CISO at MDS Group

Through this article, Luna highlights the importance of cultural and regional inclusivity in driving successful digital transformation.

Digital transformation is like a global orchestra; each region plays its own instrument but must keep pace with the corporate symphony. With 21 years of experience, most of it navigating the technological backstage of multinational companies, I have learned that true digitalization is not just about codes and servers—it’s about balancing standardization with local creativity.

My journey through insurance companies, banks, auditing firms and stock exchanges in countries like the US, Panama, Spain and China revealed a fascinating challenge; how to build global systems without erasing regional identities? I spent nearly 14 years at a Spanish multinational, where I implemented systems across multiple countries, gaining an insider’s view of global digital transformation.

I recall managing a corporate core system that was a textbook example of technological rigidity. Designed for emerging markets, its complexity outweighed its functional benefits. Its stated goal was to standardize processes and centralize regional data automatically, but in practice, reports for headquarters still relied on manual efforts, consuming more resources than expected.

In the 2010s, when agility was becoming a buzzword in IT, we adopted a European methodology—adapted from an American model—that completely ignored the Latin American organizational DNA we were immersed in.

It was like trying to run European culture software on a Brazilian operating system; conflicts were inevitable. I remember a Middle Eastern implementation where we had to completely rewrite workflows to respect local nuances, something our European colleagues initially resisted. How do you sell camel insurance on a system designed by Parisians?

In Mexico, the telecommunications sector faced a landmark case when a global corporate decision at a major bank resulted in a systemic failure, exposing the fragility of standardized approaches. Around the same time, Argentina’s tech sector showed how global solutions can fail without local creativity when a cloud computing partner’s operation collapsed.

In Brazil, history repeated itself; in 2020, the subsidiary of one of the world’s largest European insurers became entirely inoperative after a system blackout caused by an IT decision made thousands of miles away. This caused panic in the country’s private healthcare ecosystem.

“Digital transformation means connecting diverse intelligences, where global systems respect local creativity and security is not just a layer but an organizational DNA.”

In this regional-versus-global context, migrating to the cloud has been our most challenging technological journey. Without planning that respects regional particularities, the result is no man’s land; neither global nor local. Many times, I have seen multimillion-dollar projects fail not due to technical limitations but cultural misunderstandings.

This complexity is even more apparent in Brazil’s digital security landscape. With over 160 million WhatsApp users—one of the highest globally—the country has become fertile ground for digital scams. Criminals craft strategies that outpace off-the-shelf solutions and global companies, unaware of WhatsApp’s significance in Brazil, fail to measure or mitigate the risk.

Take delivery scams as an example; criminals create interfaces identical to original apps, intercept orders and develop strategies so sophisticated they resemble movie plots. In Brazil’s reality, through WhatsApp, phishing techniques evolve at an exponential rate, with scammers impersonating family members and crafting emotional narratives that bypass even the most robust security systems. Nordic tools cannot prevent these attacks.

Ultimately, my experience in various multinationals taught me that true digital transformation is not an IT project; it’s a journey of understanding and adaptation. Each region has its own strategic intelligence, unique challenges and distinct problem-solving approaches.

“Digital transformation means connecting diverse intelligences, where global systems respect local creativity and security is not just a layer but an organizational DNA.”

The future belongs to those who understand that global connection does not mean eliminating differences but intelligently orchestrating diversity. Regional leadership should not be an obstacle but a catalyst for global strategies.

Our strength lies in our ability to interpret, adapt and innovate. We are not merely technology executors—we are translators of possibilities.