Australian Broker Blueberry Builds Out LATAM Team With Another Hire

Monday, 08/06/2026 | 09:53 GMT by Damian Chmiel
  • Jeffrey Navarro joins from AvaTrade as LATAM head, two months after Blueberry hired Mario Saudino for the same region.
  • The Australian broker is building a Latin American team as it chases growth beyond its home market.
From left: Mario Saudino and Jeffrey Navarro
From left: Mario Saudino and Jeffrey Navarro

Blueberry has hired Jeffrey Navarro as its head of Latin America, the second senior appointment to the region in roughly two months as the Australian forex and CFD broker tries to gain ground in one of retail trading's most contested markets.

Navarro, who spent close to two years running LATAM for AvaTrade, said on LinkedIn last week that he had joined the firm.

His arrival adds to Blueberry's March hire of Mario Saudino, the former STARTRADER regional director who came on as LATAM regional manager.

Navarro carries the more senior "head of" title, so the two appointments point to a layered regional desk rather than one executive swapping in for another.

A Second LATAM Hire Lands on Top of the First

Navarro has worked in online trading for close to two decades. He started at FXCM in the late 2000s, where he helped grow the firm's Spanish-speaking client base, then ran LATAM and Spain desks at Tickmill, Taurex and Axi before moving to AvaTrade in 2024.

He is based in Colombia and began the Blueberry role in May, according to his own account, though the move surfaced publicly only last week.

Saudino, who is based in Mexico, joined in March after four years at STARTRADER. He spent earlier stints at TigerWit, Global Markets Group, Roar Forex and IKON Group.

Navarro framed the move as a team effort, naming Saudino and Blueberry's commercial chief among the draw.

"We are building a fantastic and extremely professional team," he wrote, also pointing to several other people he said were joining the regional push. Blueberry has been steadily widening its leadership bench, having promoted its head of trading to chief operating officer last year.

Blueberry Chases a Crowded Latin American Market

Latin America has become one of the busiest battlegrounds in retail FX and CFDs, with brokers competing on local payment rails, introducing-broker networks and Spanish-language support.

The region rewards firms with established local relationships, which is why regional hires tend to be the first visible sign that a broker is serious about it.

Navarro's own resume maps the competition. AvaTrade, where he ran LATAM from 2024 to late 2025, has long courted the region, as have Taurex, where he was head of LATAM from 2022 to 2024, and Tickmill, where he covered LATAM and Spain from 2019 to 2022.

Saudino's former employer STARTRADER has spent the past several years building out the same territory.

Blueberry arrives later than most of those names. The broker, regulated by ASIC in Australia with offshore licenses in Vanuatu and St Vincent and the Grenadines, has spent the past two years broadening its reach, including a rebrand that dropped "Markets" from its name and a multi-platform expansion.

Staffing a dedicated LATAM team is the latest attempt to turn that wider footprint into share in a market where rivals are already entrenched.

The Axi Alumni Network Shows Up Again

The hires also extend a recruiting pattern that has defined Blueberry since the start.

Founder and chief executive Dean Hyde came from Axi, and he has repeatedly filled senior roles with former colleagues, including chief commercial officer Ajak Biar, who joined from the same broker. The company has drawn other executives from Axi as well.

Navarro fits the mold. He did a stint at Axi earlier in his career, and in announcing the move he described Saudino and Biar as old friends, language that underlines how relationship-driven the buildout is.

Expansion Follows Prop Trading and Middle East Moves

The LATAM build is the newest leg of a broader expansion. Blueberry moved into proprietary trading in 2024 with the launch of Blueberry Funded, a brand that later said it had paid out $2.3 million to traders in its first year.

The firm has also added trading platforms including DXtrade and cTrader and pushed into the Middle East.

Blueberry has hired Jeffrey Navarro as its head of Latin America, the second senior appointment to the region in roughly two months as the Australian forex and CFD broker tries to gain ground in one of retail trading's most contested markets.

Navarro, who spent close to two years running LATAM for AvaTrade, said on LinkedIn last week that he had joined the firm.

His arrival adds to Blueberry's March hire of Mario Saudino, the former STARTRADER regional director who came on as LATAM regional manager.

Navarro carries the more senior "head of" title, so the two appointments point to a layered regional desk rather than one executive swapping in for another.

A Second LATAM Hire Lands on Top of the First

Navarro has worked in online trading for close to two decades. He started at FXCM in the late 2000s, where he helped grow the firm's Spanish-speaking client base, then ran LATAM and Spain desks at Tickmill, Taurex and Axi before moving to AvaTrade in 2024.

He is based in Colombia and began the Blueberry role in May, according to his own account, though the move surfaced publicly only last week.

Saudino, who is based in Mexico, joined in March after four years at STARTRADER. He spent earlier stints at TigerWit, Global Markets Group, Roar Forex and IKON Group.

Navarro framed the move as a team effort, naming Saudino and Blueberry's commercial chief among the draw.

"We are building a fantastic and extremely professional team," he wrote, also pointing to several other people he said were joining the regional push. Blueberry has been steadily widening its leadership bench, having promoted its head of trading to chief operating officer last year.

Blueberry Chases a Crowded Latin American Market

Latin America has become one of the busiest battlegrounds in retail FX and CFDs, with brokers competing on local payment rails, introducing-broker networks and Spanish-language support.

The region rewards firms with established local relationships, which is why regional hires tend to be the first visible sign that a broker is serious about it.

Navarro's own resume maps the competition. AvaTrade, where he ran LATAM from 2024 to late 2025, has long courted the region, as have Taurex, where he was head of LATAM from 2022 to 2024, and Tickmill, where he covered LATAM and Spain from 2019 to 2022.

Saudino's former employer STARTRADER has spent the past several years building out the same territory.

Blueberry arrives later than most of those names. The broker, regulated by ASIC in Australia with offshore licenses in Vanuatu and St Vincent and the Grenadines, has spent the past two years broadening its reach, including a rebrand that dropped "Markets" from its name and a multi-platform expansion.

Staffing a dedicated LATAM team is the latest attempt to turn that wider footprint into share in a market where rivals are already entrenched.

The Axi Alumni Network Shows Up Again

The hires also extend a recruiting pattern that has defined Blueberry since the start.

Founder and chief executive Dean Hyde came from Axi, and he has repeatedly filled senior roles with former colleagues, including chief commercial officer Ajak Biar, who joined from the same broker. The company has drawn other executives from Axi as well.

Navarro fits the mold. He did a stint at Axi earlier in his career, and in announcing the move he described Saudino and Biar as old friends, language that underlines how relationship-driven the buildout is.

Expansion Follows Prop Trading and Middle East Moves

The LATAM build is the newest leg of a broader expansion. Blueberry moved into proprietary trading in 2024 with the launch of Blueberry Funded, a brand that later said it had paid out $2.3 million to traders in its first year.

The firm has also added trading platforms including DXtrade and cTrader and pushed into the Middle East.

About the Author: Damian Chmiel
Damian Chmiel
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About the Author: Damian Chmiel
Damian Chmiel is a Senior Analyst & Editor at Finance Magnates with more than 15 years of experience in the CFD and online trading industry. Active as both a trader and journalist since 2010, he focuses on broker coverage, fintech innovation, and regulatory developments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His work includes interviews with C-level leaders at major brokerages and fintech platforms, as well as co-authoring Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry benchmarking reports. Damian’s reporting is data-driven, market-aware, and grounded in direct industry engagement. His analysis and commentary have also been cited by external media outlets, including Investing.com, Binance, The Asset, Stockhead, and Dispatch. Education: MA in Finance and Accounting, Cracow University of Economics
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