Episode 401: Protecting Cross-Border Deals from the Inside Out with Stephanie Pimentel

About this episode

Stephanie Pimentel discusses the challenges and strategies for U.S. companies engaging in cross-border deals in Latin America.

From the Bronx to 17 years of boots-on-the-ground relationships across Latin America, Stephanie Pimentel shares the workforce governance, cultural alignment, and regulatory pitfalls that quietly cost U.S. companies millions in cross-border deals, and the proprietary audit system she built to catch them before capital is deployed. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Stephanie Pimentel, founder and CEO of Lumena Global Advisory, a boutique firm specializing in Latin American market entry, cross-border workforce strategy, and expansion risk management. With an executive background in multinational operations and human capital leadership, she has advised U.S. companies, private equity groups, and growth-stage founders on structuring compliant, scalable operations across Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, and beyond. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why treating Latin America as a single market is one of the most expensive assumptions a company can make. How workforce governance and cultural misalignment destroy deal value after close. Why standard due diligence falls short for cross-border transactions. How a single misclassified hire in Brazil can trigger a $250,000…

People in this episode

Host: Corey Kupfer

Guest: Stephanie Pimentel

Topics covered

• cross-border deals
• workforce governance
• cultural alignment
• regulatory pitfalls
• Latin American market entry
• expansion risk management

Keywords

• cross-border transactions
• due diligence
• workforce strategy
• cultural misalignment
• government charges
• employer of record
• leadership readiness

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lumena Global Advisory

Places: Latin America, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Bronx

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