Seven Latin American and Caribbean business leaders have joined Miami Herbert’s Latin America and Caribbean Initiative (LACI) Advisory Board, marking a growing and increasingly energized team of advisors for principals of the business school in the center of the gateway to the Americas. The board serves to strengthen initiatives that contribute to the region, helping to make Miami Herbert a proactive institution that promotes prosperity and goes beyond only responding to present trends.
During the latest advisory meeting, held on July 8 as a combined on-campus and virtual event, Dean John Quelch welcomed the new members. The incoming business leaders, like all LACI board members, show commitment to provide counsel for regional impact and to promote Miami Herbert degrees and executive education programs within their organizations. Members also serve as guest speakers, mentors, and touch points for internships and real-world projects for students.
New member Raquel Garavito, CEO of the Colombian Adaption Fund, recognizes Latin America’s quickly evolving business landscape and the need for new talent.
“Latin American countries need well-prepared professionals to engage and provide the skills needed in our countries for the upcoming years,” she says. “I’m really glad to be a member of this team.”
Monica Ramirez, global director of corporate affairs at Anheuser-Busch InBev in Colombia, helps lead the largest brewing company in the world. She already spearheads an organizational outlook to support Miami Herbert undergraduate and post-graduate students. Her work with the board will also seek to further mutual efforts to promote business investment and tourism in the country.
Eduard L.J. de Veer BBA ’64, MBA ’20, focuses on operations for MetaCorp N.V., based in Aruba. He manages the company’s diverse activities in concrete, beer and soft drink, and hotel laundry businesses. De Veer spent 30 years in the workforce before returning to school for Miami Herbert’s Global Executive MBA program, which he completed in December.
“The program really helped confirm and expand knowledge learned through the years and also allowed for fantastic networking opportunities with professors, speakers, and colleagues,” he says.
Mastercard’s Vice President of Product Management Alex Moura, MBA ’05, also joins the board as an alumnus. He had previously attended the naval academy and credits Miami Herbert with helping him transition into a successful business career.
“I’m very proud of the business program and what UM represents for me and for Miami,” he states.
Managing Director of Caoba Real Estate Serge Mansur, BBA ’88, is the second of the new members to join from Aruba, helping to make the Caribbean an integral part of the LACI board’s regional focus.
Originally from Jamaica, alumnus David Mullings, BBA ’00, MBA ’03, chairman and CEO of Blue Mahoe Capital Partners, comes from what he calls “a legacy UM family,” pointing out that he, his brother, and father all achieved their professional degrees at the University. Today, Mullings leads venture capitalist and private equity investments through his growing firm in Brickell.
Alumna Ilana Minev, BBA ’01, serves as a board member and head of strategy at Bemol Matriz in Brazil. She is also the president of the Family Council in Manaus and a board member of the Family Business Network, which works to expand networking opportunities for Brazilian family-owned businesses.
New members join existing ones in helping Miami Herbert leadership identify and bring to campus quality speakers. Current member Marcelo Fumasoni, head of human resources at Microsoft, for instance, brought colleague Rodrigo Kede Lima as a guest speaker for the event.
Lima, LATAM president and corporate vice president of Microsoft, provided insights into the opportunities and challenges in the region’s cloud digital space. In his assessment, Latin America stands uniquely positioned to become a stronghold for sustainability, given the region’s rich natural resources and growing technological capabilities.
“Technology is at the center of progress for the region for the next many years,” he asserts.
Upcoming events in the fall will include other prominent Latin American speakers enabled by the group, such as Carlos Brito, outgoing CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Denis Minev, CEO of Bemol in Brazil.
