Mexico Matters

In this episode, Mariana is joined by Luis de la Calle, an international economist, former NAFTA negotiator and CEO of CMM; and Martin Castellanos, head of Latam research at the IIF. They discuss the potential economic and policy implications of the June 2nd presidential elections and describe the optimism vis-a-vis Mexico among the investor community. They dive into the economic realities that ex...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Tamanna and Travis Bembenek, owners of the Mexico News Daily about the other side of the migration coin: the millions of Americans (and other nationalities) migrating to Mexico to live, work, or start a business and the impact they are having in the local communities. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of starting a new business in Mexico, the import...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Andrew Selee, President of the Migration Policy Institute and Carlos Heredia Associate Professor at CIDE about the facts and the politics in both the U.S. and Mexico behind the surge in immigration flows. They dive deep into the facts to understand what is attracting so many people—not only from Mexico or Central America but also from China, India, Africa, and...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with David Velez, co-founder and CEO of Nubank about how Nubank evolved from an initiative to kill fat fees and poor service in Brazil into the largest digital bank in the world. They also discuss how Fintech is shaking the financial sector in Latin America not only by boosting competition but also by bringing new technologies and services to millions that had previ...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Martín Escobari, Head of Global Growth Equity, Co-President, Managing Director, Head of Latin America and Chairman of General Atlantic's Investment Committee, and Luis Cervantes, Managing Director and Head of GA's Mexico City Office. They discuss the factors that have contributed to the emergence of an important entrepreneurial ecosystem in Latin America and de...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Tania Ortiz Mena, President of Sempra Infrastructure, about Mexico’s large and diversified base of energy sources—ranging from oil, gas, solar, wind, and hydro—and what would it take for Mexico not only to satisfy growing demand but also to take full advantage of its potential. They also speak about the current state of Mexico’s electricity and gas infrastructu...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, and Evan Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of Chubb. They delve into the ways North America stands to benefit from current global tensions. They also discuss the notions of globalization and regionalization, and what Mexico needs to do enhance its global competitiveness, attract greater investments, and achieve its full pote...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Dr. Luis Rubio, former Chairman of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations and Chair of Mexico Evalua, about his most recent book titled On Your Marks. They discuss why the upcoming Presidential election will define the trajectory of Mexico in the near future, and whether Mexico will be able to create the necessary conditions to leverage the nearshoring wave....

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Ken Smith, the former head negotiator from the Mexico side of the USMCA agreement and with Scott Miller co-host of The Trade Guys, a CSIS podcast specializing in trade policies.  They talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of USMCA as it approaches its third year anniversary, and how it differs from the former NAFTA. They also discuss the importance of USMCA...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and former U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Julio Rank Wright, Regional VP for Latin America at IRC. They discuss why the images of chaos and desperation seen at the US-Mexico border are just the tip of an international trend as millions of people—from around the world...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Brookings scholar of crime, conflict, and non-traditional security threats, and Guillermo Valdes, former head of Mexico’s Center for Investigation and National Security, CISEN. They discuss the evolution of Mexico’s cartels, the failure of the Mexican government to curtail their growth, and how they have diversified into other illegal and...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Alejandra Palacios, former head of Mexico’s Economic Competition Commission, COFECE, and Luis Gutierrez, President for Latin America of Prologis, the world’s largest industrial real estate investment trust and the biggest owner of industrial parks in Mexico. They discuss why Mexico’s manufacturing sector is receiving record numbers of FDI, in what specific sect...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Kellie Meiman, Managing Partner at McLarty Associates and former USTR for South America, and Juan Carlos Baker, Mexico’s USMCA negotiator and former Under Secretary of the Economy. They discuss the importance for the three North American countries to abide by USMCA rules and commitments to create the needed certainty to unfreeze nearshoring investments...

In this episode, Mariana speaks with Alonso Cervera, Managing Director in the Emerging Markets Economics Research team of Credit Suisse about Mexico’s record flows of foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2022, Mexico’s strengths and weaknesses to take a share of China’s exports to the U.S., and about how—despite current economic policies — Mexico will be able to catch the nearshoring wave. They als...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with former congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lethinen (R-FL-27) about the unmaterialized red wave during the 2022 midterm elections. They also discuss the importance of the Latino electorate, Governor DeSantis’s role in making Florida an outlier, and how a Republican-controlled House could modify policies affecting Mexico and trade enforcement.

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Dr. Luis Rubio, Chairman of the think tank Mexico Evalua, about the transcendental changes that have occurred in Mexico under the Presidency of Lopez Obrador, why the immense power concentrated in the Mexican presidency constitutes a crucial challenge for development, and AMLO’s desire to control a good chunk of the economy and to protect his signature...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo, former lead negotiator for Mexico of the new USMCA free trade agreement and a current member of Mexico’s lower house of Congress for the PRI party. They discuss the trade dispute with Mexico over the country’s energy policies which restrict market access and favor two state own enterprises. CFE, the state run utility and Pe...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Lisa Sanchez, the CEO of Mexico United Against Crime, a nongovernmental organization in Mexico. They discuss the failures in Mexico’s public security strategy and why women, just for being women, are particularly targeted. They also explain that the demands of the women’s movement in Mexico are not about equal rights as in other countries but rather abo...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Ricardo Pascoe, the former Mexican ambassador to Cuba. They discuss the political and economic conditions that exist in the island and why—despite the recent crackdowns on dissent and the economic collapse of the Cuban communist model—President López Obrador has decided to side with President Díaz Canel over President Biden to build a closer relationshi...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with former congressman Filemon Vela Jr. from Texas about how the immigration debate has overshadowed the complete U.S.-Mexico relationship, despite its vastness and importance for the livelihoods of millions on both sides of the border. They also discuss how internal politics have proved a formidable barrier to smart immigration reform, which impacts the Un...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Luis Cervantes, managing director and head of General Atlantic's Mexico City office; Adolfo Babats, CEO of CLIP, one of the first unicorns to emerge from Mexico; and Ricardo Amper, CEO of Incode. They discuss the opportunity that private equity and other investors have identified in Mexico and Latin America and how entrepreneurs are using technology to...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Mexico's former Foreign Minister, Jorge Castañeda, about Mexico's unwillingness to impose any economic sanctions on Russia for the war against Ukraine. Castañeda also explains why anti-Americanism in the region has allowed President Putin to find certain support from Mexico, Brazil, and other Latin American countries.

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Luis Rubio, Luis de la Calle, Lourdes Melgar, Jorge Tello Peón, and Julian Ventura; five renowned Mexican experts who provide a report card of President Lopez Obrador´s first three years in office from a political, economic, energy, security, and diplomatic perspective. They also share their analysis as to what we can expect for the second half of this...

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute. They discuss the record number and diversity of migrants, the importance for the U.S. to be able to control its border, and the need to build a 21st-century immigration system that is both humane and attracts the required high, mid, and lower skill talents to grow and increase competitiveness.

In this episode, Mariana Campero speaks with former United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer about USMCA and the principles and goals that guided its creation versus the old NAFTA. They also discuss the benefits and limits of the North American market, the issues behind supply chain disruptions, the importance of protecting jobs and livelihoods, and why Mexico matters to the United Sta...