Paving the Way for Future Generations

Each year, from September 15 to October 15, the United States celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” We decided to ask Alvaro Cuba, manufacturing veteran and co-host of the Manufacturing Meet Up podcast, about his career journey from Peru to the U.S. and how he’s helped shape the future for other Hispanic Americans.

Alvaro Cuba’s love of engineering started at an early age. From cars to clocks, he wanted to understand how everything worked. He also wanted to improve everything – always looking for a more efficient way to complete a task. “Even the small things,” he says with a laugh. “I looked for a better, faster way to make my bed.” When he was old enough to head off to university, he didn’t hesitate to enroll at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in Lima.

Moving to Lima was an important step for Alvaro. Growing up in Arequipa, a city nestled in the Andes, he appreciated the beauty of its family, culture, architecture, and food. But he also had an adventurous spirit and a desire to see what life was like outside his traditional community. 

“When I was a teenager, I spent a year in the U.S. as an international student,” Alvaro says. “I lived in Oregon, and it was a life-changing experience. When I came home, I realized how much I valued experiencing new people, places, and things.” 

Alvaro knew that studying and living in Lima would provide the platform he needed to pursue global career opportunities after graduation.

Growth Mindset

After earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Alvaro landed his first job with the global agribusiness company Bunge. Responsible for the energy and water supply for a huge manufacturing plant, he quickly realized how much he hadn’t learned in school. He went back to his alma mater and took the dean to task (you can hear him talk about that here.)

But lesson learned: after talking to the dean, Alvaro realized he was taught to think, solve problems, and find opportunities. He excelled in his role, eventually managing a staff of 16 people and delivering power services (steam, hydrogen, compressed air, and soft and de-mineralized water) to nine production plants. Bunge recognized his efforts and encouraged him to tackle a new challenge, as operations director of Nettalco, their largest textiles business in Peru, after training him in Brazil.

During this time, Alvaro learned how to manufacture cotton into yarn and yarn into fabric, as well as dyeing, cutting, knitting, and producing the final product. He also learned more about the people side of business, managing a much larger staff. But when Bunge began selling off units that weren’t directly related to their core business, Alvaro knew the time had come for him to move on and build his career somewhere else.

Pivot to Logistics, Procurement…and More

Alvaro’s next adventure took him out of manufacturing and into the world of commercial business. “Engineering encompasses everything from the supplier all the way to the shelf,” he says. “I was willing and open to try new things, so I began working for Carsa Group. They had several companies on the wholesaler and retailer sides. I got involved in procurement, supply chain, warehousing, transportation, customer service… and then I went to the ‘dark side’, working in sales and marketing,” he says with a laugh. Eventually, Alvaro became General Manager of one of the companies.

His work with Carsa in the automobile, electronic appliances, and apartment stores businesses exposed him to other countries and cultures. “It was the first time I started to be in contact with the wider world–with suppliers and operators from North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition to their presence in Peru, Carsa also had operations in Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia.”

Dot Com Detour

Alvaro was happy in his role, but the world was changing. It was becoming increasingly high-tech, and those innovations captured his interest.

“I told my wife, ‘The Internet is the future, and I want to be a pioneer’”, says Alvaro. So with his family’s blessing, he quit his job and went all in on the World Wide Web. Creating B2B, B2C, and hiring portals was exciting, and the company he worked for began making successful inroads in Peru. “But the dot come bubble popped here, just like it did everywhere else,” Alvaro remembers. It was time to blaze another new trail.

“Krafting” a New Path

Alvaro’s next adventure came with Kraft Foods. With his deep supply chain experience, they approached him to create and manage a new function. After just a year, he was asked if he’d relocate to Costa Rica and manage the supply chain for their Caribbean and Central American business. He and his family jumped at the chance.

“We spent three fantastic years in Costa Rica,” Alvaro recalls. And while it wasn’t always easy, the family focused on all the positives that came with their move.

“There are two kinds of thinking: a set mindset and a growth mindset. And to be successful at pioneering or shaping the future, a growth mindset is essential. You need to be willing to bring new ideas into the mixture, and think in new ways to solve problems,” he shares.

That growth mindset led to amazing opportunities for Alvaro. As he took on increasingly challenging roles, he moved again – to Brazil, Peru, Miami, New Jersey, Chicago, and Canada. Highlights of this time include:

• Leading a multifunctional team in northeast Brazil, reinventing how to conduct business there
• Merging Cadbury and Kraft’s supply chains in Canada…and then splitting them when Kraft decoupled from Mondelēz
• Joining Mondelēz and leading the Integrated Supply Chain team for Latin America from Miami while implementing TPM across the region
• Retiring from Mondelēz as SVP, Integrated Supply Chain for North America while based in New Jersey

In all, Alvaro moved seven times in 17 years. He served as a GM and an Operations – Supply Chain leader at country, regional, and worldwide levels. At every turn, diverse cultures, roles, and industries always enriched Alvaro’s perspective, providing him with a wealth of experiences and opportunities to learn and grow.

“More importantly, I have made friends for life all around the world,” Alvaro says.

Retired…Sort Of

Today, Alvaro and his wife Teresa live in Miami, while his children live in Canada and Finland. Although some people like to take it easy during retirement, the same cannot be said for Alvaro. In addition to co-hosting the Manufacturing Meet Up podcast and traveling six months out of the year, he sits on several boards and provides strategic business consulting. He is also an active volunteer with non-profits focused on social-environmental causes worldwide. His curiosity and openness to new experiences have led to new hobbies: Alvaro is learning to golf and surf.

He also has a passion for mentoring. 

“When I was working, I led Latin Councils in different opportunities, and I still mentor several people today,” Alvaro says. “Diversity is so important to business because the diversity of experiences and perspectives helps everyone look together at solving problems in a different way and come up with better options. For example, running a plant in Brazil is different than running a plant in the U.S. If a technician or manager from a Brazilian plant comes to the U.S. to work, that person will need to adapt. But that person will also bring new ideas of how to operate the U.S. plant. And vice versa: if they go back to Brazil, they will bring different ideas and approaches back to their original plant…everyone wins”

While the diversity of ideas is important, Alvaro’s mentorship of Hispanic manufacturing professionals goes deeper. 

“Sometimes, companies recruit talent but don’t provide the right coaching or guidance. I have seen cases where after just one month, people return to their home country because the culture shock was too much. An office in the U.S. is completely different than an office in Beijing or France or Peru. If you don’t help people read the culture and understand the nuances, they will struggle to be successful. So helping people through that will have a ripple effect, and give them the confidence to bring their diverse experiences, perspectives, and knowledge to the table to improve the business.”

Final Thoughts: Be Open, Be Curious, and Go for Growth

“Imagine if at any point in my career I had said ‘no, I’m not open to the next opportunity.’” Alvaro muses. “It would have been fine, but it would have also meant missing all the experiences that have been so enriching. Life brings us so many possibilities. By keeping an open mind and saying yes to the opportunities offered to me, I am always learning and growing.

I also believe curiosity is important. I am always looking at things, thinking about how they work, and how they can be made easier, faster, and/or better. Being curious and sharing that curiosity with others opens the door to collaboration, brainstorming, and growth.

I hope my career has paved the way for other Hispanics in the U.S. – and I am excited through mentorship to shape the future together.”