By José Ángel de la Paz
Nearly 200 graduates from EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey returned this year to their alma mater to celebrate the second Annual Alumni Reunion in Mexico City.
The activities began in the evening of July 5th with the conferral of the first EGADE Alumni Achievement Award 2019 to Ana Karen Ramírez Téllez, graduate from the Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship program of EGADE Business School, and founder and CEO of Epic Queen.
The young entrepreneur won the award for her leadership and social innovation at the head of this nonprofit, which is narrowing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (the so-called “STEM degrees”), offering online and face-to-face education to more than 20,000 girls and young women in Mexico.
The next day, July 6th, the graduates participated in class sessions, conferences and panels with renowned EGADE Business School alumni and faculty.
Ignacio de la Vega, dean of EGADE Business School and the School of Business of Tecnológico de Monterrey, praised the role of “one of our most important assets: this rich community of talented alumni.”
“The possibility of coming together and returning to the classroom to share the values of leadership, innovation and social commitment, common to everyone at EGADE Business School, is extremely enriching and uplifting,” said the dean.
Engel Fonseca, CEO of Potenttial Group, offered the conference “Management 2.0 and intelligence in the Digital era”.
"Management must focus on triggering the team’s highest potential, which translates into channeled freedom for innovation,” explained the also Vice-President of Manos Accelerator.
Later on, the alumni participated in parallel class sessions with EGADE Business School faculty members, Fernando Moya, Jesús Garza, Luli Pesqueira and Elliott Kruse to learn about the latest in business innovations, Mexico’s economic outlook, corporate sustainability and future vision.
Regarding the panel “Artificial Intelligence Artificial and the Future of Talent”, moderated by Néstor Márquez, LinkedIn TopVoice LATAM 2018, participants commented:
"Being digital goes beyond having technology; there should be processes, experiences and cultural attributes. We shouldn’t just have technology, but also understand and mature it,” said Jorge Ponga, Human Capital partner at Deloitte México.
"Nowadays, we need to evolve structurally and create new positions to solve the challenges the digital revolution is taking to industries,” assured Yazmin Díaz, Digital Employer Branding & Recruitment Coordinator at L’Oréal.
"New technologies help us to analyze and make decisions faster,” indicated Roberto Villalvazo, Global Head of HR Development at Nemak.
“The digital revolution is here to stay; as individuals, we need to learn and evolve our skills constantly," stated Paulina Soriano, Global Talent Acquisition at Cinépolis.
The activities also included the Alumni Talks, by four outstanding graduates who recounted their leadership experiences:
“In life, we don’t have what we deserve, but what we’ve negotiated,” explained Alma Rosa García, EMBA graduate and CEO of Cielito Querido Café.
“When the priorities are clear, decisions are easy. I have four principles for transcending: do what you like doing, do it well, generate value for others and make it your way of life,” expressed Jorge Torres, OneMBA alumnus and President of FedEx Express in Mexico and of AmCham/México.
“Lifelong learning is a necessity; you never stop learning. Follow your dreams and you will achieve them,” said Irene Espínola, MMT graduate and Global Director of Renewable Energy at Grupo Bimbo.
“Invest in whatever will take you wherever you want to go; you are your most valuable intangible," expressed Adriana Berrocal, EMBA alumna and partner at Deloitte.
In the networking session that brought the event to a close, the alumni were reunited with their graduate classmates, concluding the catch-up weekend with the opportunity to meet other business leaders and continue to drive innovation to support the development of Mexico.