HBR Summit is a unique event held in Latin America by Harvard Business Review magazine with Opinno, counting with the participation of IPADE Business School.
IPADE Business School has been positioned as one of the best schools in the world to study an MBA by the Forbes ranking. IPADE Business School is the leading school in Latin America that focuses on improving the management skills of the business community. It has won its position for its level of excellence. Thanks to their academic tenacity, IPADE’s exceptional Executive Education programs have been ranked in the 16th place in the “Executive Education” international ranking, published by Financial Times.
This year was the fifth edition of HBR Summit and it was held on 5 November 2019 at the headquarters of IPADE Business School CDMX. This year's theme is focused on the way the leaders are facing times of change and uncertainty. The event emphasized on the ways of working, strategies for improvement, current issues facing a company and how to deal with them.
Following, are the nine speakers that shared their knowledge during the event.
Tommaso Canonici, Director of Opinno Europe, spoke about what is innovation and why is it important? Sharing the five most valuable tips for ascending innovation in an organization. Highlighting the keys to innovative leadership for senior management. During his speech he answered a key question: What involves being an innovative company? Being aware of what’s happening before others, putting the customer first in all the aspects of the company, being agile and having a mindset based on innovation. “The greatest leaders are like astronauts, they take risks, are curious, visionaries, they see all with a global perspective and are always working hand-in-hand with their teams” Tommaso Canonici.
Sergio Fonseca, Professor of Business Policy, IPADE Business School, shared why we talk about times of change. Explaining how most of the companies currently in the S&P 500 will probably not be part of the list in the next 15 years. He disclosed that in times of great uncertainty, managers need to make the right strategic decisions, in order to preserve core businesses, and prepare their organizations for the future. He touched a common subject on how can managers make these decisions when the industry is transforming?
The General Manager of Nu Mexico, Emilio Gonzales, focused his talk on the uncertainty in the financial sector, defining that the future of banks will be without banks. He explained that the current relationship costumers have with their banks is usually one of love-hate, but always complicated. He spoke about the birth of Nubank, a Brazilian unicorn that uses technology to offer financial services without physical facilities, turning the experience of its clients around, making their loyalty increase more and more.
Furthermore, Amanda Pinto the Director of Innovation for Grupo Mantequeira, pointed out the uncertainty in the food sector. During her talk, she analyzed the huge veganism boom that impacts the food industry, animal protein substitutes and their derivatives such as milk and eggs, begins to be a product with exponential growth. This is why Brazil's largest chicken egg producer has opened a totally innovative way to stay at the top of the trade. The N.Ovo line: a vegan alternative to egg protein aimed at those who choose vegan products and those who, for health reasons or allergies, need to avoid this protein.
The CEO of Green Momentum, Luis Aguirre, spoke about business in the age of climate change. He empathized that we live in times of political, economic, social and environmental uncertainty. Faced with this, the private enterprise is forced to develop the necessary solutions not only to move forward, but also to guarantee a sustainable future, both economic and social and environmental, for Mexico and the region.
In addition, Tommaso Canonici, Director, Opinno Europe, Antonio Nuñez, Partner, Parangon Partners, Alejandra Paczka, HR Director, Walmart, Bernardo Novick, Director, ZX Ventures and David Arconada, Vice President of User Experience, Aeromexico held a conversation on the leader in the face of innovation. They shared their success stories explaining how they built strategies to achieve concrete objectives.
Yvette Mucharraz and Cano, Deputy Director of Human Resources, IPADE Business School enchanted guests with a talk about collaborative Leadership in a time of uncertainty focusing on how in the 21st century the role of the leader has changed and the need has arisen to develop contact networks with a participative leadership to face increasingly complex challenges.
Director, JHC&C Leadership Collaborative, Jill Hufnagel, illustrated the adaptive leadership and how to guide people and organizations to adapt and thrive in the forever-changing environments.
Lastly, Nathan Furr, Professor of Strategy, INSEAD and Amy Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer, Harvard Business Review, described how leaders have turn uncertainty into possibilities.
