DAVID F. DELGADO S. | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
They had only just completed their first trimester in the Master in Finance at EGADE Business School of Tecnológico de Monterrey when a group of students decided to build an organization that could outlast their own generation: a society capable of connecting the program community with the financial industry and creating a structure for those who come next.
That is how SEMAF, the nationwide student society of the Master in Finance, was created. Its first board of directors was formally sworn in on August 17.
Its purpose is structured around three areas: industry engagement and technical skills development, and applied learning. To achieve this, the society seeks to connect students with professionals in investment banking, capital markets, asset management and corporate finance, while creating opportunities to work with tools and cases used across the industry.
A society designed to continue across generations
The initiative was launched by Jaime de Jesús Garza Yarte, Génesis Yael Menchaca Reyes and Natalia Pulido Villarreal. From the outset, they sought to build an organization that could continue beyond their own time in the program.
“SEMAF is here to stay — not only for our generation, but also for those that follow,” said Garza Yarte, president of the society, during its formation process.
The board of directors is composed of Jaime de Jesús Garza Yarte, president; Génesis Yael Menchaca Reyes, vice president; Natalia Pulido Villarreal, Finance Director; Marco Antonio Acevedo Mendoza, Projects Director; María Fernanda Enríquez González, Communications Director; and Hernán Lozano Castillejos, Social Responsibility Director.
Alicia Fernanda Galindo Manríquez, director of the Master in Finance at EGADE Business School in Monterrey, serves as the society’s advisor.
From the classroom to the financial sector in practice
SEMAF seeks to help students understand not only financial concepts, but also the institutions, functions and decisions that shape the sector. To support this goal, it plans meetings with professionals and activities focused on investment banking, capital markets, asset management and corporate finance.
Its agenda includes practical training on industry platforms such as Bloomberg and S&P Capital IQ Pro, applied to company valuation and market analysis, as well as projects based on real-world cases developed alongside firms and companies in the sector.
This approach aligns with the Master in Finance curriculum, which covers corporate finance, financial markets, data science and digital finance, as well as artificial intelligence models applied to finance. The program also provides access to Bloomberg intelligence labs and databases such as LSEG and Capital IQ for economic and financial analysis.
“What excites me most about SEMAF is creating spaces and opportunities to sharpen our technical skills, build a genuine network within the financial sector and showcase the talent in EGADE’s Master in Finance,” said Garza Yarte.
Networks that begin in graduate school and extend into industry
Professional engagement is another priority for SEMAF: connecting students and alumni with industry specialists, while increasing visibility of the different career paths within the financial sector.
“Being vice president represents both an opportunity and a responsibility to lay the foundation for a project that can leave an important legacy in the Master in Finance. I hope to help build a close-knit community, create valuable connections among students, alumni and industry leaders, and increase visibility of the different career paths within finance to support current and future generations,” said Menchaca Reyes, vice president of SEMAF.
For Pulido Villarreal, Finance Director, the society also provides an opportunity to apply what she has learned in the graduate program to a concrete responsibility within the student community. “Being part of SEMAF means actively contributing to stronger connections among its members and applying the knowledge I have gained during the master’s program in my role as Finance Director. I want to make the most of the opportunities EGADE offers while creating networking opportunities with the financial industry in Mexico and internationally.”
With its first board of directors now in place, SEMAF begins the next stage of turning its commitment to continuity into activities, projects and relationships that future generations of the Master in Finance at EGADE Business School can build upon.
