Colombia Calling - The English Voice in Colombia

Fréderic Tshidimba, Chief Inspiration Officer at Empleyo and long-time international business builder, discusses the accelerating global flow of talent and the need to make labor more liquid. Fred shares how Employer of Record (EOR) services can help companies access skilled workers quickly and compliantly in new markets—particularly emerging ones—without setting up local entities. He explains the value of fair employment contracts in supporting financial security and mobility for workers, while enabling employers to scale flexibly and test markets more efficiently. 

 Fréderic Tshidimba, Chief Inspiration Officer at Empleyo, explores the shift toward liquid labor markets and the opportunities created by Employer of Record platforms. With firsthand experience growing teams in emerging economies, Fred highlights how EORs empower employers to onboard talent globally—fast and fairly—without the friction of traditional structures. He explains how this model helps companies experiment with new markets and meet rising employee expectations for mobility, flexibility, and reliable contracts that unlock critical benefits like credit and insurance. 

 Fréderic Tshidimba, Chief Inspiration Officer at Empleyo and serial entrepreneur, unpacks the rising demand for labor flexibility and the crucial role Employer of Record services play in unlocking global talent. Fred shares how EOR solutions bridge legal, operational, and trust gaps—supporting fair employment and scalable workforce strategies. He emphasizes the human impact in emerging markets, helping skilled workers access formal employment and enabling companies to grow across borders with agility and empathy-centered practices. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

[00:23] Fred studies business engineering with a focus on marketing and consumer psychology   

[01:40] He joins Coca-Cola in a digital marketing traineeship despite no prior digital experience   

[02:25] He learns three key lessons: think big, prioritize execution, and focus on consumer insights   

[03:32] After five years, he transitions to Nestlé, where he gains a bottom-line and product portfolio focus   

[04:50] He declines a post-crisis transfer to Italy and instead follows his wife to the Philippines   

[06:20] In Manila, he discovers the country’s strength in digital and outsourcing industries   

[07:16] He adapts to agency work in a younger, fast-paced, and endorsement-driven Southeast Asian market.   

[08:50] A friend’s suggestion leads to co-founding a BPO business that bridges digital expertise and outsourcing.   

[09:45] He scales the business supporting global e-commerce and software clients from the Philippines   

[10:56] They grow by emphasizing customer centricity over price or product differentiation   

[12:00] The company rides two waves: the e-commerce boom and early globalization of talent   

[12:58] Fred returns to Europe, exits the business via buyout, and launches Empleyo to support fair global employment   

[14:10] Empleyo helps companies hire talent in countries where they lack a local legal entity   

[15:05] Startups increasingly come to Empleyo after hiring remote workers independently   

[15:42] Demand centers around pre-sales roles, software engineers, and mission-driven or technical specialists.   

[17:20] Startups use Employers of Record for flexibility without bringing workers in-house   

[18:10] He sees a need to make labor as liquid as capital by removing structural employment barriers   

[19:25] Fred introduces the idea of a “work net” where collaboration transcends borders and time zones   

[20:40] Workers still want financial stability even as career paths become more fluid   

[21:35] Empleyo insists on long-term contracts to give workers job security and legal protections   

[22:38] Companies need formal employment frameworks to scale responsibly and remain compliant   

[23:50] Fred explains how compliance needs, such as GDPR and NDAs, are managed across client contexts.   

[24:55] Empleyo focuses on emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Africa, as well as expanding into Europe.   

[26:05] HR becomes more strategic as companies seek global talent aligned with their values and growth goals.   

[27:28] Fred emphasizes hiring local experts to navigate regional contexts and gain customer relevance   

[28:30] Internal mobility offers employees growth and engagement, especially in large organizations   

[29:35] He questions the future of static employment structures like fixed salaries or traditional leave policies   

[30:50] Empleyo also acts as an advisor, sharing best practices learned from innovative clients   

[32:02] Personal cases, like relocation during political unrest or family planning, underscore Empleyo’s human impact.   

[33:15] Companies are encouraged to think beyond borders, such as hiring a country CEO without a local office.   

[34:20] Fred sees cross-border employment as a way to support families and keep communities intact  [35:12] He concludes with a commitment to keep expanding horizons and connecting people through work.   

[OUTRO] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Using an Employer of Record can help you quickly and legally hire skilled remote workers globally 

 RESOURCES 

 QUOTES 

“Labor is pretty cranky… it’s a factor that’s not so liquid.” 

“We believe more and more in the concept of a work net, not just a workforce.” 

“The workforce is getting more and more flexible, but people still need to be bankable.” 

“If you want talent with purpose, you often have to go further than your local market.” 

“Scaling with purpose means balancing speed with intentionality in your recruitment.” 

“Sometimes people just want to live in their community and work for a global employer—that’s a beautiful thing.” 

“Our mission is to help labor become more liquid by making employment simpler, fairer, and more accessible.” 

“It’s exciting because in the end, it’s about people, their lives, and helping them grow wherever they are.” 

Few figures in Latin American politics polarize opinion like Colombia's former president, Álvaro Uribe. Right now, Uribe, Colombia's president from 2002 to 2010, faces charges of bribery, procedural fraud, and bribery in a judicial proceeding. Prosecutors must determine whether he instigated others to manipulate witness testimony in an attempt to mislead the judiciary for his benefit.

So, along with Adriaan Alsema, director of Colombia Reports, we take a deep dive into the "early years" from Uribe's birth in Salgar, Antioquia and up until his campaign to become governor of the department, taking in his education, his role on the Medellin city council, director of Aerocivil, Mayor of Medellin and many family connections.

Allegations of ties to drug cartels and paramilitaries have dogged him since the early 1980s, when the civil aviation agency he then led was accused of giving air licenses to drug traffickers. Declassified State Department cables from a decade later show U.S. officials were told the up-and-coming politician had ties to cartels.

In future episodes we will look at further details surrounding Colombia's most powerful political force.

The Colombia Briefing is reported by Emily Hart.

La Escombrera, a vast rubble pile overlooking Medellín, is considered to be Colombia's largest urban mass grave. Its excavation this year has unearthed the remains of people whose families have been searching for them for decades.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the excavation there is being expanded. Some hope that what is found in that rubble will answer deeper questions - about how the conflict unfolded here in the city, and how the state was complicit in murders and human rights violations committed by paramilitary groups.

This week, Emily Hart, journalist and Colombia Calling host, takes us through an article she wrote on her Substack about La Escombrera, the dynamics and history of Colombia's civil conflict, and about how this war - largely characterised by rural conflict and guerrilla tactics - ended up radically changing the face of Colombia's cities.

Sign up and subscribe to Emily's Substack: https://harte.substack.com

And don't miss, the Colombia Briefing reported by Emily as well.

Jennie speaks to Emily Hart and Richard McColl. In the 1980s, a Colombian neurologist named Francisco Lopera traveled on horseback into the mountains seeking families with symptoms of dementia. For centuries, residents of certain villages near Medellín had suffered memory loss as they reached middle age, going on to die in their fifties. Lopera discovered that a unique genetic mutation was causing their rare hereditary form of early onset Alzheimer's disease. Over the next forty years of working with the "paisa mutation" kindred, he went on to build a world-class research program in a region beset by violence and poverty. In "Valley of Forgetting," Jennie Erin Smith brings readers into the clinic, the laboratories, and the Medellín trial center where Lopera's patients receive an experimental drug to see if Alzheimer's can be averted. She chronicles the lives of people who care for sick parents, spouses, and siblings, all while struggling to keep their own dreams afloat. These Colombian families have donated hundreds of their loved ones' brains to science and subjected themselves to invasive testing to help uncover how Alzheimer's develops and whether it can be stopped. Buy the book! https://a.co/d/giumqZR The Colombia Briefing is reported by Emily Hart: https://harte.substack.com/

What explains selective violence against social and community leaders in the aftermath of war? Why does the killing of community and social leaders continue unabated in Colombia? This week on the Colombia Calling podcast, we look at a new academic article entitled: "Delegative peacebuilding: Explaining post-conflict selective violence," written by Dr Sally Sharif and Dr Francy Carranza-Franco which explains so much regarding the on-going conflict in Colombia, the issue of "partial peace, who is doing the killing and why and hear some possible solutions. Joining us is Dr Sally Sharif, School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University and Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and incoming assistant professor of comparative politics at Holy Cross University, Boston.

Victoria was never meant to come to Colombia, in fact, had things gone according to plan she would be in China right now. But, fate had a different path in mind for this native of a small town near to the city of Perm in Siberia, Russia. And so, on this week's Colombia Calling podcast, we hear from a Tatar far from her birthplace near to the Ural Mountains and find out how she ended up in the town of Tabio, 45km north of Bogota. Our conversation takes in her life as a language teacher (English, German and Russian), her arrival in Colombia, her beginner mistakes upon arriving in Colombia, life hacks that we all need here, her cultural adaptation, family traditions, body positivity in Colombia, love and relationships and her life now. Tune in to hear from someone who has truly embraced a new life in Colombia in what is an incredibly upbeat and positive episode of the Colombia Calling podcast. And if you fancy some language classes, check out: @tabiunarusa on Instagram.