Incoming MercadoLibre Chief Executive Officer Ariel Szarfsztejn at the MercadoLibre Experience event in Mexico City, on Sept. 10

Incoming MercadoLibre Chief Executive Officer Ariel Szarfsztejn at the MercadoLibre Experience event in Mexico City, on Sept. 10

Photographer: Mayolo Lopez Gutierrez/Bloomberg

Meet the Man Who Wants to Run Latin America’s Most Valuable Company Like a Startup

Ariel Szarfsztejn is inheriting the mantle of the e-commerce and fintech giant at a time of mounting competition and talent constraints. 

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Ariel Szarfsztejn didn’t just step into the spotlight. He leaped.

The incoming chief executive officer of e-commerce and fintech behemoth MercadoLibre Inc. bounded onto a Mexico City stage that was aglow in blue and yellow neon lights pulsating from towering replicas of the company’s signature delivery boxes.