A special edition of Ernst & Young Mexico
Lorenzo Barrera
Banco BASE
Winner
Mexico 2012
Providing innovative
financial solutions
for the business
world
1 Ernst & Young
Contents
Message from the EOY Leaders
1
Entrepreneurs plan with vision
2
and act with passion
Strategic Growth Forum® 2012
4
The G20 YES Mexico
6
Phases of the program
8
2012 EOY judges
10
Judges’ cocktail
12
2012 EOY Participants
14
2012 EOY Hall of Fame
16
Gala dinner
22
2012 EOY program winners
28
The road to Monte Carlo 2013
33
Media coverage
34
Strategic Growth Markets
36
2 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
Message from
the EOY Leaders
This publication tells the stories of some of the most impressive business successes in Mexico. We feel fortunate to have the
opportunity to once again share with the business community the vision and knowledge that the participants of the 2012
Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico program have demonstrated throughout the process.
We are very proud to see that the number of participants in our third EOY program is higher than our first two programs,
since this is proof positive that we all want a better Mexico for future generations. We believe that one of the best ways to
achieve this is by promoting entrepreneurship and innovation among our business community.
Our goal is for Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico program to be a driver for bringing to life the ideas of Mexico’s visionaries.
Over the years, our program has evolved to offer a series of benefits aimed at backing the business models of our
entrepreneurs, including:
• Induction into the Hall of Fame located in Times Square in New York City and on our internet page alongside the more than 8,000 winners of the program across the globe so far.
• The opportunity to build one-on-one relationships with the leaders of the most dynamic and fastest-growing companies in the world.
• Prestige and exposure in the media, social networking sites and exclusive events, such as the Strategic Growth Forum®.
To help address the evolving needs of our finalists, we have created the Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation,
where these leaders have access to a wide range of tools and materials aimed at stimulating business growth.
This magazine provides an overview of the effort required to organize a program of this kind, and the rewards of such an
undertaking as well. We hope that after reading it you will feel just as excited about the possibilities for entrepreneurship in
Mexico as we do.
Leaders of the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico program
Guadalupe Castañeda
Parter of Growing Companies
Mauricio Galindo
Director and Leader of the Entrepreneur
Of The Year® program
1 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneurs plan with vision
and act with passion
Entrepreneur Of The Year®
It’s human nature to dream about the
future. Most of us think of what “can”
be, but entrepreneurs think of what
“will” be. Once they have an idea,
hey pursue it and convince others
of its worth.
today’s global market. Entrepreneurs have a knock for
seeing opportunities in uncertain environments, they know
how to take calculated risks and they are tenacious in turning
ideas into successful ventures, which are all critical factors for
fostering innovation, inspiring for today’s would-be entrepreneurs
and energizing business communities.
Agents of change in a
challenging world
Determination to succeed
Entrepreneurs are constantly seeking
to evolve. Their unique way of seeing
things and approach to doing business
means they can make a difference
by offering innovative services and
products that create jobs, advance their
local economies and improve the lives
of the people of their communities.
The role of the entrepreneur has
become more and more critical in
2 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
Entrepreneurs have an extraordinary ability to turn ideas
into powerful projects. When others are skeptical, they
remain optimistic. Where others see adversity, they see
opportunity. When others give up, innovative entrepreneurs
have the passion and conviction to succeed.
According to Ernst & Young’s study, Nature or nurture?
Decoding the DNA of the entrepreneur, entrepreneurs
typically exhibit a combination of certain behaviors and
attitudes and have a strong natural inclination to believe
that events result directly from their own actions.
The mission of the Entrepreneur Of The Year®
program is not only to honor entrepreneurs, but
to build a body of research aimed at sharing their
great ideas and their stories with others.
Based on this research, Ernst & Young developed the following
model of the core traits of the entrepreneurial leader:
•
•
Opportunistic mindset combined with a unique attitude towards risk and failure.
•
Six guides to action that they live every day: passion, per
sistence, the ability to work with a team yet follow their own instincts, the creation of a success culture, an eye for niches and market gaps, and a focus on building an ecosystem to support the venture.
A belief that they have control their own environment bolstered by a willingness to take risks and seize
opportunities.
Stories that inspire entrepreneurship
This new millennium poses numerous challenges in all areas,
and success in overcoming these challenges will depend largely
on the ability of countries to play a key role in the world of
innovation. These nations can help themselves stay on top
in the global economy by supporting forums that honor and
motivate the key players of the entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Through the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® (WEOY)
program, the global version of Entrepreneur Of The Year®,
the world’s most important entrepreneurship program,
Ernst & Young honors and provides international exposure to
the winners from more than 50 countries. These visionaries
have put their reputations on the line and risked it all to
make their dreams come true - dreams that they have
consolidated into business models that have created new
market paradigms.
Each year at the WEOY event in Monte Carlo, Monaco,
experience and new ideas come together and the
entrepreneurs come together not to compete, but to
strengthen the ties between them and to express
appreciation for each business model represented.
Mexico has become increasingly important to the global
“The EOY program has become an essential part
of the Mexican entrepreneurial ecosystem thanks
to the positive impact it has had in promoting and
celebrating entrepreneurship. We are committed to
telling the success stories of our entrepreneurs, to
recognizing visionaries with potential and to being a
link to opportunities that will allow them to grow and
contribute to improving Mexico’s economy”.
Guadalupe Castañeda,
Leading Partner, Growing Companies
Entrepreneur Of The Year® program.
Through the representation of our past
national winners –Enrique Beltranena
from Volaris (2012) and Rodrigo
Herrera from Genomma Lab Internacional
(2011)– and now Lorenzo Barrera
from Banco BASE (2013), we have
helped position Mexico as a country
where entrepreneurship is a key
component for the success of our
companies, associations, and
government programs.
Mexico has a large number of
internationally renowned visionaries
and we are committed to honoring
them and supporting them along
their path to success.
3 Ernst & Young
Courage to
achieve success
Strategic Growth
Forum® 2012
At Ernst & Young we understand the
quest for business excellence and what
drives visionaries to go above and
beyond to reach their goals. That’s why
each year we gather top executives
from around the globe to share their
experiences and insight into what’s
shaping the business world.
CEOs, entrepreneurs, advisors,
investors, and other business leaders
from the world over come together at
the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth
Forum® (SGF), which includes events
in several African countries, as well
as in Russia, Turkey, India, Brazil
and Israel. The forum challenges
participants to maximize their potential
4 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
with the help of insights provided by a panel of speakers who
are the best in their respective fields.
This year’s SGF event in India brought together more than
50 exceptional speakers from India and elsewhere, and 300
attendees representing many countries. The forum’s theme
was “Grow Beyond” and it aimed to provide participants the
opportunity to hear fresh perspectives on those topics most
relevant to them as they compete for growth and work to get
ahead in today’s vibrant business environment.
The Forum’s speakers included:
• Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations
• yotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
• Viswanathan Anand, Chess Grandmaster and current Chess World Champion
• Albert Ganyushin, Director of International Listings
at NYSE Euronext
The SGF events are exclusive
international events that
serve as a platform for the
founders, executives and senior
executives of rapidly-growing,
enterprising and multinational
companies to share their
knowledge and experiences
and capitalize on networking
opportunities.
Guadalupe Castañeda and Fernando Tiburcio shared experiences
with our EOY Alumni: Banco BASE, HDS, Gresmex and Volaris.
This event is considered America’s most
prestigious gathering of leaders from
many of the best companies and the
day’s events included panel discussions,
presentations and networking
opportunities, culminating with the U.S.
national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of
The Year® awards ceremony.
•
•
•
•
Francois Carpentier, Managing Director and Vice-president of ALSTOM
Shikha Sharma, Managing Director and CEO of Axis Bank
Michael Boneham, Managing Director of Ford India
Rakesh Khanna, Managing Director of SMA Solar
The “Business Excellence” themed
U.S. forum took place in Palm Springs,
California, with more than 2,000
business leaders from around the globe
in attendance. The participants learned
strategies for achieving the growth
they’re looking for, and engaged in
lively discussions about key topics like
innovation and capital management.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
This Forum’s guest speakers included:
Xavier López, President and General Director of Kidzania.
Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President and CEO of FedEx Corporation.
Irene Rosenfeld, President and CEO of Kraft Foods.
Arne Sorenson, President and CEO of Marriott International, Inc.
Reid Hoffman, Co-founder and Executive President of LinkedIn.
Andrew N. Liveris, President, Chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical Company.
Michael J. Fox, actor, author, producer and activist.
Mario Andretti, world champion racing driver and entrepreneur.
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time
www.ey.com/us/sgf
@EY_Growth
5 Ernst & Young
Youth-driven entrepreneurship
The G20 YES Mexico
More than 400 young entrepreneurs
gathered in Mexico City to ask the
leaders of the G20 nations to put youth
entrepreneurship at the forefront of job
and wealth creation.
Seeking to communicate the actions that
governments need to take to drive entrepreneurship among young people,
Ernst & Young lent its support to the G20 Youth Entrepreneurs Alliance (G20
YEA) in organizing the Mexico G20 Youth Entrepreneur Summit (G20 YES).
This event brought together young people from member countries to discuss
the current global economic landscape and find points of agreement, and then
share their perspectives at the official G20 event that was held this past June in
Los Cabos, Mexico.
The G20 YES is a collective of young entrepreneurs and organizations that seeks
to promote youth entrepreneurship in the G20 countries.
Organized by the G20 YEA and Jóvenes Coparmex, with the participation of
the Ministry of Economy and Ernst & Young, the G20 YES summit provided
government leaders with valuable information for driving sustainable global
economic growth, exchanging ideas, and forging international alliances, and
collaboration.
During the event, Ernst & Young and the participants analyzed issues such as
access to funding, regulatory environments, and taxes. They also urged the G20
leaders to focus on entrepreneurship as an answer to the problems that the world
is facing today around youth unemployment and slow economic growth.
6 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
These conclusions were delivered
directly to the then president of Mexico
Felipe Calderón at an official ceremony
at Los Pinos held prior to the G20
Leaders Summit.
For this event, Ernst & Young put
together an international panel of
entrepreneurs who shared their points
of view and success stories. This
panel was facilitated by our partner
Guadalupe Castañeda, High Growth
Companies Leader for Mexico.
“Listening to these visionaries who
have changed how business is done
and the stories they shared with
the audience inspired everyone”,
Guadalupe shared. “Entrepreneurs
are the most important drivers of
economic development.”
“When facing the challenges and crises,
it is essential to have more business
visionaries to soften the impact of the
negative circumstances and keep the
markets moving forward,” explained
Juan Ramírez, Transactions Advisory
Partner of Ernst & Young.
Our professionals drafted a
communiqué in which they maintained
that at a time when many developed
and emerging economies are facing
a weak economic outlook, nurturing
entrepreneurial ventures is more
important than ever.
“High-growth entrepreneurial
companies will play a particularly
important role in rebalancing
the economy.
What is the G20 YEA?
The G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance is a collective of leading
entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries who
seek to promote youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of economic
renewal, job creation, innovation and social change.
Key endeavors
The G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance is a collective of leading
entrepreneurially-minded organizations representing the G20 countries
who seek to promote youth entrepreneurship as a powerful driver of
economic renewal, job creation, innovation and social change.
1.-
2.-
3.-
4.-
5.-
Creating a continuum of traditional and innovative funding sources with incentives through all stages of business growth
Increasing access to simplified information and integrated youth enterprise support with strong knowledge and skills infrastructure
Promoting a collaborative environment across private and public sectors, civil society and academia, that enables young entrepreneurs to start, grow, learn and have a second chance in business, within their countries and internationally
Minimizing regulatory and tax barriers for start-up and early-stage businesses to reduce costs and increase efficiencies
Fostering a stronger youth entrepreneurship culture through promoting and teaching entrepreneurship and raising awareness
Their rapid rate of expansion means that they have great potential to create
jobs at a time when many G20 countries are facing stubbornly high rates of
unemployment,” they concluded.
Access to capital at each stage of growth
At the event, Ernst & Young presented the results of the study
Funding the future, which analyzes the access to funding for
entrepreneurs in each of the G20 countries. The study can
be downloaded from our website at www.ey.com or using
the EY Insights app for smarthphones and tablets
(www.eyinsights.com).
7 Ernst & Young
Phases of the Entrepreneur
Of The Year® program
Ernst & Young celebrates the vision, leadership, innovation and social
responsibility of all the participants of the Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Mexico 2012 program.
In this edition, we pay tribute to 52 outstanding entrepreneurs whose passion
and innovative spirit have allowed them to make a difference and position their
organizations in the domestic and international markets.
1.A call to
entrepreneurship
March 14
Kick-off
EY publishes an announcement that the nomination period has begun.
March 14 to May 31
Nomination period
Candidate nominations are accepted.
2. Know their story
March 21 to June 15
Documentation, interviews and review by Ernst & Young.
The candidates are interviewed and are asked to provide the
necessary documentation to group the nominees into categories.
8 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
The judging process
August 16
Cocktail party to announce the finalists and judges
EY publishes an announcement that the nomination period has begun.
Time to celebrate the
innovation of Mexican
entrepreneurs
October 4
Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012 gala dinner
At the event, the winners of the different categories are announced, as well as the
National Winner who will represent Mexico at the World Entrepreneur
Of The Year®.
June 6 to 9, 2013
World Entrepreneur Of The Year®
The National Winner will represent Mexico at the WEOY awards
event in Monte Carlo, Monaco. During the winner’s three-day stay,
he or she will enjoy international exposure through conferences with
entrepreneurs from all over the world and interviews with judges and
media from around the globe.
9 Ernst & Young
The EOY Judges
Members of Mexico’s academic and business world,
the EOY judges are the cornerstone of the program because
they give credibility and prestige to the process of honoring
Mexico’s most innovative entrepreneurs
Enrique
Beltranena Mejicano
General Director
and CEO of Volaris
National EOY Mexico
2011 winner
Judge for the
EOY Mexico
2012 program
Hailed as one of the 300 most influential executives by Líderes Mexicanos magazine
and honored by América Economía as the winner of the Best Latin America
Performing Executives Award, Enrique Beltranena Mejicano has headed up Volaris
since its beginnings, and has helped position the company as one of the most
important airlines in Mexico. Some other highlights of Enrique Beltranena
Mejicano’s distinguished career include holding senior management positions at
Grupo TACA, Aviateca and Abbott Laboratories, and his seat on the Board of the
Universidad Austral of Buenos Aires. Mr. Beltranena was also named an Honorary
Consul of the Republic of Guatemala.
Arturo
Fernández Pérez
Dean of the Instituto
Tecnológico
Autónomo de
México (ITAM)
Judge for the 2010,
2011 and 2012 EOY
Mexico programs
Before assuming the position of Dean of the ITAM in 1992, Arturo Fernández
Pérez was an Advisor and the Coordinating Advisor of the Ministry of Trade and
Industrial Promotion. He also acted as the General Coordinator of this Ministry’s
Economic Deregulation Program, and was the Advisor to the undersecretary of the
Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. Mr. Fernández was later named general
director of the Economy, Law and Social Sciences division of the ITAM. He is a
member of the Boards of Directors of a number of prestigious companies, including
Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer, El Palacio de Hierro and Servicios Industriales
Peñoles. He received a B.A. in Economics from the ITAM, and he holds Master’s
and Doctorate degrees in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Ricardo
Guajardo Touché
Member of the Board
of Directors of Grupo
Financiero BBVA
Bancomer
Judge for the 2010,
2011 and 2012 EOY
Mexico programs
Ricardo Guajardo Touché is the former President and General Director of Grupo
Financiero BBVA Bancomer, as well as of the Center for Private Sector Economic
Studies (CEESP). He is currently the President of BBVA Holding in the US, and a
member of the Boards of ITESM, FEMSA, Grupo Industrial Alfa, El Puerto de Liverpool,
Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR), Grupo Bimbo, Coca Cola FEMSA, and
Grupo Coppel. He Mr. Guajardo holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the
ITESM, a Master’s degree from the University of California, Berkley, and a B.S. in
Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Alfonso
González Migoya
President of the Board
of Directors and
General Director of
Grupo Industrial
Saltillo (GISSA)
Judge for the 2010,
2011 and 2012 EOY
Mexico programs
Alfonso González Migoya worked at Grupo Cydsa for 24 years, where he was the
Finance Director for 10 years and spent another 9 years as the General Director
of the company’s Chemical and Plastics Division. He was also the Deputy General
Manager of Finance and Administration at Grupo Financiero Bancomer. Mr. González
has been a member of the Boards of Directors of Coca Cola FEMSA, FEMSA, the
Mexican Stock Exchange, Banco Regional de Monterrey and ITESM. He holds a
degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from the ITESM and an MBA from
Stanford University, and he successfully completed the AD-2 program at the
Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresas (IPADE).
10 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
Miguel
Mancera Aguayo
Former Governor
(chairman) of
Banco de México
Judge for the 2010,
2011 and 2012 EOY
Mexico programs
Miguel Mancera Aguayo is a Mexican economist who started out his career working
for Banco de Comercio (now BBVA Bancomer) from 1953 to 1955 and was also
a professor at the ITAM. He joined Banco de México in 1958 and 24 years later, in
1982, he was appointed General Director of the Bank by then Mexican president
Miguel de la Madrid. During his tenure as Director of Banco de México, he steered
the bank through a number of economic crises. He was an adamant opponent
of the inflationary policies that were so popular in Mexico and other Latin
American countries in the seventies and eighties. He oversaw the drafting of legal
initiatives that eventually led to Banco de México’s autonomy. In 1994, Miguel
Mancera Aguayo became the Bank’s first Governor. Since the end of 1997, the year
in which he completed his term as Governor of the Bank, he has spent most of his time
working with non-profit organizations. Mr. Mancera holds a B.A. in Economics from
the ITAM, and a Master’s degree in Economics from Yale University. In 1992, he
received the Economy Award from the Spanish King, Juan Carlos I, and in 2008 he
became the first winner of the Mexican Banking Association’s Merit Award.
Ernesto
Vega Velasco
Independent board
member of several
public companies
Judge for the 2010,
2011 and 2012 EOY
Mexico programs
Since 1971, Hernesto Vega Velasco has held different positions at Grupo DESC
(KUO and DINE), such as the Corporate Vice-President, and he is currently a
member of its Audit Committee and Corporate Practices Committee. Mr. Vega
also holds seats on the Boards of Directors and Audit Committees of Walmart de
México and Centroamérica (includes Banco Walmart), América Móvil, Impulsora
de Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina, Inmuebles Carso, and Industrias
Peñoles. Mr. Vega holds a public accounting degree from the ITAM and
successfully completed the AD-2 program at the IPADE.
Rodrigo
Herrera Aspra
Cofounder and President
of the Board of Directors
of Genomma Lab
Internacional National
EOY Mexico 2010
Winner,Judge for the
EOY Mexico 2011 and
2012 programs
and for the World
Entrepreneur
Of The Year® 2012.
With more than 17 years of experience developing marketing strategies,
Rodrigo has turned Genomma Lab Internacional into a $500 million dollar
business. He studied Engineering and Administration at Universidad Anáhuac
and holds a Master’s Degree in Senior Management from the Colegio de
Graduados en Alta Dirección. Rodrigo was named one of the 300 most influential
executives by Líderes Mexicanos magazine.
11 Ernst & Young
Business ties and a shared
focus on innovation
EOY Judges’ cocktail
For the Entrepreneur Of The Year®
program, the personal stories of the
candidates are an essential component
for understanding each nominee’s
business model and company history.
That is why the EOY judges need to
meet each candidate personally before
making their final decision.
The EOY judge’s cocktail held on August
16 was an opportunity for the judges
and the finalists of the 2012 edition of
EOY Mexico to get to know each other.
Emilio Díaz, Managing Partner of
the Firm’s Clients and Markets area,
welcomed the finalists to the cocktail
and then spoke to them about how the
EOY program seeks to pay tribute to
those who have had the vision, courage,
and fortitude to lead their own companies,
since thanks to these bold men and
women, Mexico has benefited
economically from the jobs their
companies create. “The EOY program
is intended not just to celebrate their
success, but to also be a place where the
entrepreneurs may get together and
share both their knowledge and
experiences through our network of
entrepreneurs covering the 50 countries
that have an EOY program”, Emilio said.
Mauricio Galindo, Marketing Director
of Ernst & Young and Leader of EOY
Mexico, noted that this cocktail is an
important part of the process,
because the personal interaction
that the judges have with the EOY
12 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
candidates gives them a broader
perspective on which to base their
evaluations of each candidate’s business
information and profile, which are
first examined by professionals of
Ernst & Young Mexico. “This event also
gives the judge a chance to hear the
candidates’ success stories first-hand
and gives the candidates the opportunity
to share best practices with their
peers, which is another critical factor
to the success of the EOY program”,
Mauricio stressed.
The attendees, whose businesses cover
a wide range of industries, shared their
outlook on the state of entrepreneurship
in Mexico, what can be done to advance
the innovative spirit in the country, and
how the EOY program inspires them to
do what needs to be done to encourage
more entrepreneurship. The following
EOY judges attended the cocktail: Ricardo
Guajardo Touché, former President,
former CEO, and current member of the
Board of Directors of Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer;
Miguel Mancera Aguayo, former Governor of Banco de
México; and Rodrigo Herrera Aspra, Cofounder and President
of the Board of Genomma Lab Internacional and National
Winner of EOY 2010. Also present at the cocktail were Raúl
Ferráez, Director of the Líderes Mexicanos magazine; Rafael
Frías, Director of the Small and Medium Companies Segment
of BBVA Bancomer; and representatives of the Ministry of
Economy, Nacional Financiera, and Coparmex.
13 Ernst & Young
Generatio
14 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
ion 2012
2012 Mexico
15 Ernst & Young
2012 Hall of Fame
The finalists of the 2012
Entrepreneur Of The Year®
2012 program share their
thoughts on entrepreneurship.
16 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
www.contactnext.com.mx
www.diestel.com.mx
www.inmofin.com
“Entrepreneurs must
be open minded, without
preconceptions of how
things should be done,
and they need to start
fresh and reinvent
themselves every day”.
“We mustn’t forget that
an entrepreneur’s
confidence comes from
the people he or she
works with - the people
who are vital for making
a company strong”.
“Financial stability
helps companies turn
recession years into
opportunities for
consolidation.”
www.bancobase.com
www.ingeniagroup.com
www.ecocreto.com.mx
“It is imperative that we share
our experiences as entre
preneurs in our universities
and business incubators,
and with entrepreneurs
who are just getting
started. This is a way
to show others that a
person can still start up
his or her own business
and be successful”.
“Being self-motivated and
demanding the best
from ourselves are key
characteristics that
any entrepreneur
must have – together
with all the people
that an entrepreneur
needs to rely on to help
build the business”.
“You become an
entrepreneur when you
are willing to face your
challenges head on and
rethink old paradigms
to accomplish your
objective”.
www.cedinsamex.com
www.arccanto.com
www.africamsafari.com.mx
“Offering added value is
the biggest difference
between simply setting
up a business and
actually building a
sustainable company”.
“We need more role
models willing to
show the world that a
person can still be an
entrepreneur and be
successful in Mexico”.
“To be an entrepreneur
you must be willing to
face your risks head on,
trust your people, and
stay objective”.
www.masnegocio.com
www.masnegocio.com
“You have to find
people at all levels of
your organization who
are willing to propose
new ideas and who are
not afraid to fail”.
“Despite the numerous
challenges that come with
starting up a business,
the experience of being
an entrepreneur gives
you a sense of pride
that will stay with you
for the rest of your life”.
www.diestel.com.mx
“Success comes by
staying focused on the
innovation your
company offers. At
the end of the day,
the best ideas
are those that seek
to revolutionize how
we do things”.
17 Ernst
Ernst &
& Young
Young
17
www.detecno.com
www.stoconsulting.com
www.inmofin.com
“Consistency is a
critical value that an
entrepreneur must
adopt to keep his or
her business moving
forward”.
“Innovation means
looking for ways to
bring added value
to the way we have
traditionally done
things”.
“One of our biggest
challenges is to convince
Mexicans to take a
chance on technology
and to buy more
Mexican-made
products”.
www.lomioestuyo.com
www. especiasmoy.com
“Honesty, ongoing
self-improvement, and
excellence in both
initiatives and services,
should be the basic
values of any company”.
“It’s important for a
start-up to get to
work on formalizing
its processes, since this
is critical for finding the
best ways to achieve
lasting growth”.
www.screencast.com.mx
www.greenpeople.com.mx
“You won’t know how
impossible something
is without first trying
to make it possible”.
www.biconsultingsc.com
“The life of an entrepreneur
is tough, but challenging
and enriching too.
To improve the
entrepreneurial culture
in Mexico, people
need to hear the
success stories of
other entrepreneurs”.
18 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
“Education is one of
the most important
tools for aligning
culture with caring for
the environment. ”.
www.compartamos.com
“As entrepreneurs, we
must be resourceful
and understand the
sector we serve, and
we need to build
companies with
people who are proud
of what they do”.
www.saniklin.com
We have to help
people feel more
self-confident, so that
they have enough
conviction to follow
through with their
ideas and projects. ”.
www.cedinsamex.com
www.naranya.com
“For Mexico to grow, its
legal and educational
systems must work
together to guarantee a
flexible work force and
quality education”.
“Mexico needs
creative and
innovative people
to develop its
entrepreneurial
culture and
contribute ideas
for the country
to grow”.
www.advenio.mx
www.masnegocio.com
“In Mexico there are
large opportunities. For
example, we now have
access to the latest
technology, which ten
years ago seemed
impossible”.
www.barared.mx
“We have to educate the
kids and train them to
have an entrepreneurial
spirit and culture. Most
Mexicans are entrepreneurs,
but perhaps we haven’t
noticed yet”.
www.primernivelgroup.com
“In addition to focusing
on growth, we have to
have confidence in our
young people, train
them and guide them.”
This way, there’ll be
more entrepreneurs”.
www.previta.com.mx
www.previta.com.mx
“As entrepreneurs, we
have to try to improve
other peoples’ life
styles and technology will
help us achieve this”.
“One of the main
challenges is
encouraging credibility
of good ideas and
making public and
private institutions
create synergies to
support the
entrepreneurs”.
www.evaluatest.com
www.ingeniagroup.com
“The entrepreneurship
culture in Mexico is in a
spectacular phase. All
we need is for the new
generation to keep not
only the domestic market
in mind, but also the rest
of the world”.
www.tps.com.mx
“Success and failure
always make better
companies, as well
as thinking of the
customers and the
quality of the product
that will be offered
to them”.
www.grupomia.com
“It is possible to be a
high value company
and have a model that
will have a relevant
and positive impact
on society”.
“Confidence is built on
results. Your business
model is a hypothesis;
if it’s successful, you’ll
prove to yourself that
you were on the right
track and you keep
moving forward”.
“Those who face funding
issues by looking for
new customers just
don’t see the need to
ask for loans and
they increase the
confidence in their
business”.
www.advenio.mx
www.compartamos.com
“What is needed to improve
the entrepreneurial culture
in Mexico is to generate
an ecosystem that covers
both the entrepreneur
and a culture of support,
training, funding, and
incentives”.
“Mexico needs to think
of international quality.
The situation and the
opportunities are there
for the taking. It’s
time to focus on
the details and
concentrate on what
the customer needs”.
19 Ernst & Young
www.virufin.mx
www.virufin.mx
“Every company needs
to stay one step ahead
of the needs of the
market. We can’t fool
consumers that
demand more. Ethics
and the possibility
of providing added
value are triggers
for growth”.
“Our country’s
entrepreneurial
culture could improve
as we encourage
more people to
start up their
own businesses”.
www.arccanto.com
www.docsolutions.com
www.docsolutions.com
“A company’s growth
is a reflection of the
confidence and winning
attitude of its founders”.
“Having a solid team of
committed and motivated
people is the way to build
a company that will last
in the market, excel in
its industry, grow over
the long-term, and have
a positive impact
on society”.
“Yes, growing in Mexico
is challenging for a
company, but conditions
are also ripe for finding
and developing market
niches”.
www.exituscapital.com.mx
www.hrc.mx
www.maindsteel.com.mx
“The financial aspects
of a company should
never be an
entrepreneur’s main
driver, but rather
finance should be a
tool for reaching
objectives”.
20 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
“We have an opportunity to
work with young people
and to show them how to
be entrepreneurs and do
what it takes to build a
company. We have to
encourage our youth
to become people
who generate value
for Mexico”.
www.iin.mx
“Increasing our
investment in education,
technology, and science
will lead to better talent
to help Mexico compete
in a totally globalized
marketplace”.
“Education is the biggest
challenge for creating
entrepreneurs, because
it’s the building block
every business leader
needs to perform
with integrity”.
www.BioEDEN.mx
www.serv.net.mx
www.toptel.com.mx
“As far as innovation is
concerned, we always
need to walk that extra
step, take risks and break
through barriers to be
able to venture into
rapid-growth markets”.
“It’s very important
to learn from your
mistakes. This may
not always be the
most expedient
choice, but it’s best
to improve along
the journey”.
“When our goals as
people and entrepreneurs
are clear and dynamic
and bring out passion
in people, they will
undoubtedly attract
others to follow”.
www.fagro.com.mx
www.distroller.com
www.lomioestuyo.com
“Specialized know-how
and broad vision has made
all the difference for us
and the agricultural
communities we reach,
by connecting them
to new markets and
growth possibilities”.
“I started this company
because of my love
for art and design. Now
that it’s a formal business,
it’s very challenging to
achieve a balance between
the creative essence and
the reality of the business
environment”.
“Innovation means
making things better,
looking forward, and
detecting the areas
that could be more
attractive for the
customer”.
www.equiposyahn.com
“The entrepreneurial
culture should not just
look for personal
benefits. Creating
jobs, benefits, and
supporting society
is much more
satisfying”.
Congratulations to
everyone who has
become a part of the
Ernst & Young Hall
of Fame.
21 Ernst & Young
Honoring this select group of achievers is
our way to pay tribute to entrepreneurship,
since those who have the passion and drive
to innovate come out on top and make a
difference for the communities they live in.
A celebration of Mexico’s entrepreneurial culture
EOY gala
dinner
On October 4, Ernst & Young reaffirmed its commitment to
promoting Mexico’s entrepreneurial culture during the
Entrepreneur Of The Year® (EOY) gala dinner, which is a
one-of-a-kind event that provides forums and tools aimed at
helping entrepreneurs turn their successful ideas into reality.
This year’s EOY was the third for Ernst & Young Mexico and
the 200 nominations the program received in 2012, compared
to 160 in 2011 and 140 in 2010, was proof positive of the
ever-growing interest that Mexico’s entrepreneurial community
has shown in becoming part of our exclusive business network
stretching out over more than 50 countries.
This year’s candidate list included 52 entrepreneurs from 40
companies whose innovative business models and commitment
to society at large have set them apart from their peers.
Among these candidates, Lorenzo Barrera Segovia of Banco
22 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
Alberto Tiburcio, president and CEO of Ernst & Young Mexico,
paid special tribute to the work of the EOY judges, whose
experience and prominent positions in the business and
academic communities are the bedrock of Mexico’s
Entrepreneur Of The Year® (EOY) program. Alberto
emphasized the fact that those who participate in the
program enjoy a number of unique benefits:
•
•
•
BASE, was named the program’s National
Winner and will represent Mexico at the
World Entrepreneur Of The Year® event
next year in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The gala dinner held at the San Hipólito
ex-Convent was organized to provide
a forum to foster dialogue and the
exchange ideas among some of Mexico’s
top entrepreneurs. This was achieved
with the creation of the Hall of Fame
and a series of videos that highlighted
the valuable ideas of the EOY 2012
candidates regarding education, raising
capital, facing down adversity, and what
Mexico can do to create a higher number of global companies.
The program gives them the opportunity to build valuable relationships that help spread the word about their
businesses both inside and outside of their communities.
They receive a spot in the EOY Winners Network, which provides them with useful tools, such as the Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
The winners also have a chance to meet executives from high-growth companies, to hear insights on critical
business issues, and to explore other growth opportunities.
Emilio Díaz, Managing Partner of the Firm’s Clients and Markets
area, applauded the support provided by BBVA Bancomer
and Líderes Mexicanos magazine, two well-know institutions
that share Ernst & Young’s belief that entrepreneurship is a
critical factor in Mexico’s future development.
Rafael Frías, Director of the Small and Medium Companies
Segment of BBVA Bancomer, stated that “it is an honor to
work with Ernst & Young as sponsor of the program and to
join them in paying tribute to the sector that creates the
most jobs in Mexico”. Raúl Ferráez, Executive Director of
Líderes Mexicanos magazine, emphasized how inspiring it is
to hear about entrepreneurs who have made their dreams
come true.
After being named the winner of Entrepreneur of the Year®,
Lorenzo Barrera Segovia thanked the organizers of the
program for the award and told the audience that the EOY
program plays a critical role in showing young go-getters
out there that in today’s world they can still create their own
businesses and be successful.
23
Ernst &
& Young
Young
23 Ernst
24 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
25
Ernst &
& Young
Young
25 Ernst
26 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
27 Ernst & Young
28 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
29 Ernst & Young
30 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
31
Ernst &
& Young
Young
31 Ernst
Lorenzo Barrera Segovia
Banco BASE
Consolidated
National Winner of the Entrepreneur
Of The Year® 2012 award
32 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
A solid organizational culture, a strong business
model, good decision-making and regulatory
compliance are some of the factors that have
come together to make Banco BASE one of Mexico’s
most important financial institutions.
In 1982, Mexico’s banking system
was nationalized and restrictions
were placed on the country’s foreign
exchange market. This led to many
Mexican businesses finding themselves
in the position of having to turn to the
open market to meet their import and
export needs.
It was under these circumstances
that in 1984 Lorenzo Barrera began
his most ambitious project as an
entrepreneur: Banco BASE.
Incorporated 26 years ago in
Monterrey, Nuevo Leon as BASE
Internacional Casa de Cambio, the
Company took on the challenge of
meeting the foreign currency exchange
needs of Mexico’s businesses.
After more than 20 years of
dedicated service, the most important
lesson that this year’s winner of the
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the
Year® Mexico award has learned
is to adapt to and capitalize on the
opportunities and challenges that
present themselves during times of
crisis in the national economy.
In each phase of the bank’s growth,
Lorenzo was able to overcome
adversity through robust strategic
planning and leadership in which the
Company’s shareholders take an active
part. By always focusing on the longterm and having clearly defined goals
and objectives, he has brought together
a highly-qualified team that stays at the
forefront of technological and brand
developments.
The key to Banco BASE’s success is bringing professionals
on board who share a values-driven approach to their
work, which makes it easier for them to band together and
overcome challenges with integrity and accountability.
Banco BASE’s focus on social issues has also been central to
its growth and consolidation as a market leader.
Banco BASE has developed programs to promote financial
knowledge and has always allocated a substantial budget to
educating its customers and potential customers about how
to make the best use of banking products and services to
achieve their goals.
For Lorenzo, innovation has played an important role in
transforming his business, since developing new ideas or
products gives the bank a competitive edge by offering more
value to its customers.
One example of this is the launch of the FX LOAN product,
which is a revolving line of credit (30-day) that helps
companies finance their working capital and balance
their cash flows, and which even functions as a foreign
exchange hedge.
Launching these types of products and offering top quality
services led Banco BASE to be named the Best Foreign
Exchange Operator in Mexico by the British magazine World
Finance. The Company also received the INNOVATEC award
in 2011 from Mexico’s National Science and Technology
Council (CONACYT) for its contributions to improving the
technologies it offers to its customers and its research work
with universities.
33 Ernst & Young
Eduardo Camarena Villaseñor,
Octavio Camarena Villaseñor,
y Martín García Keller
MasNegocio
Expanding business
This Company’s initial idea was to
rent software to companies; that is,
to offer software solutions through an
outsourcing model with the highest
levels of service and security for which
clients pay a monthly user fee. This new
model allows companies to have access
to state-of-the-art technology without
bearing the ongoing costs of owning
the software.
When the company first started up
operations, it faced the challenge of
34 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
having to develop a completely new industry and so they set
out to convince companies that this business solution would
greatly improve their operating processes.
The company currently provides more than 20 software
platforms and is working to bolster its offerings of software
aligned to the new government accounting harmonization
model, and to offer more cost efficient alternatives to its
clients. MasNegocio serves users in approximately 16
countries across Latin America from its offices in Mexico and
it plans to expand to many other locations, since thanks to its
hard work and business trajectory, the market has become
more receptive to software outsourcing services.
Jesús Saro Boardman
Fagro
Developing business
With a market presence in more than
9 Latin American countries and Spain,
Fargo was founded to help farmers
harvest high-quality crops. What sets
the company apart is the added value
it offers its customers through the
sale of technology for increasing
crop yields and assistance passing
phytosanitary inspections to ensure
that the crops can be exported to any
country in the world.
The company helps the community
by improving products that are
environmentally detrimental, such as
fertilizers, since substituting harmful
chemicals usually found in fertilizers
significantly boosts sustainability.
As an environmentally conscious
organization, Fargo has made it a
priority to obtain certifications as a
socially responsible company. This
includes the company’s acceptance
in the environmental registry of the
Ministry of the Environment and
National Resources (SEMARNAT),
which it obtained by generating 10%
of its electricity using photocells,
printing its advertising on recycled
paper, manufacturing non-polluting
organic products and heading up a
reforestation program that so far has
planted between 300 and 500 trees.
35 Ernst & Young
Gabriela León Gutiérrez
y Sergio León Gutiérrez
Gresmex
Social impact
Gresmex, which is primarily engaged
in manufacturing home and personal
care products, experienced one of the
biggest challenges that every small
business faces when they first start
up: a lack of financing. Fortunately,
Gabriela and Sergio León Gutiérrez
overcame this challenge and were able
to found the company in 1999.
The company’s mission and vision arose
out of its founders’ observation that
store-brand anti-bacterial products sold
at supermarkets lacked quality in their
performance and packaging. This is
why they set out to add value to these
products and stake their claim in the
anti-bacterial products segment.
Grexmes has two business lines:
retail and nanotechnology. In the
36 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
nanotechnology line, the company has continued its research
into the active ingredients of its formulas to improve the
quality of its products and make them biodegradable, which
is revolutionizing the health sector. With an ample national
distribution network, the company is now in negotiations to
start exporting to South America and plans to later expand
into Europe, South Africa, Russia and Australia. Also, thanks
to the recognition it received from the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), it is considering breaking into
the U.S. market.
Gresmex currently heads up a team of 15 high-level
researchers from the National System for Researches of
the Science and Technology Council (CONACYT),
and has alliances with several Mexican universities and
foundations, such as the National Institute for Respiratory
Diseases (INER).
The company is also a member of the international
nanotechnology committee of the ISO.
The Road to
Monte Carlo
2013
Since its inception, the Entrepreneur Of The Year® program
has been aimed at finding new ways to help its participants
in their day-to-day activities, for them to keep growing their
businesses and maintain the rate of growth and the level of
innovation that have set them apart from the beginning of
their careers.
The World Entrepreneur Of The Year® (WEOY) awards
ceremony is the culminating event of all the editions of the
program held in different countries around the globe, and it
brings together all these local winners to exchange points
of view, share best practices and create a global business
network.
Lorenzo Barrera will represent Mexico at the 2013 WEOY
event to be held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where his
inspiring success story and innovative business model will
surely help him stand out from the pool of participants
a strong contender.
“The WEOY is three enriching days spent in the
company of some of the best entrepreneurs out
there. It is a learning experience for all of us”.
Enrique Beltranena
General Director of Volaris
and 2012 WEOY participant
Winners of past editions
2012
Dr. James Mwangi
Equity Bank Limited
Kenya
2006
Bill Lynch
Imperial Holdings
South Africa
2011
Olivia Kum
Hyflux Limited
Singapore
2005
Wayne Huizenga
Huizenga Holdings Inc.
USA
2010
Michael Spencer
UK’s ICAP plc
United Kingdom
2004
Tony Tan Caktiong
Jollibee Foods Corporation
Philippines
2009
Cao Dewang
Fyuao Glass Industry Group
China
2003
Narayana Murthy
Infosys Technologies Limited
India
2008
Jean-Paul Clozel
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd
Switzerland
2002
Stefan Vilsmeier
BrainLAB AG
Germany
2007
Guy Laliberté
Cirque du Soleil
Canada
2001
Paolo della Porta
Grupo Saes Getters S.p.A.
Italy
37 Ernst & Young
Presence that
transcends
audiences
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of
The Year® is the most prestigious
business program in the world. By
bringing together the most renowned
international visionaries, who have
broken paradigms and have launched
innovative business proposals, the
program has sparked the interest of the
business media.
But Ernst & Young also wants to use the
valuable knowledge contributed by
the EOY finalists to inspire dialogue.
This is why we increased our presence
on social networks like Facebook
(Ernst & Young-Intégrate) and Twitter
(@eynewsmexico), with live coverage
of the most important events of the
program and messages from the
judges and winners.
38 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
An application for celebrating
innovation
Ernst & Young Mexico is always working to create
more channels to support and share about
entrepreneurship. That is why we created the EOY
Mexico app for mobile devices, which offers the
latest news, event coverage and relevant topics
related to business innovation.
Download the app for iOS (iPhone®/iPod®/iPad®)
and Blackberry® devices.
39 Ernst & Young
Strategic Growth Markets:
For a culture of high-growth
and innovation
For more than 30 years, Ernst & Young has helped many of
the world’s most ambitious and dynamic companies become
market leaders.
Along the way we have gained considerable insight into
what has made a handful of these companies to become key
players in the economy and what factors have set them apart
from other successful companies. We have brought all of this
knowledge together in our Strategic Growth Markets (SGM)
global network, which stretches out over more than 100
countries with practices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle
East, Africa, Japan and Oceania.
40 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012
Regardless of what stage of growth a
Company is in, its ability to identify and
manage risk is invariably a key factor
for achieving success in the modern
business world. Our professionals help
our clients ask the right questions to
pave the way for those initiatives
that will take their companies to
the next level.
Ernst & Young’s experience working
with top companies make us uniquely
qualified to help your company identify
and monitor its most important risks
to ensure a prosperous future for the
organization, as well as to measure the
team’s performance dealing with these
risks, make the best use of the results
of these efforts and communicate
effectively with stakeholders.
With more than 300 leaders on board,
our SGM teams know what a business
needs to go from simply having the
inspiration to grow to actually becoming
a market leader. We work with some of
the most innovative companies around
and those who work with us benefit
from this leadership.
Now more than ever our economy
depends on agile, high-growth
companies being able to develop,
innovate and thrive. For this to happen,
these organizations need to work
through some extremely complex
challenges, such as attracting investors,
recruiting talent, creating infrastructure,
executing transactions, and breaking
into international markets.
The leaders of those companies that
overcome these challenges seldom do
it alone. They usually embark upon
business opportunities with the help of
advisors who guide them as they look
to grow and adapt to new realities.
With a series of resources specifically developed to face these
challenges, Ernst & Young provides the advice and assistance
that companies are looking for. Through our SGM network,
we have organized our professionals from the Audit, Business
Advisory, Tax-Legal, and M&A service lines to give companies
the critical knowledge and methodologies they need - at the
right place and at the right time.
Publications to help you succeed
Ernst & Young has an extensive catalogue of
publications highlighting research projects, polls
and studies on high-growth companies, including
the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lessons from change: Future market leaders
Entrepreneurship and innovation: the keys to the
global economy
Exceptional magazine
Ernst & Young Guide to listing on the Mexican Stock Exchange
What high-growth companies need to know
about risk
Emprendedor, Spanish language magazine from the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico program
Scaling up: why women-owned businesses can
recharge the global economy
Rapid Growth Markets, October 2012
You may find these publications at our website
www.ey.com/sgm or using ourEY Insights
smartphone app, available for download at
www.eyinsights.com.
descargar en www.eyinsights.com.
a series of events that highlight our
commitment to progress. Our Strategic
Growth Forum, which brings together
the entrepreneurs, executives and
advisors of many top companies to
share ideas, build relationships and
celebrate their successes. The Forbes
magazine website named this forum as
one of the seven best business retreats.
We were the first professional services firm to create a
practice specifically dedicated to this market segment and
we have been at the forefront of this area ever since, with
resources designed to take on a range of issues, such as
sustainability, IPOs, taxes, financing, strategic transactions,
risk management, performance improvement, innovation
and entrepreneurship. This support and expertise is made
available to our clients through multidisciplinary teams that
give organizations the tools they need to instill a culture of
constantly seeking to evolve.
In addition to our services specifically designed to enable
the businesses of fast-growing companies, we also organize
41 Ernst & Young
42 Entrepreneur Of The Year® Mexico 2012