ROBERTO GARCÍA

Lead North America trade compliance strategy and governance across the United States, Mexico (IMMEX manufacturing), and Canada, advising finance and supply chain leadership on tariff exposure, landed cost structure, and regional regulatory risk.

• Direct the North America trade compliance function, establishing governance frameworks, regulatory controls, and cross-border operational alignment across U.S., Mexico, and Canada trade activities.
• Advise Finance and executive leadership on tariff exposure, landed cost structure, and trade policy developments, supporting sourcing decisions and supply chain strategy under evolving global trade regulations.
• Design and implement tariff mitigation and duty optimization strategies, generating over $1M in annual duty savings per entity through proactive trade program management and classification governance.
• Drive strategic duty avoidance initiatives, including point-of-pickup transitions and tariff alignment strategies, resulting in projected $2.2M in additional duty avoidance across North American operations.
• Oversee Mexico IMMEX compliance, including Annex 24 inventory control implementation, pedimento audit readiness, and VAT-deferral program governance protecting over $7M in deferred VAT exposure.
• Strengthen regulatory compliance and audit readiness, avoiding major external audit findings across North American trade operations.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve trade cost structure and operational efficiency, contributing to $5.3M in logistics cost savings and over $2.8M in regional duty savings through freight optimization and customs program improvements.
• Establish scalable compliance infrastructure, including centralized denied-party screening across North America and implementation of enhanced customs auditing and recordkeeping systems for Mexico operations.
• Oversee customs brokers, freight forwarders, and logistics providers, ensuring regulatory compliance, operational performance, and continuous improvement in cross-border trade execution.

• Lead strategic alignment of the North American trade compliance teams, ensuring the integration of trade policies and objectives across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• Developed the expansion of the Mexico trade compliance function by partnering with the MX General Director to recruit and onboard a local trade compliance manager, identifying required soft and technical skills, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals.
• Conduct regular review meetings with US/CA/MX trade team leaders to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement in customs compliance objectives and KPIs for each country.
• Monitor resource allocation and facilitate regional team collaboration to achieve priority objectives and ensure the successful implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Act as the primary point of contact for all trade compliance issues, internal and external audits within North America, collaborating with internal and parent company key stakeholders to resolve challenges and status reporting.
• Spearhead the Trade Compliance Transformation initiative to define the future state of trade compliance and operational requirements for the selection of a new ERP system to drive efficiencies for future trade operations.
• Centralize the Denied Party Screening process for all North American sites to enhance compliance with international trade laws and regulations.

• Built the Intl. Logistics and Trade Compliance Team.
• Directed all tactical U.S. import and export activities.
• Led the implementation of a freight bill audit and payment SaaS solution, resulting in over $6M in freight cost savings and redesigning freight accounting processes through semi-automation.
• Managed and developed relationships with U.S. customs brokers, established continuous improvement goals, and oversaw their progress.
• Monitored regional compliance with U.S. trade programs and guided business units and suppliers to align their processes to meet CBP, BIS, FTR, or foreign customs requirements.
• Spearheaded the import cost and duty cash-flow optimization strategies, achieving $1M in annual duty savings.
• Drove the Section 301 and 232 impact mitigation strategy and leveraged cost-saving opportunities.
• Diagnosed training needs in functional areas and facilitated training sessions across the organization.
• Created written policies and procedures related to compliance activities for internal staff, suppliers, and logistics providers.
• Led the International Logistics and Customs Compliance function during the implementation of the company's ERP system at the HellermannTyton locations in Mexico.

• Developed and led all required procedures to carry out a free trade agreements compliance and a country of origin certification program at an interdepartmental level and among sister companies.
• Supported sales and supply chain staff with training on best practices to execute international trade transactions.
• Resolved outstanding regulatory issues with clients, consultants, and CBP.
• Worked with IT staff and JD Edwards Enterprise developers to improve the bill of materials by incorporating customs data fields that allow for a more comfortable analysis when applying a given rule of origin set forth by the legal texts of the diverse free trade agreements.
• Mapped the import/export scenarios for new operations in Mexico and their relationship to U.S. import processes.
• Developed the Contract Review position for the company and implemented the contract database management tool.
• Led the company's in-house lawyers during the annual Accounting Review process for revenue recognition purposes to comply with SOX.

• Maintained HellermannTyton's NAFTA Compliance Program in North America.
• Generated applicable export documents and certificates of origin for U.S. export transactions.
• Managed the Schedule B, HTS, ECCN codes database.
• Provided training on country of origin determination, customs valuation, and NAFTA for U.S., Mexico, and Canada Locations.
• Implemented interdepartmental standards to comply with EAR and record-keeping requirements.

• Account management and sales development of North, Central and South American regions, including market research, sales quotes, and oversight of international shipments.
• Responsible for assuring compliance with FTR/AES Direct, Schedule B classifications and other applicable customs documentation requirements per product and importing country.
• Responsible for international sales prospecting and planning in the most popular trade exhibitions of the medical industry in Latin America.