Graduate Blog / Graduate Life

A Babson Graduate Affinity Scholar’s Experience at #MBAMexico2019

By | September 10, 2020

Privileged, as Graduate Affinity Scholars we attended the 2019 edition of the MBA Mexico series of conferences and networking events. This years’ MBA Mexico 2019 was held in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois on October 4 and 5, 2019 and was hosted by The Kellogg School of Management and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Every year around 300 Mexican MBA students come together in this event.

MBA Mexico is a non-profit organization, whose main objective is to raise awareness of relevant issues in Mexico, through conversations with leaders from different industries and sectors; while the relationships between Mexican students of the best business schools are built and strengthened, creating a solid network of future leaders committed to Mexico.

Babson attendees.

At the event, the rooms were filled with energy and excitement mixed with expectancy to hear what the renowned speakers had to say about our country’s current political and economic situation. The speakers’ background and expertise made us, students, very eager to hear what they had to say. All of them presented their personal views, and although some of them countered each others’, the conferences certainly started very interesting conversations between the audience members. In the end we concluded that although Mexico is going through a turmoil there are big opportunities for entrepreneurs like ourselves and that it was up to our generation of business people to lead the change our society needs.

Official Name Tag for the Event

Since 2011 MBA Mexico brought together once a year Mexican students from the most important business schools in the United States and Europe. Previously the event has been held in Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Durham.

However, this year was different; Mexico is facing political and economic uncertainty for the first time in over two decades due to a change in government and general policies. So, an important part of the conversation in the event for speakers and within students was discussing what will change, where we as students will have to analyze and act and what we can do for the country, particularly in the private sector.

Talking about the event, it grows year by year more high profile attend. This year we had the fortune to be amongst very powerful men and women from various industries, government and non-for-profits. On top of that, distinguished companies visit in order to recruit the future leaders of Mexican businesses.

Speakers:

  • Bertha Gonzalez – Co-Founder and CEO of Casa Dragones
  • Claudio X Gonzalez – President of Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad
  • Federico Ranero – Director of Uber Mexico
  • Gina Diez Barroso – President & CEO of Grupo Diarq, Dalia Empower and Universidad Centro
  • Mariana Castillo – Co-Founder and CEO of Ben & Frank
  • Fabrice Serfati – Partner at IGNIA
  • Gonzalo Garcia-Muñoz – Partner at McKinsey & Company
  • Rogelio Vélez – CEO of Cinemex
  • Carlos Monroy – CEO La Moderna
  • Francisco Gil – Chairman of Telefonica and former Secretary of the Treasury
  • Jaime Chico – CEO Enesa and former CEO of Telmex
  • Enrique Pani – Partner at Advent International

Sponsors and recruiters:

  • Grupo México
  • Grupo Banorte
  • FEMSA
  • McKinsey & Company

An important remark from the event was that Fabrice Serfati from IGNIA asked the audience who was thinking about becoming an entrepreneur after graduating and the only students who lifted their hands were the Babson students. We believe that this was important for two reasons:

1- The Babson breed lives within us, which makes us very proud to be at Babson and represent the values that are being taught at the University.

2- Students from other MBAs saw that the only “entrepreneurs” are from Babson, and as different speakers noted, we are the real game changers for Mexico`s future.

Schedule and speaker biographies.

Our experience listening to the speakers and talking to the companies was very insightful, but the most rewarding interactions were with our fellow students from other top MBA programs across the US. We had interesting conversations about how can businesses and entrepreneurship help our country. We, as Babson students, always provided our opinions from an entrepreneurial point of view and we noticed how fresh and well received it was.

In conclusion, we are honored and grateful to be Graduate Affinity Scholars. The opportunity to attend an event like MBA Mexico in these crucial times for our country will certainly leave a mark in our personal and professional experience. We believe this event made our MBA experience more complete, by taking what we learned in the classrooms and applying it to our country’s situation. Also networking with students who have different views and academic foundations, making our general professional idea to have a broader perspective, seeking for continuous growth.

Contacts & Information:
https://www.mbamexico.org/

●      Kellogg Global Hub

●      Booth Harper Center

Recruiters:

 

Posted in Graduate Life