BaseFirma is pleased to announce the incorporation of Isaac Reis as Partner & Country Leader of the Brazilian practice.
With extensive experience in transfer pricing, business transformation, and international consulting, Isaac joins the firm at a pivotal moment for Brazil’s alignment with OECD standards and the evolution of its transfer pricing framework.
In this conversation, he shares insights on leadership, strategic growth, and the future of transfer pricing in Brazil.
Can you tell us a bit about your professional journey and what led you to specialize in transfer pricing?
Consulting has always been a natural fit for me. Before finish the college I already knew that I would like to work with business, providing consulting services. I’ve always been drawn to environments where every situation is different, where you need to read context quickly, understand what really matters, and design something tailored to each situation and not standardized.
Early in my career, I realized that what fascinated me most was understanding how businesses actually work beneath the surface. That is, understand how value is actually created, how different parts of an organization connect, and how decisions in one area impact the whole system.
Transfer pricing sits exactly at that intersection. It requires not only technical knowledge, but the ability to interpret different business models, think abstractly, and translate that into solutions that are both viable and defensible, mainly in context of business transformation such as expansions, M&A, restructurings, etc. Over time, I leaned into that combination: reading complex situations, connecting the dots, and turning them into structured, innovative approaches. For me, transfer pricing is where strategy becomes tangible.
What motivated you to join BaseFirma and take on this new role as Partner in the Brazilian practice?
At this stage of my career, the key question was no longer “where can I grow?”, but rather “where can I build?”. Leaving my former work, where I spent many years and develop all my foundation, felt, in many ways, like leaving my parent’s home. At some point, growth requires stepping into the unknown, taking the full ownership of something, making your own decisions, and building something that reflects your own vision.
BaseFirma represents exactly that for me. It’s not just a new role, but a platform to create, to shape, and to take responsibility for what comes next. It is where technical excellence and entrepreneurial mindset coexist.
Having the opportunity to talk with different members of BaseFirma during my interview process, gave me the chance not just to identify an opportunity, but to recognized a shared vision. The chance to shape and lead the Brazilian practice, while being connected to a global structure that values innovation and collaboration, made this decision a natural next step for me.
What are the main challenges and opportunities you see in the Brazilian transfer pricing landscape today?
Brazil is going through a structural shift with the alignment to OECD standards. This is not just a technical change, but a paradigm shift.
The main challenge is that companies will need to rethink how they position their operations globally. Models that worked under the old rules may no longer be sustainable. The way we used to think under the old rules must be reshaped. The challenge is not just adapting to new rules, but evolving the way we think. It requires stepping back, understanding the broader value chain, and making decisions with a more holistic perspective.
In my view, that comes with a significant opportunity. For the first time, Brazil is speaking the same “transfer pricing language” as the rest of the world. This opens the door for more sophisticated planning, better integration with global policies, and ultimately more strategic decision-making.
Those who approach this transition proactively will not only mitigate risks and unlock value, but also contributing on how we are shaping Brazil’s role in the global economy.
How do you approach supporting clients in an increasingly complex international tax environment?
My approach is to start from the business, not from the rules. Understanding how value is created, where key decisions are made, and how the organization operates in practice is fundamental.
From there, we design solutions that are technically robust but also practical and aligned with the client’s strategy. It’s not about adding layers of analysis, it’s about bringing clarity. Complexity is unavoidable, but unnecessary complexity is not.
In today’s environment, clients don’t need more information. They need better judgment. One principle that has shaped the way I work came from a mentor early in my career: as advisors, our role is not just to explain possibilities, but to support decisions. That means building solutions alongside the cliente, having a clear point of view, rather than being evasive.
That’s where I believe we can truly make a difference.
What are your priorities for the Brazilian practice in the coming years?
The priority is to build a practice that is both technically outstanding and strategically relevant. That means three things:
- Developing a strong, high-performing team with a global mindset
- Positioning ourselves as trusted advisors in complex, high-impact situations
- Actively contributing to the market discussion around the evolution of transfer pricing in Brazil
More than growing in size, the goal is to build a practice that clients seek not only for execution, but for perspective.