National President of Coparmex delivers the inaugural address at the CLADEA 2021 Virtual International Congress, co-organized by EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey and held from October 25 to 27. 

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

The 8.3% decline in Mexico’s economy in 2020, double that of countries with similar economies, such as Chile and Brazil, is the result of the COVID-19 crisis and a decision by the Mexican Government not to inject resources to reactivate the economy, claimed José Medina Mora, National President of the Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex).

The business leader delivered the inaugural address at the CLADEA 2021 Virtual International Congress, co-organized by EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey and held from October 25 to 27 with the theme “Innovation, conscious business and the future of education.”

During the pandemic, Medina Mora pointed out, in Mexico more than 1,100,000 formal jobs were lost, representing 5% of the same, and over a million companies have disappeared, particularly micro and small enterprise.

“However, averages don’t help us understand what happened and which challenges we are facing in companies,” he said.

Responding with innovation is the main challenge that organizations will be facing, Medina Mora explained.

“Technology and virtuality have changed the way in which people and companies interact. An enormous challenge for us is how we capitalize on the advantages produced by the pandemic,” he added.

Apart from Medina Mora, others present at the opening ceremony were Osmar Zavaleta, Interim Dean of EGADE Business School; Raúl Montalvo, Director of EGADE Business School, Guadalajara site; Andrés Toledo, President of the Steering Committee 2019-2021, CLADEA; and Manuel Ortiz de Zevallos, Executive Director of CLADEA.

INNOVATION, CONSCIOUS BUSINESS AND THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION

The congress brought together around 700 academic leaders, educators, researchers, and doctoral students from around the globe in plenary sessions, conferences, panels, workshops, scientific paper presentations, and social activities.

The event closed with a traditional mariachi serenata, representative of Jalisco, the state where EGADE Business School’s Guadalajara site is located.

CLADEA is an international network that brings together higher education institutions and organizations committed to management education and research.

At present, CLADEA has 237 member institutions, both private and public, from 30 countries in America, Europe, and Oceania. EGADE Business School is a member of CLADEA