Meet Alvaro Corletto Costa

Alvaro Corletto Costa is a citizen of the world. After living in Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Boston, São Paulo, New York, and London, Alvaro is eager to share his expertise in embracing new cultures with others who are seeking a global career path like his. “The most important thing is to be flexible,” Alvaro said. “There is always more than one way of doing something and, as you move across geographies, you will learn that there is not always a ‘right’ approach to solving a problem. You must be open to different perspectives and always seek to learn from others.”

Alvaro also recommended that individuals who are interested in building a cross-continental professional journey master the art of listening. “Obviously listening is a necessary skill for overcoming language barriers but truly active listening is also essential to overcoming cultural differences. You need to pay attention to what people say and how they say it. Slowing yourself down to really observe what is happening in a new environment will eventually help you adapt to different circumstances more quickly and, ultimately, enable you to make a deeper impact on the project you are working on.”

Alvaro’s connection to AlixPartners has also been a global one. He recently became an AlixAlumnus after a nearly five-year tenure across three of the firm’s offices. He began as a member of the Turnaround and Restructuring community in New York before transitioning to the Paris office, eventually landing in the London office. “It was interesting to see how the regional cultures merged with the AlixPartners organizational culture in each office,” Alvaro commented. “For example, in London my team would often end our week catching up at a pub near the office, while in Paris, where food is everything, the whole team would use Friday lunches as an opportunity to step back from work and catch up with each other. In the US, where my team was sometimes from different parts of the country, we would always squeeze in a bit of social time at the airport to reconnect before or after our time at a client site.”

Alvaro reflected on his time here and especially the lessons that he would like to bring with him as he moves on. “At AlixPartners, I saw that my work had consequences. We were not just providing ideas to our clients, we were helping them to implement the solutions that we, in partnership with the clients, developed.” Alvaro shared. “It was so important to listen and to use the things you heard to find compromises that are acceptable to all stakeholders.”

Alvaro transitioned from AlixPartners into a new role as a Vice President at a London-based real estate investment firm, The SCP Group, and he is already eager to stay connected to his former AlixPartners colleagues and his network of AlixAlumni. “There is a really deep bench of professionals at AlixPartners.” Alvaro said. He anticipates his AlixPartners community will serve as business partners, subject matter experts, and personal friends as he moves forward on his journey.