SPOTLIGHT SERIES:
Martin Lewit
Senior Vice President, Nisum International
CACC: What is your connection to Chile?
Martin Lewit (ML): I am originally from Argentina, but I’ve lived in Chile for 10 years in total, most recently the last 7+ years leading Nisum companies. In 2013, I returned to Chile after 7+ years of living in Boston, where I completed my MBA at Babson College and worked at Fidelity Investments.
Furthermore, I’m emotionally connected to Chile because my parents, my sister and her family also live in Santiago and most importantly both my kids, Oliver and Sofia, were born in Chile. I’ve truly enjoyed my last 8 years living in Santiago alongside so many Chilean and foreign friends.
CACC: What experiences led you to become SVP at Nisum International?
ML: It has been an interesting journey, with a few twists and plenty of international moves. I’m passionate about tech companies and entrepreneurial at heart, which has been key when taking on new challenges. There are three areas that have led the way to me getting here.
First is education. I developed an entrepreneurial mindset early on in my college education. I graduated with a dual degree in Business and Accounting in Buenos Aires, Argentina and decided a few years later to pursue an MBA from Babson College, a leader in entrepreneurial teaching. All throughout I focused on what drives companies, and especially their people, to grow and innovate.
Then, there is my professional journey. While I’ve worked quite a bit in Tech and Finance, I have had opportunities to live and work in many countries, learn about several industries, participate in various functional areas and assume managerial responsibility as I grew in my career. The journey helped me become a generalist and lead teams in regions as far apart as Chile and India, Pakistan and US.
Finally, I think a key aspect has been finding a balanced skillset, allowing me to take on complex business challenges with innovative solutions, developing and empowering those who I work with and generating connections to create new and exciting opportunities.
CACC: How did you become involved with Chile: a Digital Country (Ch1l3)?
ML: Ch1l3 is an incredible Private-Public partnership that supports the expansion of Chile’s Digital Services industry to new markets. It fosters collaboration between members and enhances our capability to develop new and innovative solutions. I’m passionate about the project and have worked on it since its design and inception.
Actually, I collaborated with the original project, the first technology sector brand launch in Chile back in 2008, then called ChileIT, and worked with the team for a few years while living in the US. This initiative helped us develop a presence in the US market and was an incredible experience for me, although it eventually was discontinued.
In 2013 when I came back to Chile, I worked alongside Chiletec and ProChile to relaunch the program, which eventually became Ch1l3.
CACC: How do you see the Ch1l3 brand evolving in the future?
ML: We are facing a new and very uncertain environment that is also quickly changing. One thing we’ve seen is the faster adoption of digital technologies. Also, the new remote and distributed workforce across many industries has disrupted the way we work and opened new opportunities to seamlessly incorporate global talent into our digital challenges. Our brand becomes even more relevant today and I believe can add new value to many companies as they navigate through these complex and changing times.
CACC: What do you think sets Philly apart from other cities in the U.S.?
ML: Interestingly when I started working with Ch1l3’s plan for the US, I knew we wanted to have Philly be one of the key launch pads for the Brand. There is a clear and close relationship between Chile and Philadelphia that goes back many years based on strong commercial and cultural ties. The presence of the CACC has been key because it is a terrific partner in growing and developing relationships.
I feel Santiago, Chile’s capital city, and Philadelphia are similar in many aspects, including their resilience, their people’s love for their city, and proving that they are secret gems close to a bigger metropolis. Philly has a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem and is a city with the ability to reinvent itself while continuously growing and expanding.
Also, I feel a personal bond with the city because when we started our expansion to the US over eight years ago, our first customer was from Philly.
CACC: What is something you want the CACC Network to know about Chile?
ML: That Chile is an incredible and committed partner, and it is a country that from a business standpoint is very aligned with the US. I actually have heard from many of our business partners that Santiago many times feels like another US city.
We had some issues last year, as many countries have around the globe, including unrest and protest. However, as Chile prepares to reinvent itself for the future, I’m confident we will overcome these issues and will become a better society and a stronger community. My message would be to continue being confident in Chile, one of the best countries to do business in the world.
CACC: What makes the CACC a special and valuable organization to you?
ML: The CACC is a committed and trustworthy partner, which is incredibly valuable. Beyond it’s network and professionalism, the commitment and openness from the overall CACC team has helped us think about how to best engage with the broader Philly community.
Muchas gracias to Martin for sharing his story with us!