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Yankee expat in Chile with a thing for small business and empanadas.

Outsourcing and Sourcing News

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Touchdown in Chile and getting to know Ki Teknology


In Spring, 2008, I completed the two-year full time MBA program at Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business in Wellesley, MA and accepted a consulting position in Santiago, Chile working with the Economic Development Agency and Ki Teknology, a newly formed entity resulting from the merger of two established Chilean firms: Kepler Tech, specializing in software development and maintenance, and Intermedia, specializing in web development, design, and digital marketing.

The nature of the job allows me to wear a variety of professional hats, and my contract is mainly divided between strategy, finance and operational related responsibilities. The main theme of my job is to help a growing firm in a growing Chilean economy compete with established international development players throughout India, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

 Understandably, I was initially somewhat intimidated by the prospect of moving 5,000 miles to a country where I had no established contacts, and a Spanish competency level that at the time could best be described as “Gringo,” but the people at Ki Teknology welcomed me with open arms and helped me to quickly settle into my new life in Chile.

From the beginning, I was amazed at the hospitality of Chilean culture. Whether it’s the CFO inviting me out for some skiing or surfing (both doable in the same day here), the CEO opening his family’s home to me in Buenos Aires, or management and staff sharing their lives with me on a daily basis the transition from life in the United States to life in Chile has been amazingly easy.

Working with the staff at Ki Teknology has been impressive. The standard working day in Chile is 9am to 8pm, and the company is laser focused on mitigating any cultural differences that could potentially disrupt professional relationships with international clients. Key staff is forced to endure regular English lessons with Hill, the resident professor who will have absolutely no problem dragging you out of a cafĂ© if you’re late for a class or if he suspects you may have had some outside help on last night’s homework assignment.

All in all the experience thus far has been fast, productive and amazing to witness firsthand. Despite the global economic downturn Chile policy makers have managed public finances efficiently and the country now finds itself sitting on a cushion of reserves which puts it in great position to weather the storm through the foreseeable future. Every morning I walk four blocks to work and I pass six cranes, continuing the building that has completely transformed Santiago in recent years. In the four months that I have been working with Ki Teknology I have seen the company’s office space double as work with international clients continues to keep pace, and I’m excited about the long-term prospects of the company and the country.

 

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