of Monterrey’s business school (UDEM), said he believed that they were putting in “their best efforts” to make a difference, especially considering that “some 75 per cent of board-level positions in Mexico are held by males”. Meljem gave some practical examples of how they are trying to redress the gender equality balance through workshops and mentoring and coaching, as well as networks involving students and alumni. “We also offer scholarships to support women in business”, she noted. She outlined the need to create “synergies inside universities so we can change the culture; these are not just women-only events, we invite men to join us”. ITAM’s efforts in this regard have culminated in the institution receiving a bronze medal from the local council. Sacio flagged up one particular challenge: the sheer diversity found among UDEM students and staff in terms of belonging to different communities, spheres, nationalities and faiths can on occasion “make it difficult when trying to implement shared values”. “Disability is even harder to address than gender in a
The importance of leading the change in sustainability was the topic for a panel featuring Osmar Arandia, Sankar Sivarajah and Francisco Pérez with chair Victor Hedenberg
DE&I programme,” avowed Mucharraz, who elaborated on a recent case study in which her school created an audio version of the MBA programme. This was done to demonstrate empathy with a female entrepreneur who had lost her sight six years previously. She also called on universities to make a real effort “to understand what is happening with the younger generation in terms of how they were impacted by the pandemic”, while Meljem concurred that many students are suffering from depression and related problems.
Van de Velde then asked participants how best to create a safe workplace, free from discrimination and prejudice. “We created an ethics committee and that is activated when there is a student situation that needs to be addressed,” related Mucharraz, while Sacio noted that UDEM set up a gender equity and inclusion centre three years ago, issuing guidelines for all departments. Meljem explained that the protocol at her school involves sexual harassment training for teachers and that ITAM is working in line with the UN Global Compact, setting up workshops with companies and academics to discuss how to develop a framework for dealing with DE&I-related issues.
Alfredo Govela, Veneta Andonova and Zhongming Wang were encouraged by the ongoing strengthening of ties between Latin America and China
social issues too”. There should be an emphasis on “economic sustainability, we need to do that first in order to be able to think about others”, maintained Sankar Sivarajah, dean of the School of Management at the University of Bradford. Pérez claimed that the mission of universities in Latin America is different to other settings. “Think about Cambridge,” he remarked, “where its mission is the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.” He contrasted that with countries like Brazil, where institutes of higher learning “actively promote the economies that they serve”. Arandia noted that in less prosperous societies, a business school’s mandate “is not just educational, but also social”. There are certainly lessons to be learned when it comes to “the challenges faced by Latin America and the emphasis on the
Why sustainability matters Opening the panel debate on Leading the charge for
responsible management , AMBA & BGA membership director Victor Hedenberg remarked that “sustainability does not mean the same thing everywhere”. For Osmar Arandia, director of consulting, research and lifelong learning at UDEM Business School, “it is about taking care of the environment and the people”, while ITAM dean Francisco Pérez said that it “relates to
26 | Ambition | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024
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