Mexico is...? Top businessmen give their verdict

“Mexico is a big secret... All the talk of Mexico is related to drug trafficking and crime, but it is actually a very strong and growing economy, favored by solid foundations not only for the very large domestic market, which is growing daily as we create a larger middle class with greater purchasing power, but also for the large export market. One fact that reflects this reality perfectly is that Mexico exports more than all the other Latin American countries, including Brazil, put together!
We should note that every day of the year, US$1.5 billion of goods cross the border perfectly lawfully – it is curious that in this supposed war zone there is so much trade!”

Claudio X. Gonzalez, President of Kimberly Clark de Mexico

“Mexico is a perfect volume export platform due to trade tax exemptions, and a perfect situation with free trade agreements for exporting to North and South American regions. For VW’s strategy, having success in the USA implies not only to have production plants in the USA, but also have lower cost plants in the area. Mexico is the perfect example where you find qualified people able to work on high tech, and in our case this Mexico-VW union has been a success story for decades already, and in the decade to come.”

Juan Domingo Beckman, Director General of Casa Cuervo

“Mexico is a country with enormous growth potential. If we look at the world, Europe, except for one or two countries, is in a difficult position and will be for several years. America is moving forward. There will be growth in Latin America, Asia, including India, but Mexico is easier to learn, to understand, talk to and invest in. Last year we received between 18 and 20 billion dollars in FDI – we are well located, next to the largest market in the world, and now the Latin American market is growing.”

Jaime Ruiz SacristAn, President of the Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM)

“Mexico has made great strides in recent years – we are really talking about a much stronger, modern economy than that which lost its way in the 70s, when the country took a backward step with protectionist measures. But we have solved these issues, and now we are one of the most commercially open economies in the world.”

Vicente Yañez Solloa, Executive Chairman of the National Association of Department Stores, ANTAD

“Mexico is being unfairly judged by the outside world, which sometimes takes a particular aspect and then extends it to the entire country. Having a problem at one end of Mexico does not mean there is the same problem at the other end – we are talking about a country with distances measured in thousands of miles. Mexico is a country of great sensitivity, patriotism, traditions, people – and always will be.”

Javier Sordo Madaleno, CEO of Grupo Sordo Madaleno

“Mexico is proving to be a hard working and competitive country that has an understanding of the global economic outlook. We have solid institutions that have been financially prudent and have allowed the private sector to operate with more certainty. Today we have world-class companies, which having acquired extensive experience in the huge Mexican domestic market and within the Nafta region, can make the leap abroad becoming global, earning the trust of foreign institutional and private investors.  If you compare Mexichem’s today  to what we were 8 years ago, you will witness an spectacular transformation. Our sales and production was 80% local, now it´s 80% international, we increased our sales by a multiple of 15, our profits by 20 and our market value 42 times. We had 1,700 employees in 2 countries, we now have 18,000 employees in 40 countries.”

Juan Pablo del Valle Perochena, President of Mexichem