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LATIN AMERICA CONFERENCE 2022
he 2022 AMBA & BGA Latin America Deans & Directors Conference kicked off with CEO Andrew Main Wilson welcoming delegates to Cartagena – the first such live event since Quito in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on international travel. The deans from the various host schools then gave their words of welcome. Enrique Ramírez from Universidad Icesi referenced the violent protests that occurred in Colombia last year and described the country’s new left-wing government as “an opportunity for our democracy”. María Clemente Sierra at Universidad del Norte said that business schools need to band together to survive because she had witnessed “some developments that may challenge our future”. Cristina Vélez Valencia from Universidad EAFIT spoke of evaluating the “different ways of solving the problems we all face”; Liliana López Jiménez from the Universidad Externado de Colombia agreed, mentioning “the commonality” in terms of the issues to be dealt with and declared that schools must unite “to find workable solutions”. Meanwhile, Veneta Andonova from the Universidad de los Andes spoke about the concept of “leadership for life” and urged schools to take responsibility when it comes to shaping the mindset of future leaders. Supporting start-ups The first session of the conference was a panel debate chaired by Josep Franch, dean of ESADE Business School. He asked the panel what schools can do to support SMEs in their local communities. He noted how vital this is given that they account for 60 per cent of employment and 25 per cent of revenues generated in Latin America. Francisco Gómez, programme director at the Santo Domingo Foundation, spoke about the need to create “opportunities in entrepreneurship”, referencing how the NGO provides ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) classes in Cartagena to assist small companies operating in the tourism sector. In terms of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit, María Clemencia Sierra, dean of Universidad
ESADE Business School dean Josep Franch (left) chaired a panel on the role of start-ups and entrepreneurship
del Norte’s business school, said the sector had a responsibility to educate “not only students, but the
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