Almost one hundred business leaders from Latin America and the USA attended the 5th Conference of the Americas organized by Esade Alumni, the network of former Esade students. The event featured a program of talks and panel discussions about innovation, entrepreneurship and technology, in addition to speeches by donors and recipients of the Esade Scholarship Program. “This conference reflects our mission of supporting alumni abroad and giving them a value proposition based on our four cornerstones: professional development, lifelong learning, networking and social impact,” said Iñaki Ocaña, director of Esade Alumni Global Relations during the conference.

A sea change in Latin America

During the first discussion of the day, Raül Giménez, CEO of Adecco Americas, underlined the “incredible professional opportunities” available in Latin America. Giménez explained that prior to the pandemic, the United States relied on Asia for outsourcing services, but since then it has set its sights on countries nearer to home such as Mexico, Brazil and Colombia. “We’re talking about a massive amount of business for the Latin American labor market,” he said. “I think it’ll be a sea change for this region. In addition, the quality of service is good compared to other countries – something that surprises customers in the USA.”

On another panel, Chantelle Kocik, Director of Telehealth and Service Operations at Keralty-Sanitas, examined the impact of technology, and AI in particular, in the health sector. “It’s ushering in a new era of healthcare services, together with opportunities and challenges. Opportunities for patients, who’ll have access to many services without having to wait, and for healthcare professionals, who’ll have tools enabling them to monitor patients better. The challenges are due to AI and how this powerful tool is used.”

The program also included a panel discussion about tv content with the participation of Felipe Rey (Google TV), María Sánchez (Paramount) and Iranzu Diez-Gamboa (Mediapro). Another talk addressed the globalization of tech start-ups. Other corporate leaders and former Esade students, such as Javier Echevarria, an e-commerce expert who analyzed the case of Unilever, and Nicolás Pinzón, from the L35 Architects studio, also took part in open discussions.

Commitment to diversity and inclusivity

During the conference, donors and beneficiaries of the Esade Scholarship Program shared their experiences and opinions. “The scholarship marked a before and after in my life. It enabled me to access resources and opportunities that I never could have otherwise,” explained Clara Sallent, who was able to complete her joint major degree in Law & Global Governance, Economics and Legal Order thanks to the financial support she received.

The Annual Conference of the Americas is one of the most outstanding international events held by Esade Alumni, a network of more than 73,000 Esade alumni in 115 countries around the globe. The association has 74 international chapters, including 15 in Latin America and 12 in the United States and Canada. Juan Carlos Pereira, General Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the United States, and the president of the institution, Mónica Vázquez, introduced the event, which was also attended by Soraya Korkar, director of Individual Giving & Development Communications at Esade, and Pedro Galván, president of the Esade Alumni Miami Chapter.