MILE Alumni Profiles: Diego Ures

Tell us about Sidera Consult

Currently, I’m a partner at Sidera Consult. Sidera is a multidisciplinary consulting firm headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, focused on International Trade, government interface, and Law and Economics. Sidera has been using a unique, three-pronged approach since 2003 in order to guide clients to new markets through strategic promotion and customised solutions. The office has a unique mix of lawyers, economists, accountants, foreign affairs specialists, and international business experts with over 200 years of combined experience, which means that we´re uniquely equipped to tackle any problem that our clients face.

In my daily activities, I focus on international trade and investment projects. Through projects, Sidera and myself can assist governments, companies and industry associations with trade barrier issues in the countries where we are present (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and South Africa).

Tell us about your career path

Life is crazy and takes you to places and towards unplanned paths. Having been raised in Brazil and by a family of artists and doctors the future seemed like a simple decision between one of the two options. I would either turn out to be a doctor or a painter. I ended up moving away from the family pack and studied economics at the University of South Carolina. Having found interest in the field, my desire was to focus on issues related to international economics and diplomacy. I worked for a large multinational in the US before moving on to the largest trade association in the US, the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.

In the next phase of my life, events took me to Switzerland where I had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge of international trade law and economics surrounded by an amazing group of students and teaching professionals from all over the world. My European educational and cultural experiences were followed by in field experience in Brazil. In the last few years I have focused on providing technical support related to international trade and investment barrier at Sidera Consult.

How did the MILE help you along the way?

My daily work activities deal with the most complex trade and investment issues. Work that has been made possible in light of the years of experience based on the knowledge foundation acquired at the World Trade Institute, during the MILE 7 programme. The MILE programme was key to spark the interest and understanding of the cases and challenges faced every day at work.

Furthermore, the invaluable ties established to fellow students and Professors, and now the MILE alumni base, have proven to be essential connections to the successful exercise of my profession.

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