By José Ángel de la Paz

Jorge Luis Torres Aguilar, president of FedEx Express in Mexico, was presented with the 2020 EXATEC EGADE Award, which honors the trajectory, experience, and positive impact of EGADE Business School graduates, both in the institution and in their community.

Under the current health contingency, Torres Aguilar has been one of the protagonists of the Mexico-United States airlift, which involved five flights that took place from May 5 to June 2 and that were operated by the logistics company he directs. Thanks to these flights, 322 ventilators for patients with COVID-19, purchased by the Mexican government with the support of the U.S. authorities, have been delivered.

Aterrizó el primer vuelo FedEx del puente aéreo México-Reno, Nevada, con 211 ventiladores Hamilton ofrecidos por el Presidente Trump al Presidente Lopez Obrador a fin de contribuir a hacer frente a la pandemia Covid-19.Nuestra gratitud con los Estados Unidos por su apoyo!! pic.twitter.com/Wxh2pnlgZX

— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) May 5, 2020

“Through the EXATEC EGADE Award, we celebrate our graduates' responsible and transformative leadership. Jorge Luis is recognized for his extraordinary talent and trajectory, but above all for his commitment and positive impact on companies, ventures and organizations, providing solutions to the great challenges we face as a society, which he and his organization are making evident in these difficult times of pandemic,” said Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Torres Aguilar is an EGADE Business School graduate from the Global OneMBA program, and as such he was also recognized among the 25 Most Influential Leaders of the Class of 2020 by AACSB International, the leading and most prestigious global business school accreditation agency.

He currently serves as President of FedEx Express in Mexico and as President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham).

He took over the FedEx subsidiary in 2012, setting a historic moment in the organization by becoming the first Mexican to lead operations nationwide. Among his management milestones is the merger of MultiPack into the FedEx network, as well as placing the Mexican subsidiary in the top positions worldwide in terms of revenue for the global corporation.

Upon receiving the EXATEC EGADE Award, the winner declared: “I am a Mexican, like many, committed and who fights every day to give the best of himself, with the aim of contributing to improving the lives of others. EGADE has been for me much more than an educational institution in my life; a benchmark and a ‘School of Life’ that made me a better person and a better professional. ”

.@JorgeLTorresA started his career w/ @FedEx Express 28 years ago. For 7 years he has been the company’s president for México. He empowers teams, shows strategic vision & promotes teamwork for success, skills valued by his alma mater @egade #AACSBleads
? https://t.co/6uHy2MaWDK pic.twitter.com/zeQfBky0sh

— AACSB International (@AACSB) January 28, 2020

The EXATEC EGADE Award is part of the EXATEC Award, which in its eighth edition this year awards a total of 17 graduates representing different Tec campuses, regions or graduate schools, including EGADE Business School.

The EXATEC Awards are the highest honor granted by Tecnológico de Monterrey to its graduates, in order to recognize their most outstanding achievements that reflect the spirit, values and principles of the institution. The jury, which evaluates the nominations submitted through a call made by the Institution, is comprised of members of the Institution, EXATEC representatives or leaders, and guests from the Tec community.

“All 17 recipients of the 2020 EXATEC Award, who are recognized by our campuses and graduate schools, represent the sense of pride that our graduate community feels towards its own members, and for which it celebrates them as innovative leaders and outstanding professionals,” said Joaquín Lozano, Director of Alumni Relations at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In this edition, the award ceremonies will be postponed until it is possible to hold an event with propper safety measures in accordance with those announced by the Federal Ministry of Health and always prioritizing the wellbeing of all members of the community.

By José Ángel de la Paz

Forbes magazine published its 2020 list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Mexico, where EGADE Business School graduates receive this distinction.

Silvia Dávila, a graduate of the Master in Business Economics and regional president for Latin America of Danone, is on the list that, during the COVID-19 crisis, seeks to make visible all those leaders who are pushing from their trenches to exist an environment of greater inclusion and equity.

Also included was Gabriela Siller, a graduate of the Master in Finance and the Ph.D. in Philosophy in Administration and director of Economic and Financial Analysis of Banco BASE.

Felicitamos a Gabriela Siller Pagaza, Directora de Análisis económico y financiero de Banco BASE por el reconocimiento de la revista FORBES como una de las 100 mujeres más poderosas de México. pic.twitter.com/SlvIjof8bg

— Banco BASE (@BANCO_BASE) June 26, 2018

“Both men and women must be able to hold positions according to their education and experience. The financial sector is an area that, historically, has been represented by a male figure, so it is positive that (now) it is directed towards gender equality,” Siller commented in the publication.

Along with them are Teresa Galindo, a graduate of the Women for Boards program of Executive Education at EGADE Business School and CEO of MD Helicopters México, as well as María Ariza, CEO of BIVA and member of the Board of the Undergraduate Business School of the Tecnológico de Monterrey.

The listing was published in the June issue of Forbes Mexico.

• Commendations from EQUIS for excellence of EGADE Students, Faculty & focus on Entrepreneurship, Globalization and Sustainability.

EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico has been awarded a further five years of re-accreditation by the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS), covering the period 2020-2024.

This achievement consolidates EGADE's position as the global Latin American business school leader and amongst a select group of just 1% of institutions globally that hold triple-crown accreditation from the most relevant global associations for business education globally: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in the United States, the Association of MBAs (AMBA) in the United Kingdom, and EQUIS in Europe.

By retaining the triple-crown accreditation which it has held since 2013, EGADE has shown determination in meeting specific standards of global excellence and a strong commitment to continuous improvement, designed to deliver the highest quality of education to its students, organizations, graduates, partners and the wider community.

EQUIS commended EGADE in several areas, including for the quality of its students and graduates, its highly motivated faculty, the School´s connection and engagement with business and industry and its global reach, in terms of its active partnerships with other leading schools across five continents, delivering benefits for student experience and global research impacts. The School was especially commended for its focus on ethics, responsibility, and sustainability within its program portfolio and other co-curricular activities, with this latter area considered an international best practice. 

Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School, stated: “We are proud to have our EQUIS global accreditation renewed for five more years. In these challenging times, when resilience, agility, and constant innovation are more necessary than ever, we remain deeply committed to maintaining the high standards of excellence that distinguish EGADE worldwide and dedicate this recognition to our extraordinary community of students, faculty, graduates, collaborators, and partners. We are particularly pleased that EQUIS celebrates our commitment to responsible business in our global education and thought leadership activities, and this is well-aligned with our mission to create shared value and transform business and society.”

Alfons Sauquet, Quality Services & EQUIS Director at EFMD, commented on EGADE's recent success: “Congratulations to EGADE Business School whose five-year re-accreditation proves their sustained commitment to ongoing advancement and continuous improvement”. The EQUIS statement continued: “EGADE Business School’s strategy focuses on globalization, entrepreneurship, and innovation. To give a few examples, the School has developed new tailored programs in Executive Education and is active in using new modes of delivery, including, blended learning methods. It has also launched several innovative activities with its corporate partners. EGADE can be proud of its faculty who are highly motivated and engaged”. 

EQUIS is the internationally-recognized accreditation body dedicated to ensuring continuous improvement and quality within global business schools. EQUIS accreditation ensures a rigorous quality improvement process, benchmarking schools against international standards in terms of governance, programs, students, faculty, research, internationalization, ethics, responsibility, and sustainability, as well as corporate engagement. EQUIS also acknowledges uniqueness within business education institutions as they each focus on how best to contribute to shaping future leaders from their distinct context. 

In 2020, EGADE has been recognized as the leading LATAM business education institution by prestigious global ranking organizations, including the QS Global MBA & Business Master Rankings for the third consecutive year. The Financial Times recognizes the OneMBA as the leading Executive MBA in Latin America for the past 13 years. The French ranking, Eduniversal, has recognized EGADE as the leading business school in Latin America, awarding it with 5 palms of excellence based on the opinion of over 1,000 global Deans and the Eduniversal scientific committee, and placing its programs as the premier option in every category, consecutively since 2008.

By José Ángel de la Paz

EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey launched a new look for its graduate portfolio under the slogan “Challenge the present, Shape the future”.

Each of the School's MBA, master's, specialty and doctoral programs has a new visual identity created by illustrator Martin Elfman, with the aim of reflecting the school's vision of placing human beings at the center of business, industry and market transformation.

The new slogan “Challenge the present, Shape the future”, which replaces that of “ Minds Igniting Change”, accentuates EGADE Business School students' and graduates' ability of being protagonists and anticipating change in order to make a significant contribution towards solving society's main social and economic challenges.

“Our global environment has become unpredictable and that forces leaders to evolve their role and design the future, design the 'Big Reset' that our societies call for and need. We are in the midst of the greatest transformation process that humanity has experienced over the last centuries. We cannot simply stand by and watch our world change while it is being shaped by strategic, geopolitical, technological, environmental or epidemiological issues. We must shape the future we want to live in. This is what 'Challenge the present, Shape the future' means, it's about responsible and transformative leadership,” said Ignacio de la Vega, dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

Among the graduate business programs, the school offers the EGADE MBA, the Online EGADE MBA, the Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, the EGADE - UNC Charlotte MBA in Global Business & Strategy, the EGADE - CENTRUM MBA, the EGADE - W. P. Carey Executive MBA and the Global OneMBA.

The rest of its graduate portfolio includes the Master in Business Management, the Master in Finance, the Graduate Degree in Energy Management, the Ph.D. in Business Administration and the Ph.D. in Financial Science.

In addition to the graduate portfolio, lifelong learning programs such as the Board of Directors y Advanced Management Program, from Executive Education, and Alternative Learning, got a new identity as well.

Martin Elfman is an internationally recognized illustrator who has worked for newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, El Pais and the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as for magazines such as The Economist, Advertising Age, The New Republic, Forbes and Letras Libres.

By José Ángel de la Paz

As a way of providing entrepreneurs, managers and executives with instantly actionable knowledge in the face of uncertainty regarding the “new normal”, EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey launched an online program called “Crisis management for leaders”.

Within the Executive Education portfolio, this new program includes four courses directed at decision-makers in strategic business areas:

• Economics in the “new normal”
• Financial decisions in uncertain times
• Human advantage & collaboration
• Reshaping business through innovation

“The program is designed to help participants understand the economic impact of COVID-19, and to strengthen their organizations through collaboration, innovation and strategic financial decisions,” said Jaime García Narro, Associate Dean of Executive Education at EGADE Business School.

According to García Navarro, participants will acquire a unique perspective to face our new reality through various online learning methodologies and they will benefit from the high-quality virtual experience, the dedicated and exclusive groups, and the networking opportunities with business leaders.

THE COURSES

Participants can take one, two, three, or all four courses, depending on their interests or learning needs.

Each course is 8 hours long and is delivered in a remote format, in Spanish, and by globally renowned experts:

• Economics in the “new normal”, taught by Raúl Montalvo, Director of EGADE Business School Guadalajara, deals with the environment, trends and business models in different stages: from the current crisis to the transition process of building a post-crisis future.
   
• Financial decisions in uncertain times, taught by Jorge Martínez, Head of the Financial Think Tank at EGADE Business School, and Jorge Velarde, Head of Academic Programs at EGADE Business School, explores economic and financial scenarios in the face of current opportunities and risks, along with a range of instruments for building investment portfolios at times of uncertainty.
   
• Human advantage & collaboration, taught by Jaime García Narro, Associate Dean of Executive Education at EGADE Business School, provides practical tools to encourage collaboration-oriented teams based on emotional, resilient and inclusive strategies.
   
• Reshaping business through innovation, taught by Ernesto Amorós, National Director of Doctoral Programs at EGADE Business School, and Fernando Moya, Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at EGADE Business School, provides practical tools to facilitate the design of an innovation strategy that helps redefine business models.

The first two courses, Economics in the “new normal” and Financial decisions in uncertain times, are set to begin in June, while the other two, Human advantage & collaboration and Reshaping business through innovation, will begin in July.

There is a 10% discount when paying for all four courses or a 10% discount for students and graduates of EGADE Business School and Tecnológico de Monterrey.

For more information on this program, leave your contact details here or send an email to executive@servicios.tec.mx.

By José Ángel de la Paz

For the first time ever, EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey granted a Ph.D. degree through a virtual dissertation defense, as a result of the suspension of on-site academic activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea Mendoza Silva, a student of the Ph.D. in Business Administration (DCA), presented her dissertation entitled "The Value of Intra-Organizational Social Capital in Fostering Knowledge Sharing and Innovation Capability", via Zoom.

The panel of judges described the examination as "unanimously approved with an outstanding dissertation", thereby ensuring Mendoza Silva's completion of her graduate program.

Mendoza Silva said that completing her Ph.D. amidst the contingency was a surprisingly positive experience.

"I never imagined that for my last few months as a Ph.D. student, I would be working from home, without face to face interactions with my advisors and colleagues. However, communicating by mail and meeting through Zoom made it possible for me to move forward with my research project.

“I'm so glad I had the opportunity to present my dissertation through a virtual platform. Even though it was not an on-site event, my committee and the DCA administration made sure that the same level of formality of the event was met, and my family and friends, who are not in Monterrey, were able to attend," she said.

Ignacio de la Vega, Dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, congratulated the student at the beginning of the exam.

En estos momentos, estamos viviendo el primer examen de grado de doctorado en modalidad virtual. ¡Mucho éxito, Andrea Mendoza Silva! ? ?‍? ? pic.twitter.com/6nBQlsLn0i

— EGADEBusinessSchool (@egade) May 29, 2020

The academic jury was made up of thesis director Laura Zapata, associate academic dean of EGADE Business School, and the evaluators Jorge Miguel Rocha and Alfonso López Lira.

José Ernesto Amorós, National Director of Ph.D. Programs at EGADE Business School and leader of the Research Group with Strategic Focus on Innovation (GIEE), described the remote evaluation process as "unprecedented".

In view of the contingency, EGADE Business School migrated all its on-site classes to an online format as of March 17.

The school is preparing to start the August-December 2020 semester and the September-December 2020 trimester through a blended format.

By José Ángel de la Paz

In his latest book, Carlos Scheel, a renowned professor of EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey, explains how to transform a linear business initiative into a “circular system with an extended value that involves multiple disruptive models,” which is not only financially profitable and appealing, but also aligned with the sustainable growth of a region.

“We must challenge the conventional linear model of businesses and institutions, and create frameworks that are adapted to promote sustainable wealth, zero-emission models, new jobs, economies that produce fewer products that require limited resources, products for larger markets, less waste, less squandering of potential, and a greater awareness of the need to regenerate natural resources,” says the author in the preface of Diseño de nuevos negocios de economía circular (Designing New Circular Economy Businesses), now available on Amazon.

Achieving the Circular Economy, according to Scheel, involves shifting from the linear growth paradigm to an approach based on systems, flows and cycles.

“It is an opportunity to rethink our conventional economies and current business models to become more resilient with a conscious, social and environmental approach,” he says.

Moreover, according to this researcher, in order to reach “unconventional economic models”, it is necessary to establish suitable structures per region and to train entrepreneurs with a systemic and sustainable vision.

In his book, Scheel describes a methodology drawn from multiple cases and focused primarily on:

• Identifying unconventional opportunities
• Analyzing the conditions of a region, whether they are necessary and sufficient, to establish circular value systems.
• Driving the transition from a linear to a circular model
• Understanding the dynamics of a circular phenomenon that leads to increased added value.
• Designing the Circular Economy Business Model (CEBM)
• Working on the strengths of the CEBM while also measuring them.
• Developing a business strategy that leads to sustainable advantages that are unlikely to be replicated by the competition, or by linear businesses, with the benefit of shared value and in alignment with society and the environment.

Scheel is a member of the SWIT research group (Sustainable Wealth creation based on disruptive Innovation and enabling Technologies) and author of over 50 scientific articles and 13 books, including Innovation towards a Sustainable World and Innovacities.

By José Ángel de la Paz

During the COVID-19 contingency, countless companies and their staff are proving that flexible schemes are effective and that working from home is indeed a viable option, according to Ignacio de la Vega.

“Organizations around the world are experiencing an accelerated process of digitalization and, as a result, the role of the leader is evolving,” noted the dean of EGADE Business School and the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

These changes were discussed by De la Vega and Hernán García, Vice President of Talent and Experience at Tecnológico de Monterrey, in the webinar “The inevitable leadership transformation in organizations”.

“To some leaders this is the beginning of a new approach to work. For others, change started a few years ago and now it's simply becoming much more evident,” Garcia observed.

He added that, in this transition towards flexible schemes and working remotely, the challenge has always been to change organizational paradigms.

“Leaders must trust that their staff will do their jobs properly without being supervised, and break the paradigm of 'working long hours is very productive' because ultimately all that matters is the results,” Garcia said.

De la Vega pointed out that this crisis can become an opportunity to move forward, create added value and produce a positive social impact through conscious, responsible, and transformational leadership within organizations.

YOU CAN WATHC THE WEBINAR HERE