Cesar Collier is Managing Partner and Head of Latin America at Siguler Guff & Company. Based in Sao Paolo he previously worked in a series of private equity roles, as well as in retail at Wal-mart and Carrefour Brasil.
Our conversation starts by tracing Cesar's early inspirations, the long history of army service in his family and the lessons that he learned in a setting that was at times tough, requiring team work and endurance. His foray into retail was so less strenuous - although it was an area that he thrived in and gained senior experience quite early Cesar is open about the relentlessness of retail's pace of problem solving. This volatility, need to adapt to trends and need to trouble shoot proved to be a good set of training tools for a switch into private equity and finance.
We turn then to discus the current Brazilian financial backdrop - where high interest rates (at around 15%) and a weak currency are currently factors and how this affects the appetite of the domestic investor as well as presents opportunities for external ones. Cesar is passionate about the opportunities to invest in Brazil, and describes some strategies in particular, such as legal claims, in which he draws upon his legal roots but also flexes a complexity premium and the benefits of "patient capital" to find a fertile area of return.
This podcast is full of the unexpected, from unexpected areas of opportunity in Brazil that other investors may overlook to inspirations and life events that forced either a pivot or a change of style. We are delighted to bring you this additional insight from our Latin American voices series.