Meet the Kalibrate team: Adam Quevedo, Key Account Manager for Latin America

"During the interview process, I learned that my future colleagues had decades of company and industry experience. I found it fascinating that many employees at the company were previously Kalibrate clients ― and that speaks volumes. We are experts in how to best advise and serve our clients because we were and are users."

June 10, 2021|5 minutes

At Kalibrate, we believe our success is driven as much by our people as our technology. So, as part of our meet the team series, we’re showcasing some of the talent and expertise within the Kalibrate family. This instalment features Adam Quevedo, a recent edition to the Kalibrate team.

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What’s your role at Kalibrate?

I’m the Key Account Manager for Latin America. I’m responsible for ensuring Kalibrate clients are able to meet their strategic and technical goals through Kalibrate’s Decision Suite in countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Chile. I’m a recent edition to the Kalibrate team ― joining the company in April 2021.

What does a typical day look like?

I start my days by reviewing international business news. It’s essential to understand the latest changes in Latin American markets, regions, and companies to make sure I’m staying up-to-date with regulatory changes, economic changes, and major announcements that will affect the competitive landscape ― and therefore my clients’ business needs.

I also spend a lot of time on the phone with my customers. These calls are extremely important to understand their strategy, challenges, any planned changes to their company, and specific problems they’re trying to solve. Asking the right questions leads to exploring the right solutions in a more efficient way.

Taking time upfront to listen to customers and thoroughly understand their goals enables me ― and the wider Kalibrate team ― to add value through thoughtful insight and improvement recommendations that help them reach their performance metrics. Some of these goals post–pandemic include gaining margin by:

Evaluating rule-based pricing vs price optimization as markets mature
Avoiding a “race to the bottom” with fuel pricing which creates volatility in the market
Utilizing game-changing data on competitor pricing, and the speed of these price changes to the pump, as competition becomes more fierce

What do you love about your role?

I’m passionate about helping clients make the most of the data available to them when making strategic decisions. Staying ahead is a balancing act of moving back and forth between macro and micro-local data, which allows customers to act and react appropriately in their market. Kalibrate’s solutions allow me to gain both a balcony and front row seat to my clients’ needs. This enables me to advise them on scalable decisions at a granular level.

One of the benefits of working with a range of clients from all over Latin America, is that I gain an insight into different practices, and how strategy is implemented in various environments. What are the latest technologies and trends? How is each market unique in the way it operates? I’m always listening to my clients, colleagues, and partners to learn as much as I can, so I’m always in the best position to advise customers.

Why did you choose to join Kalibrate?

Being at the forefront of technology is a passion of mine ― I’ve previously worked at both Apple and IBM. I’ve always had an eagerness to learn, to see issues from all different angles. I was drawn to Kalibrate because of their obvious passion for innovating in fuel, EV, retail, and convenience. Kalibrate is always listening to their global clients to continuously improve products and services.

During the interview process, I learned that my future colleagues had decades of company and industry experience. I found it fascinating that many employees at the company were previously Kalibrate clients ― and that speaks volumes. We are experts in how to best advise and serve our clients because we were and are users.

What do you think are the greatest challenges and opportunities in the Latin American fuel retail sector?

Companies in the region need to be preparing themselves in two key areas:

Firstly, understanding regulatory changes across Latin America will be essential over the coming months. Some countries, such as Ecuador and Uruguay, are exploring deregulation, while Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia are increasing regulation ― fixing fuel prices and taxes. Elections in June 2021 in Mexico and Peru will drastically change the fuel landscape, so retailers operating in these markets must be ready to adapt to changing regulatory environments.

Secondly, companies must best prepare themselves to find margin as volumes start to return post–COVID-19. Clients need to be asking: “will volumes ever return to 2019 levels? What will they be in the next 12-24 months?” Now is the opportunity to rebrand, reconnect, and reposition yourself. What’s your strategy to gain better market share or brand value?

Where do you see the Latin American fuel retail sector heading?

As we begin to recover from COVID-19, there will be fierce competition in Latin America. Many companies that have the resources and were fiscally conservative pre-pandemic will see this opportunity to engage with new markets, better position their brand, and take back more market share than where they were in 2019.

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Is your market potentially deregulating, in the process of deregulating, or is newly deregulated? Download Kalibrate’s Deregulation Playbook. It’s a personalized, interactive report designed to guide fuel retailers through necessary strategic steps in the deregulation process, whether you’re a large or small player, new-to-market or incumbent.