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About
Ludmilla Figueiredo
"Whether you are a lion or gazelle, you better start running." HHMBRM
I am a cross-border market operator who acts as a boutique sniper by opening doors, accelerating pipelines and executing market expansion with precision across GCC, Brazil and Belgium.
Get to learn my 20-year journey directing companies and connecting market opportunities with precision: fast execution, deep cultural fluency, clean reputation trusted by serious stakeholders, and high-touch delivery with curated access.
Trajectory
EARLY DAYS: CROSS-BORDER OPERATOR
For 15+ years I’ve built my career in Dubai from the ground up — firstly, as a young Brazilian woman with a huge responsibility of designing the direction that an international organization would take in the long-term of its operations in the UAE. Since then, I enabled the growth of multiple companies in Dubai to expand internationally, to the USA, to the UK, to Malaysia, and many other countries, in different sectors.
At different capacities, I was a cross-functional operator, running strategic engines tied directly to growth, market expansion, and capital narrative. due to the intensity of the market and the opportunities, I soon became a cross-border connector and business strategist for companies, government authorities and funds. I advised SMEs on their board meetings and fundraising, securing 45% of their targets in one meeting.
PRIVATE SECTORS AND PUBLIC ROLES
After working in FMCG, Oil and Gas, Telco, Media (Multichannel Network), SaaS, Fintech and Investments, I joined the Federal Government of Brazil as Senior Investment Officer, attracting Foreign Direct Investments from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey to Brazil. As a result, we were able to secure USD 10 billion from Saudi Arabia to Brazil, during the presidential visit in 2019.
FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS
At that time, we had no intelligence about investments between Brazil and the Arab World, and one of the deliverables of my department was to build this intelligence from scratch by actively engaging with Sovereign Wealth Funds, Family Offices and Venture Capital firms in the region. We not only issued the first bilateral report, we also advised the Ministry of Technology, Innovation, Research and Communications of Brazil on attracting technology investments from the Arab World.
HIGH-LEVEL ACCESS & INTERNATIONALIZATION
I also advised and supported the expansion of Brazilian companies into the region, from Tropicool, an açai brand which Neymar it the ambassador, and OBoticario, the largest franchisor in Brazil, with over 4,500 stores. I also channeled the initial Brazilian companies in technology to the GCC: from King Abdulaziz University for Science and Technology (KAUST), in Saudi Arabia to an entire ecosystem build from scratch in Dubai: establish the Brazilian presence in Technology and growing 10x in five years.
INTERNATIONAL MARKET EXPANSION OPERATOR
Eventually, since 2022, I led more cross-border opportunities at the forefront of Global Markets Capital Partners, a strategic boutique firm for global expansion and international relationship building. We have been fortunate to work with leading companies and partners in each market. We organized an internationalization mission for XP Private, the leading Private Bank in Brazil, We incorporated growth companies in Dubai, such as ZigPay, one of the largest fintechs in Brazil, as well as developed strategic executive agenda for Niu Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based firm focused in cross-border investments.
GOVERNMENT ACCESS: BRAZIL-EUROPE
Another great achievement of our work has been developing opportunities in Europe. It's been 3 years that we have the mandate from the Government of Belgium to attract FDI to the region of Wallonia. The Trade and Investment agency AWEX, has trusted our services to organize several conferences, roundtables and roadshows to promote the region in Brazil and to identify curated potential companies to expand in different sectors, primarily Pharma, Biotechnology, Media, Logistics Industrial and Manufacturing.
Our conversion rate throughout the years have been exceptional: whilst similar companies to ours convert 10% if successful, our conversion is 77% in different stages of the process. In 24 months, we managed to secure 05 companies to invest in Wallonia.
CORE ACTIVITIES & VALUES
If you noticed so far, my work sits at the intersection of strategy, relationships, and outreach promotion for market expansion and access to leading companies. I support organizations enter new markets the right way: with a solid go-to-market plan, strategic positioning and brand activation, access to high-level connections that lead to different market entry structures such as M&A opportunities, Joint Ventures, Strategic Alliances and Company Incorporation. All high-stake decisions are accomplished with the highest ethical standards, clarity and confidence.
This trust in our work comes from our impartiality and independence in teh market, agenda-free, and deeply connected with the cultures that we navigate. Unlocking capital, partners, customers, and growth requires more than just knowledge and conections: it is about resonating to the culture and not messing up in every step of the way.
Highlights
Ludmilla Figueiredo led the largest Brazil-UAE Bilateral Investment Conference during Expo2020, one of the most transformative moments in the history of both country-level relations, built around the three pillars of achieving FDI opportunities: Trade, International Expansion, and Foreign Direct Investments.
She accomplished several award-winning outreach activites for the public and private sectors: 05 international awards from Kauffman Foundation (3x), Hult and ANATEC. These were the consequence of her public speaking & stakeholder engagement skills in action, leading companies and brands to a practical path to growth and success.
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