Participants of 21 different nationalities explore the economic and financial perspectives of Mexico and the United States, backed by EGADE Business School and Miami Herbert Business School.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Eighty-five students, from the OneMBA Class of 2021, gathered together virtually from March 8 to 13 to participate in the North America Residency, as part of the global immersion experiences included in the program.

The participants of 21 different nationalities explored the North American business environment from the economic and financial perspectives of Mexico and the United States, guided by EGADE Business School and Miami Herbert Business School professors.

Activities included sessions with academics and opinion leaders from both schools, talks and discussion panels with business leaders from the region, cultural experiences from both countries, and spaces for networking.

A broad diversity of topics was discussed, spanning sustainable business, corporate innovation, trends in the Covid-19 era, cybersecurity, transformational leadership, among many others.

Among the guest speakers were Jorge Luis Torres Aguilar, OneMBA graduate and Vice-President of Operations at FedEx Express in Mexico; Leticia Gammill, Security Channels Leader at Cisco, and Founder and President of WOMCY; Fernando Sepúlveda, President of the Association of Mexican Entrepreneurs in the United States; and Alex Sánchez, President and CEO of Florida Bankers Association, to name a few.

Some of the students shared their experiences and key takeaways obtained during the North America Residency:

“A very good mix of cultural immersions, and macro environment and insight lectures, as well as leadership development content. I found it inspiring. We are in a global business environment; nothing is purely regional, given the interaction with and impact on each other. We need to think about how to make the world sustainable and care about humanity.” Li Li, a Chinese student at the School of Management, Xiamen University.

“EGADE and Miami Herbert Business Schools did a very good job with the online experience for this residency. Not only did they invite good speakers, but we also had the opportunity to practice negotiation skills and leadership exchange experiences, strengthening our abilities to shape and define the future. I appreciated the coffee chats to network with our colleagues from different parts of the world. I was surprised by the positive economic theory of Paulo Leme showing us that the post-Covid reopening of the economy can lead to sustainable, non-inflationary growth. Another key takeaway for me was the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to produce and innovate together to compete for vis-a-vis with the rest of the world. I am more aware now of how they want to proceed and the importance of thinking in terms of regions to create specific synergies.” Sarah Soenen, a Belgian student at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University.

“A key component of thriving in the new normal produced by the Covid-19 pandemic is blending a deep level of resilience with professionalism. The two factors were brilliantly displayed throughout the residency, as was an astute demonstration of why the OneMBA program academics are at the top of their respective academic games (the talk on negotiation was spot-on). My key takeaway from the North American residency, on the region’s business environment, is that the area is one of vast opportunities, but with deeply ingrained complexities and paradoxes. I enjoyed discussing the topic of sustainability in business. I found it particularly interesting to see how the issue of sustainability is no longer a choice, but a necessity, for modern business. I also enjoyed the different talks on health and wellness. Personally, a lesson I have learned from the ongoing pandemic is the need to show (and demand) empathy for others when our worlds circle out of tilt. I genuinely hope it is a lesson that we all remember after the pandemic ends.” Bob Enofe, a Nigerian student at Sao Paulo School of Business Administration, Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP).

“I really had a great time during these days. The content was great and very helpful for my studies on the region. The level of interaction with my peers was much more profound and productive than our previous residency, which was unexpected given the constraints of the virtual environment. North America is booming again. After several years of self-isolation, the US government is showing signs of re-engagement with the outside world. Mexico and Canada are going to profit from the reopening of the US markets as the vaccination plans roll out before schedule. The US economy and Florida Banks were the technical meetings I enjoyed the most. But what stole my heart and my mind was Saturday’s session, where self-development took the stage. Again, congratulations to the EGADE/UM teams who worked hard to bring truly personal experiences (life mindfulness) into the ‘Zoom world.’” Gabriel Cambuí, a Brazilian student at Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami.

“The experience was awesome! It is so great to have the opportunity to share the best of our region with people from all over the planet, our culture, our food, our people, and the way we do business. With the pandemic slowly going away, I think we have all learned that the only way we can get out of this and future challenges is by working together. North America is a huge economic bloc with huge potential and the capacity to cooperate with other regions in the globe in the quest for development, sustainability, and social improvements. I believe the most relevant topics for the current situation revolve around well-being, work-life balance, leadership through uncertainty, and innovation. Both the synchronous and asynchronous lectures equipped us with many tools and knowledge that we can easily use and bring back to our workplace.” Emmanuel Echeverría, a Mexican student at EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey.

“Although it was a 100% virtual residency, the presentations, discussions, and panels were extremely revealing regarding economic data and impacts throughout each North American country and as a cluster. My most important takeaway is that USMCA, as one of the world’s most profitable and developed commercial agreements in the globe, nowadays depends on traditional industries that may well disappear in the near future due to the accelerated technological disruption boosted by the Covid-19 pandemic. We also had great talks on the increased importance of developing and maintaining a humane mindset.” Mauricio Lecea, Mexican student at EGADE Business School.

Another exiting day at the North America Residency of the #OneMBA. Our EXATEC Roberto Sanchez showed to our international leaders the most common and savory dishes that Mexico offers. ¡Buen provecho! ? ? ? @robersanchezva pic.twitter.com/kLNfgQp906

— EGADE Business School (@egade) March 13, 2021

This global residency is one of the four included in the OneMBA curriculum. This time there were participants from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Rumania, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, United States and Venezuela.

OneMBA students are from an international consortium of schools that offer this executive global program, and are senior-level executives who live and work across the globe.

The consortium schools are:

• EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico
• Sao Paulo School of Business Administration, Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP), Brazil
• Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, Netherlands
• School of Management, Xiamen University (SMXMU), China
• Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami, United States

The global executive program OneMBA was launched in 2002 and its first class graduated in 2004. Today, its network of 1,400 graduates in leadership positions is spread across 50 countries.