The IMEF Grupo Monterrey and EGADE Business School forum presents conferences and panels to reconcile work and personal life.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Leaders and experts in social impact and organizational and human development exchanged ideas at the Work-Life Balance Forum 2020: Towards Conscious Leadership, to promote change in organizational structures and support equal opportunities for men and women.

Promoted by IMEF Grupo Monterrey and EGADE Business School, the event helped attendees discover diverse testimonials to reconcile their work and personal life, as well as best practices in topics related to leadership and inclusion.

Participants were welcomed by Sanjuana Herrera, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, IMEF Grupo Monterrey, and María Concepción del Alto, Director of the Master in Finance, EGADE Business School, Monterrey site.

In the inaugural conference "Transform to transcend", Martha Herrera, Global Social Responsibility Director at CEMEX, urged attendees to integrate their purpose and culture in order to become conscious leaders, and to continue to discover their life plan and strengthen their alliances to face up to challenges and turn them into opportunities.

"Once you transform yourself, you can help others achieve their own transformations,” she said.

The forum included the panel "Life-work balance, a key factor for leadership", with the participation of Dulce Valeria Cortés, EGADE Business School  alumna and Risk Director at Vector Casa de Bolsa; Sandra Shadick, Consul General of Canada in Monterrey, Mexico; Teresa Galindo, CEO of Lenovo Data Center Group; and Yvonne Ochoa, independent director.

Another panel held was "Generating a new work ecosystem", moderated by Jaime Martínez Bowness, Director of EGADE Business School, Mexico City site, with Diego Lainez, EGADE Business School alumnus and founder of Dare to Learn; Edith González, Talent and Culture Director, Grupo Financiero Base; Penélope Morales, founder of Nutrigrains and DoRH; and Rosario Toro, Director of Training and Development at  Banregio.

As part of the conferences, Ricardo Saldívar, former president of The Home Depot, offered the talk "Leadership for inclusion and life balance ".

"To be inclusive, we need to eliminate bias, relinquish privilege, and show empathy," he said.

In addition, Samantha Ricciardi, CEO of BlackRock México, offered the talk “Gender equality in the financial sector, a catalyst of development”.

EGADE is once more the only school in Mexico to be positioned within the highest category of the 5 Palmes of Excellence, leads the Top 3 in Latin America and is located within the Top 30 in the world.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey reaffirmed its leadership as the best business school in Mexico and Latin America for the thirteenth year running, according to the results of the Eduniversal Business Schools Ranking 2020.

EGADE featured once more, as it has since 2007, as the only school in Mexico to be rated within the highest category of the 5 Palmes of Excellence, which includes the 100 best business schools in the world, considered “universal business schools with a strong global influence.”

Within this select group, EGADE Business School was also positioned in first place out of four schools from Latin America and among the top 30 worldwide.

The ranking results were revealed during the Eduniversal World Convention 2020, held virtually from November 10 to 13.

Within the framework of the event, a delegation led by Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School, received the 2020 awards for the 5 Palmes of Excellence and first place in the Top 3 in the Latin American region.  

“We are facing unprecedented global challenges and the role of business schools in the preparation of the leaders demanded by our society is becoming more critical than ever. This recognition inspires us to continue to reinvent ourselves, our portfolio, our teaching methods, and our institution in order to fulfill our commitment to empowering omni-entrepreneurial leaders capable of creating shared value and shaping a better, more inclusive future,”  said the dean.

The ranking evaluates a selection of the 1,000 best business schools in 154 countries and 9 geographic zones, generated annually by the Eduniversal International Scientific Committee (ISC).

The ranking methodology allows for a horizontal, inclusive comparison among schools, since they are classified by country and in five levels (Palmes of Excellence), taking into consideration the Deans’ vote, a survey of deans from the best educational institutions in the world, among other criteria.

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At the convention, De la Vega also participated as a speaker and offered the conference “Preparing resilient leaders for the new global context”, in which he addressed the unique, disruptive approach of the TEC21 educational model and the HyFlex+Tec class modality implemented in response to the COVID-19 contingency.

View the results of the Eduniversal Business Schools Ranking 2020 for Mexico here and the Top 3 by geographic zone here.

Nominations for admittance to or continuance in the National System of Researchers (SNI) ratify the excellence, innovativeness, and transcendence of the work carried out by the institution’s researchers.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Twenty-three professors from EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey were recognized in the 2020 Call for admittance to or Continuance in the National System of Researchers (SNI) of the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt).

“Congratulations to our professors for these well-deserved achievements that will undoubtedly contribute to the consolidation of their careers as researchers and ratify the excellence, innovativeness, and transcendence of their academic work,” said Osmar Zavaleta, Associate Dean of Research, EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

The academics who received recognitions were:

Admitted:

• SNI-Candidate Level: From EGADE Business School, Dr. Carlos Alberto Vargas Castolo (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics), Dr. Fernando Andrés Moya Dávila (GIEE – Entrepreneurship and Innovation), Dr. Iván Adolfo Valdovinos Hernández and Dr. Rolando Fuentes Bracamontes (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics), and from the Undergraduate Business School, Dr. Alicia Fernanda Galindo Manrique (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics), Dr. Christian Yarid Ayala Millán (GIEE - Leadership), Dr. Cristian Granados Sánchez (GIEE - Entrepreneurship and Innovation), Dr. Dante Benito Castro Solano (GIEE - Entrepreneurship and Innovation), Dr. David Rebollo Catalán, Dr. Diana Kolbe (GIEE - Consumer Behavior and Conscious Marketing), Dr. Eduardo Armando (GIEE – Organizational Strategy and Management in Emerging Economies), Dr. Evodio Kaltenecker Retto De Queiroz and Dr. Jorge Rubén Keith Islas.

Readmitted:

• SNI-Level I: From EGADE Business School, Dr. Claudia María Quintanilla Domínguez (GIEE - Consumer Behavior and Conscious Marketing) and Dr. Martha Corrales Estrada (GIEE - Entrepreneurship and Innovation), and from the Undergraduate Business School, Dr. Montserrat Reyna Miranda (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics).

Promotions:

• From SNI-Level I to SNI-Level II: From EGADE Business School, Dr. Edgar Antonio Centeno Velázquez (GIEE - Consumer Behavior and Conscious Marketing).

• From SNI Candidate Level to SNI-Level I: From EGADE Business School, Dr. Eduardo Saucedo de la Fuente (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics), and from the Undergraduate Business School, Dr. Andreas Michael Hartmann Ehlich (GIEE - Organizational Strategy and Management in Emerging Economies) and Dr. Felipe Abelardo Pérez Sosa (GIEE - Finance and Macroeconomics).

Continuance:

• SNI-Level II: From EGADE Business School, Dr. Laura Esther Zapata Cantú (GIEE - Organizational Strategy and Management in Emerging Economies).

• SNI- Level I: From the Undergraduate Business School, Dr. Alejandro Alvarado Herrera (GIEE - Consumer Behavior and Conscious Marketing).

One-year extension:

• SNI-Level Candidate: from EGADE Business School, Dr. Eduardo Enrique Aguiñaga Maldonado (GIEE – Social Innovation).

With these new admissions, readmissions, promotions, continuances, and extension, which will come into effect in January 2021, the recognition of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School professors by the National System of Researchers has been consolidated, growing from 70 to 83 professors recognized by SNI, of whom 42 belong the Candidate Level, 26 to SNI Level I, 12 to SNI-II, and three to SNI Level III.

Additionally, a total of 11 EGADE Business School graduates of the Doctorate in Administrative Sciences and the Doctorate in Financial Sciences obtained SNI admission or continuance (8 at the Candidate Level and 3 at Level I) in the 2020 Call of the National System of Researchers.

During INCmty, experts urged people to "innovate innovation" by addressing the characteristics of the new circular systems entrepreneur, and the myths and realities of the Circular Economy.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

As part of INCmty 2020, experts in Circular Economy from EGADE Business School clarified a number of ideas and misinterpretations related to this economic concept. They also addressed the characteristics that define the new circular systems entrepreneur.

As part of the agenda of the Sustainability Summit, Eduardo Aguiñaga, National Director of the Master in Business Management, and Carlos Scheel, Emeritus Professor, presented “Myths and realities of the Circular Economy.”

Aguiñaga emphasized that the circular economy is not just "a new and fashionable concept" that will soon cease to be relevant but, on the contrary, it is the paradigm that will prevent the world from running out of resources.

Compared to the linear economy system that basically involves "taking, using and throwing away," the circular economy is a regenerative system articulated socially, economically and environmentally to maintain the value of resources and reduce both the input of materials and the output of waste. This creates a closed loop or circle where waste is designed to be reintroduced into the production system.

Among the most common false interpretations, Aguiñaga pointed out the following:

• "The circular economy is very difficult to implement." It is not; it is also urgent and necessary.
• "The circular economy is only applied in large companies and/or developed countries." False; emerging fields and countries also have the potential.
• "Biobased, recyclable and/or multi-use items are much better than single-use products." Not necessarily; it depends on the impact of the process used to manufacture them.
• "Supporters of the circular economy postulate the absolute elimination of plastics." False; the challenge is making sure that the plastic does not pollute.
• "The circular economy focuses on generating less waste and not polluting so much." No; it focuses on thinking about what to do with the waste.
• “The decoupling between income generation and resource extraction that the circular economy seeks is practically impossible to achieve”. False; it is possible.​

Scheel indicated that new circular systems entrepreneurs are different from conventional entrepreneurs, and their endeavors go beyond just setting up sustainable or "green" businesses.

To be circular systems entrepreneurs, people must:

• Break the 20th-century paradigm of linear innovation.
• Migrate from linear business models to circular systems business models.
• Move from being conventional analytical leaders to leading the creation of conditions and systems.
• Be specialists in unusual processes.
• Be systemic and circular entrepreneurs who generate sustainable wealth.

“You have to innovate the innovation of the 20th century. Why? Because the challenges are different from those of the last century. There are other priorities for the planet, its citizens and industry,” said Scheel.

For example, he observed that the innovation of electric cars does not solve the problems of mobility, road chaos, and public transport because they are not systemically designed to generate value extended to the environment, society, and markets.

“The characteristics of the new entrepreneurs are disruptive innovation, a systemic approach, a circular economy, and unusual processes. They are leaders who assemble systems,” he explained.

Scheel concluded that the objective of starting up unusual new businesses is to transform an idea related to a problem, or a linear business initiative, into a “circular business system with sustainable and extended value” that is financially profitable, has an attractive market and is designed to participate in an economy aligned to the sustainable growth of the country.

Experts agree that technological change depends on human vision and talent, in a chat during the INCmty 2020 entrepreneurship festival.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Latin American companies are lagging in digital transformation, a situation that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, observed Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School - Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Nevertheless, there are reasons to be optimistic.

“Interestingly, this transformation depends on human talent: that’s the good news,” claimed Wilson Pais, Digital Native Companies Lead, Microsoft in Latin America.

De la Vega and Pais conversed in the “Fireside chat: Work automation and the challenges faced by businesses with the application of AI,” within INCmty 2020.

The Microsoft executive urged entrepreneurs to go beyond being just users of new technologies, considering that today, for example, anyone can program artificial intelligence, since it depends on people’s knowledge and skills.

Pais shared three “human” keys to drive business transformation:

• Create: be actors of transformation rather than just adapting what large companies are doing.
• Execute: generate ideas, but, above all, realize them.
• Be empathetic: use technology to develop the products or services the world needs.

Pais went on to explain that, beyond COVID-19, even greater challenges loom on the horizon, for example climate change, for which every possible solution will be needed, including technologies such as artificial intelligence.

“Entrepreneurship is clearly the path we should follow to solve humanity’s problems,” De la Vega added.

Researchers from different universities and countries presented their work at the third edition of the International Entrepreneurship Research Meeting.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

As part of the III International Meeting on Entrepreneurship Research, INCmty 2020 opened up a space for actors and agents of change to discuss entrepreneurial education and new regional development schemes.

Under the theme of “Entrepreneurship for human flourishing,” EGADE Business School, the Eugenio Garza Lagüera Entrepreneurship Institute of Tecnológico de Monterrey, and the University of Cantabria organized a virtual event on November 2nd and 3rd of this year.

In addition to panels and conferences, it included the presentation of 28 papers on three lines of research: "Entrepreneurial education," "Social entrepreneurship" and "Ecosystems and regional entrepreneurship" by 55 authors from 14 universities in Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Spain.

"The times we live in require a new profile in terms of conscious, social entrepreneurship without forgetting business profitability," said Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School, at the opening of the event.

He was accompanied at the inauguration by Osmar Zavaleta, Associate Dean of Research at EGADE Business School; José Ernesto Amorós, National Director of Doctoral Programs at EGADE Business School; Geraldina Silveyra, Academic Director of the Eugenio Garza Lagüera Entrepreneurship Institute; and Concepción López Fernández, Director of the Santander Chair of Family Business at the University of Cantabria.

Participants as this edition of the international meeting discussed how, in the specific context of entrepreneurship, research on human flourishing and well-being is still only in its initial stages.

Some research shows that innovation and entrepreneurship not only drive economic growth, but also increase life satisfaction, since entrepreneurship is a potential source of personal development, growth, and well-being.

Unlike in other economic activities, entrepreneurs enjoy a level of freedom and control that allows them to obtain a greater sense of purpose with respect to their work, make use of their innate talents and abilities, and participate in meaningful activities through self-directed tasks.

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FOCUS ON WELLNESS

In the panel “Alternatives to traditional entrepreneurship models focused on human well-being and flourishing,” Matthew Guttentag, Director of Research and Impact at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), pointed out that it is not only important to support entrepreneurs, but also to support the surrounding institutions.

Jesús Campos, Director of CIIESS at the Ibero-American University (IBERO), called for people to promote the research and practices of the social and solidarity economy as a way of detonating the potential of people in conditions of poverty and vulnerability.

Meanwhile, Dafna Kariv, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Head of the Capstone Program at Adelson School of Entrepreneurship - IDC Herzliya, cautioned that public support programs tend to prioritize and protect established organizations, while neglecting small companies, startups, and entrepreneurial ventures.

“This situation has been aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis. Investment in startups has decreased. Startups are experiencing difficulties with liquidity and laying off employees, while large companies are hiring,” she said.

However, startups are thriving in some sectors, such as medical and communication technology; in others, startup sales have increased dramatically, with financial support exploding and expanding.

"Startups are simultaneously one of the sectors most negatively affected by COVID-19 and one of the most ‘fortunate’ sectors to be affected by the crisis," she said.

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EMPOWERMENT AND TRANSFORMATION

In his conference “Entrepreneurship and innovation to alleviate poverty,” Michael Morris, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at the University of Notre Dame, argued that, when thinking about entrepreneurship, we must do so in terms of empowerment and transformation.

“Empowerment to create your own work and work for others, to create your own identity, future, sense of pride and worth; and transformation to transform markets, business practices, industries, your own self, your family, communities and economies,” he said.

And this approach must not lose sight of a reality in which 22 percent of the world's population lives in poverty and 10 percent in extreme poverty.

"Entrepreneurship is part of the solution," Morris said.

Presidents of Danone and Unilever in Latin America converse within the EGADE Future Forum webinar series.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

The presidents of two of the largest fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies in Latin America and in the world met to discuss the sector’s current situation, within the EGADE Future Forum series.

The webinar “Trends and challenges in the consumer goods industry” was moderated by Jaime Martínez Bowness, Director of EGADE Business School, Mexico City site, who advised of a rise in the number of consumers with a greater concern for their health and for the environment.

Silvia Dávila, President for Latin America at Danone Group, observed that an increasing number of consumers are moving away from a lactose diet, which is why her company has developed alternative plant-based products.

“(In this regard,) we were very active during 2017 when we purchased WhiteWave Foods, which gave us two amazing brands, Silk, for America, and Alpro, for Europe, among others, thereby setting our sights on new worlds. This is our fastest-growing business since it has truly become a trend,” she mentioned.

In turn, Reginaldo Ecclissato, President of Unilever North Latin America and General Manager of Unilever Mexico, confirmed that the purpose of his company today is to make sustainability the norm in our everyday lives.

“We are certain that the only way to guarantee long-term growth at Unilever, is to coexist in harmony with natural resources. We believe that a linear economy is unsustainable. Taking, using, and discarding the planet’s resources has a high environmental cost,” he said.

Ecclissato explained that they are introducing a circular economy in all their processes and observing how consumers use their products.

Watch the complete webinar here.

The 55th edition brings together the leaders of the principal academic communities in Latin America and other regions, to discuss the future of work, social impact, and the role of business schools.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

Seeking to consolidate business research and education, considering the current landscape faced by Latin American countries, hundreds of academic directors, professors, and doctoral students met virtually from October 20 to 24 in the 2020 International Congress of CLADEA.

The 55th edition of the event, called “The future of work, social impact and the role of business schools,” enjoyed the collaboration of EGADE Business School as the virtual host.

Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School and the School of Business of Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Raúl Montalvo, Director of EGADE Business School, Guadalajara site, participated in the congress opening and closing sessions.

“This congress is particularly relevant given the context we are experiencing, in which business schools have the responsibility of driving, together with governments and private initiative, the necessary economic and social recovery of our countries.

“We also have the opportunity to strengthen this alliance between business schools to work together on the vital reset of our societies, with the responsibility of fostering entrepreneurship, research, the knowledge economy, and purpose in our regions,” said De la Vega.

The directors announced that health conditions permitting, the 56th CLADEA Annual Assembly will be held in October 2021 at EGADE Business School in Guadalajara, under the title “Innovation and conscious business in the future of education.”

Un honor participar en la Clausura del #55CongresoAnual de @cladeaorg en el que hemos colaborado como coanfitriones desde @egade . Felicidades a toda la comunidad CLADEA y a todos los investigadores. Les esperamos en Octubre 21 en #Guadalajara pic.twitter.com/nWGPRLowmY

— Ignacio de la Vega (@Ignaveg) October 24, 2020

This year, at the invitation of EGADE Business School, the inaugural address was delivered by Néstor Márquez, founder of Future Experts and LinkedIn Top Voice Latin America 2018.

“There is no doubt that work is not going to be the same as it is today or as it was in the past. However, in order to understand the work of the future, we need to understand the society in which we will be living in 2050,” the speaker explained.

EGADE Business School was represented by José Ernesto Amorós, National Director of Doctoral Programs, on the panel “Challenges in entrepreneurship research in Latin American schools.”

“The GEM project has enabled innumerable research studies on entrepreneurship in diverse contexts and ecosystems; the idea is to continue to support and make the most of this network to assure the project’s growth in the region,” commented Amorós.

Other speakers were Itzel Palomares and David Capistrán, student and graduate, respectively, from the Ph.D. in Administrative Sciences, and Sascha Fuerst, research professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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In the opening and closing sessions, CLADEA was represented by Manuel Ortiz de Zevallos, Executive Director; Andrés Toledo, President of the Steering Committee; and Nancy Matos, Chair of the Academic Committee.

The Latin American Council of Management Schools (CLADEA) is an international network that brings together higher education institutions and organizations committed to management education and research.

At present, CLADEA has 235 member institutions, both private and public, from 27 countries in America, Europe, and Oceania.