The Untold Reality of Running a Defense Company | Ep. 84 [Pablo Ahumada]

What does it really take to lead in industries where timing, compliance, trust, and execution can determine success or failure?

In this episode of Industry Ignited, Dr. Leeanne Aguilar interviews Captain Pablo Ahumada, CEO of NEXA Industrial Solutions (GEDEF Holdings), about his journey from construction and logistics into global defense manufacturing and aerospace ambitions. Pablo shares hard-earned lessons about innovation, risk assessment, operational discipline, international business relationships, and leading under pressure in highly regulated environments.

The discussion covers everything from defense supply chains and manufacturing capacity in South America to leadership psychology, crisis management, stakeholder alignment, and why flexibility only works when structure is strong. Pablo also reveals his long-term vision for expanding from defense systems into aerospace and rocket technologies while maintaining ethical standards and operational integrity.

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Transcript

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Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 0:06

What does it take to manufacture and deliver mission-critical defense components across borders under strict regulations in an industry where timing, trust, and compliance can make or break everything? Welcome to Industry Ignited, the podcast where we explore the leaders, decisions, and innovations shaping the future of industry. I'm your host, Dr. Leanne Aguilar. And today I'm joined by Captain Pablo Amad, Chairman and CEO of GEDF Holdings based in Brazil. Pablo, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Thank you. Thank you for the invitation.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 0:39

Of course. Now you said you were repeatedly pushed out of roles because you saw ways to improve systems and you implemented ideas even when leadership resisted. What did those early experiences teach you about how organizations handle innovation and threat?

SPEAKER_00 0:56

Well, I start to work very young. So early in my career is that innovation is rarely rejected because it's technically wrong, you know. It's rejected because exposed inefficiencies, legacy decisions, and sometimes internal power structures. So improving systems force organizations to confront uncomfortable thought about how things have been done. So those early experiences taught me that innovation only survives when it's spread with governance, accountability, and ownership. So without this structure, good ideas are credited and disruption. With structure, they become institutional and improvement. So that realization pushed me toward building environments where improvement is expected, measured, and protected rather than persistence. So in the long term, systems either involve the liberty or they degrade accidentally. So I prefer the liberty evolution.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 1:52

Yes, exactly. All right. Yeah, that it is interesting. I mean, you think that people would embrace uh innovation because it it improves systems and efficiency and all that, but but unless um people, I guess, are open-minded to it or there are structures in place for it. And sometimes there's many levels of uh governance and that kind of thing that that have to embrace and be open to the the innovation. And I mean, starting out, did you feel like there there were political factors within the organization too that that resisted innovation and change?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Well, normally it's because people feel threat, you know. Yes. When you when you have people there that is your bosses in that time and you have good ideas, the people instead to see it as a good example, good ideas or to move things, they feel threatened and they shut instead of move forward with your ideas and impulse your careers, you know? They just feel threatened and they just stop you right there.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 2:47

Right. Yeah, they feel threatened, or sometimes I've even heard they'll take ideas and present them as their own. That's true, which is you know, which I've seen as well, too. Now you started your first business in construction, then you exited before the pandemic shot hit. Looking back, what were the signals you noticed and what does that say about how you assess risk?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Well, I saw multiple risk indicators aligned simultaneously, you know, compressed margin, increased over fraudile payment chains, and other lines on excellent liquidity. So when those factors stack together, exposure increases while control decreases. So exit was wasn't instinctive, you know, it was analytical. Risk assessments is about recognized patterns that other normalized because they are become accustomed to them. So when systematic exposure risk rises and visibility decreases, a discipline sometimes means step it away instead of doubling down, you know. Timing matters as much as much as execution. There are times that you need to think quickly and take decisions faster.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 3:54

Yeah, that makes sense. Timing is is critical, it's a key component in business and decision making, definitely. Yeah. Then your path moved from surveyor work and logistics into oil-related loss control and then into defense procurement and manufacturing. What were the key turning points that shifted your trajectory?

SPEAKER_00 4:13

Well, um, each phase of my career added a core competitivity. Uh logistics told me execution, the pressure, and the importance of timing. Oil gas introduced me to loss control, regularity scrutiny, and consequence management. And in that sector, mistakes are measurable in an immediate, just you know. So defense became the governance point. It required operational regular, compliance, discipline, and manufactured precision simultaneously. So the turning point was realizing I could integrate those capabilities into a single platform. And that integration ultimately became in givea.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 4:48

Yeah, yeah. And you've built a life around momentum. And motion is life, is your your motto, I know. So where does that mindset come from? And how has it shaped your leadership decisions in high-stakes environments?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

Well, uh, that mindset comes from operating in environments where stagnation creates vulnerability, you know. When systems stop moving, they lose awareness and responsiveness. So motion does not mean chaos, you know, it means short decision cycles, real-time feedback, and rapid corrections when necessary. So in high-stake industries, waiting for perfect clarity can create greater risk. So that acted with discipline and intent. So leadership under pressures also requires controlled momentum, you know. That's why I always say that the movement, it's life.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 5:37

Yeah. And it's more important to make a decision than just to, and and like you were mentioning in our earlier calls too, timely decisions. And it's better to make a decision than just to stay stagnant and to not make a decision, you know, ultimately, because even if the decision is wrong, there's still momentum and you're able to adjust and and you learn something from it instead of just staying stagnant. Now, Gidef operates across Chile and Brazil, including new manufacturing capability in rural Chile. What is Gidef's core mission today and what problems are you solving for your partners?

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Well, Gidef missions is execution, certainly in regulated environments. You know, we operate and the intersection of manufacturing, logistics, compliance, where minor errors can have disproportionate consequences, you know. So many partners have access to materials or demand, but struggle with discipline cross-border executions. So we design systems that ensure testability, documentation integrity, regulatory regulatory alignments, and predictable outcomes. So in essence, when we remove execution risk, so strategic objectives can move forward without operational instability, you know. So everything is about to have good plans, good protocols, and a very good team behind you. You know, nothing of this can be complied if you don't have a good team of logistics, ship, and and operations.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 7:04

Yeah, right. And so how is that in working in multiple countries? Because I'm sure there are different regulations in in the different countries, and how do you manage that effectively?

SPEAKER_00 7:16

We need to be adaptive, you know. We cannot be uh focusing just in one procedure because each country has different regulations, different procedures, different ways to see things. So you need to be adaptive and comply with all those regulations. So flexibility is very important.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 7:32

Yeah. And without getting into sensitive details, what does clean execution look like in your world? Specifically around compliance and user certification frameworks and regulated delivery?

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Well, uh clean execution is discipline under constraint, you know. So it means uh respecting regulatory frameworks even when doing so slow timelines or increasing costs. There are things that you cannot avoid, you know. So it includes full-end user verification, auditable documentation, control logistics, and internal process too, the scenario with the assumption of external scrutiny. So in our industry, shortcuts are not efficiency, they are deferral failures. We operate as if every decision could be reviewed in detail. So because eventually it might be.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 8:19

Right. And so, how large are your teams? You have uh teams basically in Brazil and then Chile. How and I know you have different focuses in each place.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Yeah, we have our legal department established here in Chile with a small commercial team, and also we have uh our accountant and finances being handled here from Chile. In Brazil, we have uh our operations team also with a commercial team and a manufacturer team. We have three manufacturing places in Brazil and also we have the commercial director that is also my partner and my friend Leandro Weisman. Uh, he is the one that is in charge of the operations in Brazil. So on that way, we can cover logistically ports and all the movements very well. And we have a very good communication too between teams.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 9:04

Okay. And as far as those that you partner with around the world for um as clients, where are you focused?

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Well, we work in South America as our base of operations, but we move mostly around the world. We have clients from Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America, and we move all around that. So yeah, it's it's a very good motion style of life, this one.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 9:29

Okay, all right. So yeah, basically a global presence and you're able to work internationally. Now you mentioned a critical market constraint. Many partners can access energetic materials, but they struggle with manufacturing capacity for certain components. What gap did you identify? And why was South America strategically positioned to help fill it?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Well, the real constraint in today's defense supply environment is easy and demand because everyone is asking, everyone is requesting, you know. So the real thing is find qualified teams, it's qualified compliant manufacturing capacity. You know, South America is very strategically positioned because it combines industrial infrastructure, experienced, technical labor, and regulatory systems that are enforceable and structured. So when designed correctly, the region becomes a stabilized node in the global supply chain rather than a volatile factor. So that positioning is deliberate and not opportunistic. Chile and Brazil, that is what they represent. Because it doesn't matter who is the government that is in charge during a period of time, doesn't matter. The establishment and the stability there don't change, especially in Chile. Chile is a very good place to do business and is one of the heads in South America to do it.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 10:49

Yeah. Okay. So you have the infrastructure, the skill, the labor force, and and yeah, just the stability, like you're saying, just to serve clients internationally. Now, when you're building relationships with government agencies, ministries, and private contractors, what are the three non-negotiables that earn trust in your industry?

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Well, I believe that transparency, consistency, and compliance are things that cannot negotiate. Transparency is how operations are structured. Consistency is delivery and documentation. And compliance even when it's inconvenient or commercially uncomfortable. In the fence, trust is not built uh through presentation. It's built through repeatable, biasful performance over time. Credibility accumulates slowly and disappears quickly, you know? So it's important that through time delivers. That is the only thing that you can do that to can build this trust.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 11:46

Right. Yeah, trust over time. I think it's relationships and really, yeah, that long-term relationships and seeing you show up consistently, like you said, over and over again. And in a national in an international business, I mean how do you maintain those relationships? Are you traveling a lot or is it a lot of just Zoom meetings or you know?

SPEAKER_00 12:06

There's a lot of travel, you know. Even that technology today allows to introduce people in different parts of the world very quickly through the computer or through the phone. I believe that the face-to-face meetings, shake hands, is something that uh even the technology cannot change. It's very crucial and important in this kind of business because when you when you see someone face to face and you can shake hands, you can see their eyes, their looks, and you can realize if it's someone that you can do business with, if you can show the the to the people if they can trust in you or not. That is the best way to do business.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 12:39

Yeah. Yeah, and I agree. There's just no replacement for in-person relationships and getting to know people on a deeper level when you're in person is more possible than just online because you know there's just other nuances and you're able to, you know, talk um more freely outside of just the business meeting, and you have the opportunity to go to dinner or lunch or you know, just uh interact on different levels that allows you to get that that deeper relationship. Is there a lot of competition in your space?

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Yes, there's there is. Yeah, there is a lot of competition, but I don't like to see other people just as competitors. I like to see people as partners because sometimes you you never know when you you will have to need someone of them. So if you have good relationships with everyone and you respect everyone in their fields and in their in their works, they will also be nice with you too. So someday you will need their assistance, their help, or even just an advice, an advice, good relationships will will help you to have good answers and very good relationships with a lot of people.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 13:44

Yeah, so you see them more as strategic partners than as competitors, really, because like you said, sometimes there's collaboration or cooperation just to meet the needs of a client. Now, your Brazil operations, like you mentioned, are more automated. While Chile is structured differently due to regulatory realities, how do you design your operating model when each country has different constraints and advantages?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Well, we designed this for reality, not for uniformity. For example, Brazil enables greater automatic and truth pot capacity. Chile requires deeper procedural oversight and regulatory engagements. So rather than forcing uh one model across both environments, we'll beat complementary systems. So certain processes are optimized for automization, others for regulatory control, and that balance allows us to maintain quality and compliance without sacrificing operational efficiency.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 14:38

Yeah. And how has AI impacted your operations?

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Well, uh the intelligence artificial have is have a very strong impact in the industries because most you can automatically automaticze uh a lot of the process, you know, documentation process, verification process, check facts. But I believe that if you can there are some points that cannot be lived fully in in EI, you know, there are things that have to be have in control of with of human expert eyes. So yeah, right is a very good tool, but in our business, there are things that cannot be changed by EI. People is still being important in the business.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 15:20

Yeah. Now, in an industry where procurement cycles can be long and requirements can shift, how do you manage planning and production when customers may take months to decide and demand can change overnight?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Well, we separate what must remain stable from what must remain adaptable. Uh, core capacity is protected to ensure reliability and flexible capacity absorb volatility. So we also plan uh conservatively and execute aggressively. Timelines are structured around worst-case assumptions so that positive developments become upside, not relief. So the mindset reduces stress across organization and preserves operational discipline, you know? So on that way, we can have clean executions in our deliveries and in our in transits uh cargos and in all the projects around. Yeah.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 16:09

And you've also highlighted that flexibility is a competitive advantage, but it comes with complexity. What systems, roles, or routines help you, your team, stay adaptive without losing control and consistency?

SPEAKER_00 16:22

Well, flexibility only works when a structure is strong. Clear roles, documented process, and real-time visibility are essential. Flexibility without a structure becomes chaos, you know? A structure without flexibility becomes pretty easy. And sustainable advantage exists in deliverable manage that balance rather than reacting emotionally to market shifts, you know. So flexibility don't mean that it's mess around or chaos. No, it only works if your structure in your company and in your team is strong.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 16:53

Right, right. Yeah, that's uh I think a good perspective. And because the market is very susceptible to emotional decision making, right? People react instead of think logically or strategically necessarily or controlled and constrained in times where there's high pressure or high stakes or there's a volatile market situation. So it's like, yeah, how do you maintain that you know mindset and not or or manage people during those times too, especially like during a pandemic, let's say, or or an economic um you know, shift that's that's creates that uncertainty because people are naturally emotional and reactive. So how do you manage that?

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Well, try to be cold. That is very important, is when when everyone is freaked out, you need to say, wait, let's take a breath, let's think first, and then we can react. Let's see the options. What do we have? What is happening? What is the option that we have to make? What are the best decisions now? And then we can see if another decision has to be made. So everything is to be when everybody, everyone is running around because something is happening. I don't know, maybe um now US dollar is weak and and euro is strong, and the actual currency and all this other one. You need to just to take a breath, look around, make a decision, and then see what happens and how to follow that.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 18:16

Right. Yeah, I like that. Take a breath and just reassess. It's like, okay, everybody's panicking, but that doesn't help anything. So yeah. What is the most underestimated part of scaling in the sector, would you say? Is it people, permits, quality systems, supply chain reliability, or stakeholder alignment?

SPEAKER_00 18:37

I believe that the stakeholder alignment is constantly underestimated, you know. Capital machinery and permits can be solved, but mislining incentives and unclear expectation create friction that it's far harder to resolve, you know. So scanning in regulated industries as much about communication and trust management, it's about industrial expansion, you know. So alignment to reduce noises and reduce noise improves decisions quality. So I believe that that is a very important factor, too.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 19:08

Right. And so, how do you maintain alignment or make sure that uh you achieve alignment when you're working with you know different stakeholders?

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Well, I like communication, you know. Uh I like to have everyone always updated about everything, what is important, not for just small things, about important things, you know, that important decisions, important contracts, important things that it's are about to happen or we are about to do. And sometimes also the collectively advice us from different points of view of people helps you to also make good decisions. So when there are decisions to make and you're not sure, it's always a good idea to make questions to other people to see what they think and how they will react or what decisions they will take in this situation, in another. So that helps a lot. And also that creates trust because people feel, hey, he he really cares about what I'm thinking about.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 20:05

Yeah, no, that's a really good advice. So it's it's just asking questions, staying curious, and to maintain that communication. And when people feel heard, when they feel understood, when they feel cared about, when they feel like their input makes a difference, and that that trust is established or maintained and uh that relationship is deepened. Now you shared a longer-term aspiration to move from bombs to rockets, from defense manufacturing into aerospace and space systems. What has to happen over the next three to five years to make that transition real?

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Well, uh, this transition is progression, not a leap, you know. First, uh strength quality system and certifications. Uh, second, we want to consolidate engineering process and technical talent. And third, integrate into broader aerospace ecosystems, you know. We love motors. That's basically our plan. We love that. We love engineer processes. That's why we started with this company in the first place when with my partner with Leandro. Uh, aerospace requires the same discipline as defense, and only at a greater precision and complexity. But the foundation is operational maturity. So it's part of the process that we need to live. And that don't mean that we're going to live outside our defense factories and our defense projects, but we also do want to do this kind of thing. You know, they are follow our passions too by uh space rockets.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 21:33

Oh, no, yeah, that's super exciting. And yeah, yeah. So it's more of an expansion, expanding your capabilities and moving into another additional vertical with uh aerospace and and space systems. Very exciting. Now, in a world that's increasingly unstable, you've framed your work as strengthening legitimate defense partners and doing it ethically. How do you hold that line personally and operationally when the industry can be morally complex?

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Well, ethics is embedded into the operational model, not added as commentary boundaries as defined upfront and enforced consistently. So that includes declining opportunities that don't not meet legal or ethical standards. You know, so long-term scredibility outweighs short-term reign of view. So industry where consequences are serious, integrity must be structural, not institutional. So that's something that cannot be changed. Ethics is part of your foundation as a company. That cannot be changed or negotiable.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 22:34

Yeah, a part of your values and something that you instill in your, you know, the way you operate your company and with your people, right? Yeah. And finally, Pablo, for entrepreneurs and operators who want to build in regulated high-stakes industries, what's your most practical advice on resilience, patience, and building a support system that can withstand the pressure?

SPEAKER_00 22:56

Well, my advice to funders in regulated high-stakes industry is to design patience, you know, into the systems and resilience into themselves. That's important. This work uh tests more than technical competencies. It tests emotional control, judgment under uncertainty, and the ability to carry responsibility quite over long time horizons, you know. So what often goes unspoken is that this pressure does not stay at the work, it follows you at home. So long decision cycles, regulatory friction, and high accountability creates stress that families in everyone feel, you know. So entrepreneurship in this sector is never an individual effort, it's a shared journey. So the families is very important. That's why, if I allow to speak directly to the families who support entrepreneurs, the role of the family is not passive. The stability and understanding and trust creates the conditions for sound decisions under pressure. And that helps a lot. In my own life, my wife has been a constant source of balance and clarity. So she understands long timelines, delay, results, and the weight of responsibility. Even she supports my long trips too around the world. So that support allows me to lead without internal distraction and to my intense perspective when challenges is intensified and not decreasing. So behind many entrepreneurs that operate efficiently under pressure, there is a family absorbing part of the uncertainty and stress. So when that support exists, leaders don't just perform better, they lead more responsibility, more ethically, and with a strong long-term judgment, too.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 24:41

Yeah, no, I love that. Yeah, that's a great answer, I think. And you're right. I mean, especially for entrepreneurs, it's not just a nine to five, you know, situation. I mean, you're it's part of your life, it's integrated. And so that pressure carries over into your personal life as well. And having that family behind you that supports you and gives you, you know, balance and perspective and and helps absorb some of that pressure, I think is is vital. Yeah, that's very, very good insight. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 25:09

Thanks.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 25:11

Well, Pablo, thank you for sharing your story and giving us a look into what disciplined execution, compliance, and leadership and really, really means in a complex global environment. Now, for listeners who want to learn more and follow your work or connect with uh GDEF, where's the best place to find you?

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Well, they can follow our company uh LinkedIn profile and also in our website. That is also very clear there in our LinkedIn profile. And they can follow me too. It's uh my I'm always open to new people and good friendships through the social networks as LinkedIn. So it would be a pressure to have very good thoughts.

Dr. Leeanne Aguilar 25:47

Yeah, yeah, no, LinkedIn's a great, great resource. I I agree. Yeah. Well, thank you again. And to everyone listening, if you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague who cares about leadership, operations, and building responsibly under pressure. Tune in to next time uh for the next episode of Industry Ignited. Until then, stay bold, stay curious, and keep igniting industry.