disciplined account management, targeted business development, and proactive market expansion. → Restructured the commercial organization by integrating Technical Commercial Management across the Northern, Central, and Western zones — along with Exportation and Logistics Management — under a single Commercial Direction, creating end-to-end accountability and operational coherence across the entire commercial value chain. → Won major new strategic accounts across the Mexican packaging market — diversifying the customer base, reducing concentration risk, and opening new revenue streams for the company. → Defined and executed marketing and sales strategies for both domestic and export markets — identifying new business opportunities, exploring product line extensions, and converting market intelligence into sustained commercial growth. → Contributed to cross-functional company leadership as a member of the Strategic Planning Team and the ISO 9000 Guide Committee — participating in organization-wide decisions on growth strategy, quality systems, and operational excellence.
Led commercial operations for one of the company's most strategic territories — managing top-tier corporate accounts, building new distribution infrastructure from the ground up, and progressively expanding responsibilities that ultimately positioned me for promotion to Commercial Director. Key contributions: → Owned a major share of the company's total sales through direct management of three of its largest strategic accounts — including major multinational consumer goods and packaging companies — combining technical expertise, disciplined negotiation, and long-term relationship management to protect and grow the company's most important customer relationships. → Built a new distribution center in León, Guanajuato from the ground up — recruiting and training the local team, establishing warehouse operations, and ramping the facility to a significant annual sales volume that transformed Central-Western Mexico into a strategically covered market for the company. → Executed the successful divestiture of the León distribution center to a new service-partner distributor — completing the strategic transition once the operation had reached commercial maturity, while preserving customer continuity and service standards. → Drove new business development across the territory — identifying potential clients, exploring new product applications, monitoring market trends, and coordinating the company's participation in industry exhibitions to expand commercial presence. → Owned the full commercial cycle — from negotiations and sales administration to debt collection, technical service, and integral client attention — building deep operational expertise that informed every subsequent leadership role.
Managed export sales for the United States, Central America, and South America — initiating commercial relationships across multiple markets and developing the international perspective that would define the rest of my career in the paper and packaging industry. Key contributions: → Built and managed the company's export customer base across the United States, Central America, and South America — identifying opportunities, opening new accounts, and ensuring reliable service delivery across diverse markets and regulatory environments. → Developed foundational expertise in international commercial operations — navigating cross-border logistics, export documentation, multi-currency negotiations, and the cultural nuances of selling across multiple Latin American and U.S. markets. → Demonstrated early commercial impact, leading to a rapid promotion to Commercial Manager for the Central-Western Zone within the same year — taking on expanded responsibility for one of the company's most strategic domestic territories.