Not every successful leader hits the top with a pre-decided career path. Destiny has a different plan. Nevertheless, being at the right time and the right place isn’t merely a coincidence. It takes courage to show up, even in the strangest situation. Don’t believe it. Here’s a true story. Carlos Chamon, CEO of TRENDSÉTERA and a financial strategist by training, didn’t just transition into marketing and media; he evolved into them. In a chaotic world, he has managed to build a dream team that, under his leadership, knows how to adapt and strategically understand clients. After years of dissecting numbers, building business cases, and decoding executive-level strategies, he discovered that the true heartbeat of value creation lies not just in spreadsheets—but in translating strategy into culturally relevant impact.
For him, his inner calling appeared as a wake-up call. Carlos realized it lives in the intangibles: emotion, relevance, and cultural resonance. He chose to be a pathfinder who didn’t just want to balance the books. Instead, he wanted to shape the story. Today, at the helm of a dynamic multi-country agency (6+ countries, 100+ employees, blue-chip clients), Carlos is igniting a brand-led renaissance across markets, not just managing an agency. Under his guidance, TRENDSÉTERA has become a global cultural engine, transforming brands into conversation, connection, and impact catalysts. “We don’t just communicate,” he says. “We create culture.”
If you are one of those who always look for inspiration from real-life heroes who have won the world by taking risks, putting high stakes on their established profession, and breaking out of their comfort zones, this interview is for them. Carlos gets candid as he shares anecdotes that marked the turning points and milestones so far.
Redefining the Future of Cultural Marketing
TRENDSÉTERA is redefining the role of a marketing agency by merging strategy with cultural impact. More than just launching campaigns, the agency is focused on creating enduring connections between brands and their audiences. CEO Carlos’ vision goes beyond traditional marketing. He is more about transforming culture into a force that drives change. Carlos explains, “Our goal is to redefine how Latin creativity shows up on the global stage—loud, bold, and strategic.” TRENDSÉTERA’s bold approach challenges the status quo, elevating brands into cultural forces.
Where Data Meets Creative Execution
Named among the ‘Top 20 CEOs Shaping Industry Evolution,’ Carlos doesn’t see data and creativity as opposites. They’re allies in his leadership ground plan. With a foundation in finance and consulting, he treats ideas like investments: measurable, scalable, and designed for ROI. At TRENDSÉTERA, every project is built on proprietary frameworks that connect cultural intuition with strategic analytics. Instead of following templates, his team crafts tailored solutions designed for relevance and impact. In their world, creativity isn’t free-floating—it’s fine-tuned by clarity, calibrated by data, and executed with discipline.
Culture-First Marketing in the Age of Co-Creation
“Working with us is like plugging into high-voltage energy,” says Carlos with a spark that matches his agency’s name. He has comprehended that consumer engagement today is no longer passive. It’s participatory, provocative, and personal. Carlos sees the shift not as a challenge but as a creative mandate. He shares, “At TRENDSÉTERA, we design campaigns that live inside culture, not just on media plans.” From global giants like AB InBev, Netflix, and Nestlé to legacy icons such as Dior, Johnnie Walker, Levi’s, and PlayStation, the agency delivers high-voltage cultural touchpoints designed to resonate in real-time. Among its portfolio are three of the ten most valuable brands in Mexico—Corona, Victoria, and Cerveza Modelo—brands that have trusted TRENDSÉTERA to stay ahead of cultural relevance. Carlos has also played a key role in expanding the agency’s client roster, bringing in bold, future-focused brands that share the agency’s belief in culture over convention. For him, relevance is a moving target, and staying ahead means embedding brands into the pulse of culture itself—where authenticity isn’t optional and immediacy drives influence
The Art of Orchestrated Impact
TRENDSÉTERA approaches integration not as alignment but as orchestration, where each channel plays a distinct role in a unified brand symphony. Every campaign begins with strategic tension: ‘What are we solving?’ From there, the team constructs narratives that span PR, digital content, and influencer interactions. Each is meant to increase meaning and produce observable outcomes. True integration for them is when emotional effectiveness meets cultural precision, producing ads that speak strongly and convert steadily.
A Global Mindset, Locally Rooted
Carlos’ education reads like a passport—Stanford, HEG, ITAM, and Tec de Monterrey. Each stop has sharpened a different edge of his leadership. Stanford and HEG stretched his thinking, producing a curiosity that still drives him. ITAM and Tec de Monterrey kept him grounded, shaping a leader fluent in Latin American dynamism and grit. That incredible mix of global perspective and local resilience defines how he leads today. Empathetic yet exacting, intuitive yet structured, Carlos isn’t just informed by experience. He’s honed by it.
The brand is built different, on purpose. TRENDSÉTERA’s bold reputation isn’t a byproduct—it’s a blueprint. When asked about the internal engine that drives this ethos, Carlos distills it into one unapologetic acronym. “Our culture runs on FIRE: Fcking Fun, Impossible is Bullsht, Rockstar Attitude, and Extremely Assertive execution,” he says. That’s not just talk—it’s in their DNA, the fuel behind their pace and pulse. At TRENDSÉTERA, they celebrate risk-taking, reward ownership, and maintain energy through rituals and transparency. From daily rituals to fearless experimentation, TRENDSÉTERA is a cultural voltage. Step in, and “you feel part of a movement—not just a company.”
Data as Muse, Not Just Measure
At TRENDSÉTERA, data is more than dashboards. It’s a co-creator. Carlos and his team treat analytics as a tactical compass, shaping everything from influencer picks to real-time optimizations. AI drives precision, helping them automate and personalize without diluting brand voice. From predictive content to intelligent matchmaking, innovation pulses through every team, not simply siloed. As Carlos puts it, they nurture the art of the number.
He didn’t inherit a smooth runway. He built one through grit. Scaling TRENDSÉTERA without diluting its soul was among his biggest challenges. As the agency grew, so did the risk of losing its essence. As CEO, Carlos doubled down on culture: refining onboarding, codifying values, and embracing imperfection. Experimentation became a practice, not a risk. “For everything else, there is always a solution,” he says. In his arsenal, persistence and clarity outlast chaos and win.
The Future, as Carlos Sees It
This prescient C-suite executive foresees three seismic shifts redefining marketing: Immersive Brand Worlds, Predictive Creativity with AI, and Community-as-a-Channel. At TRENDSÉTERA, they’re evolving from disruption to immersion, crafting sensory experiences, not just content. Influence is no longer broadcast; it’s built with communities. “We’ve built capabilities to match this era,” Carlos says, pointing to hybrid agency models, AI-powered insights, and a creative-tech fusion that keeps them radically relevant and always one step ahead.
“Latin America isn’t following anymore,” Carlos asserts, “We’re leading.” Rooted in complexity, emotion, and resilience, their creativity packs a global punch. At TRENDSÉTERA, they export more than services—they export a point of view. Carlos and his team believe Latin culture isn’t a subculture; it’s a superpower.
Advice for the Next-Gen Trailblazers
With a career spanning strategic planning and high-impact leadership roles, Carlos has earned his place as a role model for aspiring CEOs and entrepreneurs. But he doesn’t sugarcoat the journey and focuses on guiding the young and restless to rise with clarity. His razor-sharp advice: “Start with truth and build from there.” Carlos urges these aspirants to avoid chasing trends and instead focus on building trust. He stresses the importance of being rigorous in refining one’s process while remaining generous with people. For him, effective leadership means staying radically curious and stepping into every room with ownership and intention. Carlos considers perfection a myth; persistence is the real currency. He offers this final charge to future CEOs and entrepreneurs: “Surround yourself with challengers, not followers.” From his perspective, impact isn’t inherited but created every single day.
Legacy in Motion
“I want to prove that Latin talent can lead, not just contribute,” Carlos declares with conviction. He’s building infrastructure for creative sovereignty. For him, legacy means proving that it’s possible to create something iconic without compromising your core.
At TRENDSÉTERA, they’ve created a platform that empowers voices, fuels vision and disrupts culture. His goal is to make space for others to follow suit. As he puts it, “If we did it our way, maybe others can too.”
That spirit pulses through the FIRE Manifesto – TRENDSÉTERA: According to the CEO of TRENDSÉTERA, they create culture, not content. For them, the impossible is just the beginning. In a world bloated with the generic, they trade safety for audacity. Their compass fuses data with emotion and precision with purpose. Mexico isn’t a trend—it’s a reference point. They don’t chase the ordinary—they redefine the standard. TRENDSÉTERA is a cultural force, and Carlos and his team intend to keep it that way.
