Ruben Bake is a seasoned global business leader with more than 20 years of experience leading and integrating international organizations across North America and Europe.

He has held senior leadership roles in Fortune 500 and private-equity–owned companies, with direct responsibility for global P&Ls, post-acquisition transformations, and cross-border growth initiatives. His experience includes turning around underperforming businesses, professionalizing management systems, and delivering substantial EBITDA growth in PE environments.

Ruben has lived and worked extensively in the U.S., Europe and South America, speaks multiple languages, and brings first-hand insight into how cultural dynamics affect leadership alignment, decision-making, and execution after cross-border acquisitions.

Purpose of this Blog

Insights.CrossBorderIntegration is created by a practitioner—not a career consultant.

I have sat on the side of the table where integration success or failure directly impacts results. I have led businesses through cross-border change, implemented disciplined management systems in culturally diverse organizations, and worked with leadership teams who were skeptical of “corporate” processes—but needed them to scale and perform.

What makes the difference is not the frameworks—it is how we apply them.

I like to focus on and explore the few execution levers that matter most after a deal closes: operating cadence, decision clarity, leadership alignment, and disciplined follow-through. And apply them with cultural intelligence—adapting to local realities rather than forcing uniformity.

Having lived and worked across multiple countries, I understand the friction that emerges between headquarters expectations and local market identity. I seek to understand how to reduce that friction, not amplify it.

Cross-border integrations succeed when culture supports execution, not the other way around.