Who We Are
Global citizens, local specialists
CATE
Cate is the Director of Operations at Southern Pulse. She manages the overall cohesiveness, quality and delivery of projects for the company’s Regional Advisory practice. As an analyst, Cate focuses primarily on political risk and organized crime. She ensures that projects are staffed with the best teams, that research and analysis are of high caliber, and that work is completed on time.
Cate specializes in the region’s non-democratic regimes and has conducted extensive work on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. She also tracks non-aligned state activity in the region, such as that of China, Russia, and their allies.
Cate holds a BA in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College and a MA in International Policy and Development from the Middlebury Institute for International Studies. She has lived in Cuba and Argentina, and has spent extensive time in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia.
BRYAN
Bryan is a market intelligence and political risk analyst with extensive experience in analyzing emerging markets, particularly from his previous roles in the energy sector. He possesses strong research and data analysis skills that enhance the capabilities of the Southern Pulse team, thanks to his expertise in various markets in Central America from Mexico to Guyana. Originally from Cuba, Bryan holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Havana and currently resides in Mexico City.
JERÓNIMO
Jerónimo is the Collections Manager for Southern Pulse, where he supports both the Regional Advisory practice and the De Facto disinformation practice via collections. He brings field experience from monitoring the implementation of the Colombian Peace Accord, and carries an affinity for deep research and policy analysis. Jerónimo is engaged in collections on projects from start to finish, ensuring that no stone is left unturned.
He was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia and is particularly interested in peace and conflict studies, with a focus on armed non-state actors and criminal governance. He has a BA in Political Science and Sociology from University of California, Davis. He has published academic articles on environmental drug policy and social capital.
JESÚS
Jesús is the Managing Editor of De Facto. He is responsible for overseeing De Facto’s team of journalists, editorial review and producing special features. Jesús has been a journalism professor at the University of Zulia in Venezuela since 1987. He has an Advanced Studies Diploma in Ethics and Access to Information, awarded through the Complutense University of Madrid's international program in Chile.
His academic and professional interests focus on the right to access public information, journalism ethics and the media, and publicly available open data. He has been active for more than a decade in the fight against corruption and disinformation in Venezuela. Jesús has been a reporter, director, and editor for print, radio and digital media outlets, and has experience in fact-checking processes.
KRISTIN
Kristin is an Editor for Southern Pulse. She holds a BS in Magazine Journalism from Ohio University. Kristin is responsible for editing the weekly Regional Pulse product as well as articles, reports, and marketing copy. Kristin moved to South America in 2018 after working on staff at several publications in Washington, DC and Boston. She has also spent time living in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Medellín, Colombia.
NICO
Nicolás is the Director of Research at Southern Pulse, focusing mainly on political risk and organized crime. Originally from Spain, he has worked for a number of years in Mexico, before obtaining a DPhil in History and an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford.
Prior to joining Southern Pulse, he taught Latin American history at University College London, at the University of Oxford, and collaborated with a number of media outlets from Spain, Mexico and Colombia. His academic and professional interests focus on the challenges of establishing democracies in unstable contexts.
PABLO
Pablo is Senior Investigator for South America, having previously managed Southern Pulse’s Chilean subsidiary. He brings more than two decades of deep fieldwork experience to the South America team. Pablo supervises and directs field investigations for Southern Pulse clients in South America. He works closely with new and existing sources, and supports Southern Pulse’s broader collections efforts throughout the region.
Pablo is considered an expert in public security, well known for his experience supporting clients with their most complex and sensitive issues in the region. He has a degree in Public Security and previously served among national leadership with the Carabineros in Chile, where he specialized in international terrorism investigations, organized crime, and emerging threats. In addition to his work with Southern Pulse, Pablo conducts training in strategic intelligence and continues to work as an Investigator and Consultant for the Office of the Inspector General for the United Nations.
SAM
Sam is the Founder and Managing Partner at Southern Pulse. He is a twice-published book author and recognized subject matter expert for organized crime and the economics of black markets in Latin America. He has spent the past 24 years living and working in Latin America, helping clients around the world understand the region he lives and breathes every day.
As the managing partner of Southern Pulse, Sam focuses on company strategy. He encourages the overall cohesiveness of the Southern Pulse team through servant leadership, as well as coaching and mentoring employees contractors across all practice areas and regions. Sam also leads the Southern Pulse strategic advisory practice, helping executives decipher a successful path forward for their focus areas in Latin America.
VALENTÍN
Valentín is a Business Development Associate at Southern Pulse. He manages the company’s social media strategy, inbound business requests, and press inquiries. Valentín also helps develop weekly regional reports that are later utilized for in-house analysis and publication.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and raised in the United States, Valentín has a keen interest in politics. He has worked with international organizations such as Kiwanis, the International Red Cross, and the International Olympic Committee. His background in communication has also led him to participate in various marketing campaigns for global enterprises. He is currently pursuing a degree in political science from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).
WINSTON
Winston is a Research Assistant and Analyst focused on South America. He performs Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) research to write reports and compile information sources, and previously wrote the weekly Regional Pulse product.
Now based in Madrid, Spain since 2020 he lived in Maracaibo, Venezuela for 20 years where he obtained a BA in Social, Administrative and Political Science and worked with prominent political parties and NGOs, which gave him a deep understanding of the current socio-economic situation in the country.
