International Advisory Board

José Manuel Arana is a seasoned global executive with extensive leadership experience across the U.S., Europe, Brazil, and Mexico in agribusiness, biotechnology, food, industrial, automotive, and healthcare sectors. Renowned for driving transformative change, he consistently improves financial performance, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.

His core strengths include cultural and organizational transformation, strategic adaptability across industries, and human-centered leadership that energizes teams and ensures strategic execution. Arana is a pragmatic, results-oriented business leader with a strong focus on people.

Currently CEO of Nadro, a leading Mexican logistics and healthcare distribution company, he is committed to improving national health outcomes and employee well-being. Previously, he led Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), transforming it into a global enterprise with 2.5x growth in sales and profitability through strategic acquisitions, talent development, and cultural change. His early career at Dow Chemical Co. spanned 25 years, culminating in his role as CEO of Dow Seeds and Biotechnology in Brazil, where he built a successful biotech platform through strategic acquisitions.

Arana holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from ITESM and has completed executive programs at Thunderbird, Indiana University, IPADE, IESE, Wharton, CEIBS, and Harvard. He speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese. He is a Mexican national and a resident of the United States.

David Arana is the Founder and CEO of Konfío, a leading fintech platform providing digital banking, payments, and productivity tools to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Latin America. Under his leadership, Konfío has grown into one of the region’s most prominent financial technology companies—driving innovation in credit, deposits, and financial software for underserved businesses—and has reached a valuation of over US$1 billion. Prior to founding Konfío,

David spent over six years at Deutsche Bank in New York, where he served as Vice President in the Credit Derivatives Structuring division for Latin America, focusing on complex structured solutions and emerging market risk.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has received multiple academic honors, including recognition as a National Society of Collegiate Scholars member (2005), Hispanic Recognition Scholar (2003), and recipient of the Rensselaer Medal for Math & Science (2003).

Pedro Aspe is a Mexican economist born in 1950 in Mexico City. He earned his B.A. in Economics from ITAM and a Ph.D. in Economics from MIT, supported by Fulbright and CONACYT scholarships. His career spans academia, government, and the private sector.

In academia, he was Dean of the Economics Department at ITAM and founded its master’s program in Economics. In the public sector, he served as the founding President of INEGI and later as Mexico’s Secretary of the Treasury (1988–1994), playing a key role in major economic reforms including NAFTA, Mexico’s entry into GATT and the OECD, and the Central Bank’s autonomy.

In the private sector, he founded Protego, later merged with Evercore Partners, where he served as Co-Chairman until his retirement in 2017. He currently chairs CINUK and serves on several boards, including the North American Forum and the Museum of Memory and Tolerance.

Antonio Batista is the Dean of Fundação Dom Cabral (FDC) since 2016 and chairs its International Advisory Council. He serves on advisory boards of top business schools in Portugal, China, and Mexico, and is a trustee of two Brazilian nonprofits. With a PhD in Business Administration, he has authored numerous publications and a book on organizational competencies.

With over 38 years in executive education, Antonio is known for his empathetic leadership and strategic vision. He has mentored executives, contributed to global discussions on the future of work, and actively engages with EFMD and AACSB. He founded PAEX, a major business support network in South America, and led BRICS-focused executive education initiatives.

Antonio also champions ethical leadership through the CEOs’ Legacy initiative and has expanded FDC’s reach to underserved communities. He sponsors FDC’s Sustainability and DEI programs, reinforcing his commitment to inclusive and impactful business education.

Swati Bhatia is Head of Retail Banking and Transformation at Santander Bank, NA, and CEO of Openbank in the U.S., where she leads consumer and business banking along with digital transformation efforts. Her focus is on innovation, process simplification, and customer experience to position Santander as a top digital bank with branch presence. She previously led Marcus at Goldman Sachs, headed Payments Risk at Stripe, and held leadership roles at PayPal and Capital One. With over 20 years in financial services, she has deep expertise in P&L management and digital banking.Swati serves on the board of Accion

Opportunity Fund, supporting small business owners in the U.S., and holds a Master’s in Finance from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani.

Daniela Brandazza is a strategic leader at S&P Global Ratings with over 22 years of experience. She currently heads the Sovereign and International Public Finance Ratings teams for the Americas, overseeing coverage of 33 countries and nearly 200 issuers. Known for her ability to lead diverse, multicultural teams, Daniela has developed globally applied methodologies and built strong stakeholder relationships across Latin America, the U.S., and Canada.

She previously led high-performing teams in Canada and the Caribbean, earning recognition in the 2024 Global Issuers Survey. Daniela has also held key roles in Latin America’s public finance sector and served as a spokesperson for S&P Global in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Beyond her analytical work, Daniela presides over WINS (Women’s Initiative for Networking and Success), which she expanded to over 8,000 members globally, making it S&P Global’s largest PRG.

Her background includes advisory roles in Argentina’s government and work at the Inter-American Development Bank. Daniela holds multiple advanced degrees from institutions in the U.S. and Argentina, and has completed leadership training at Harvard University. She is married and has two children: Luis Daniel (20), who studies Economics at the University of Toronto, and Pedro (16) who studies high school.

Enrique Coppel Luken is a prominent Mexican businessman with over five decades of leadership in retail and financial services. As CEO and Chairman of Grupo Coppel, he led the company’s transformation from a small furniture retailer with 110 employees to one of Latin America’s largest privately owned enterprises, with over 120,000 employees and a vast network of stores offering diverse consumer goods.

He pioneered Coppel’s proprietary credit system, including the store credit card and installment payment plans tailored for low-income consumers. He also chaired BanCoppel, Afore Coppel, and Coppel América (Brazil and Argentina). Beyond retail, he developed La Primavera, an 800-hectare planned community in Culiacán, Mexico, and has held board positions at major companies including SuKarne, Fibra Plus, and Megacable, as well as past roles with BBVA, Telmex, and various civic and educational institutions.

Coppel holds a degree in Business Administration from ITESM and completed the AD-2 Executive Program at IPADE. He is deeply committed to philanthropy, having supported the construction of Catholic churches and schools, and contributed to community development in Malawi. A passionate traveler and sports enthusiast, he enjoys tennis, scuba diving, skiing, fishing, and reading.

Professor Olayinka David-West is a distinguished academic and thought leader specializing in business management and technology. With decades of experience in IT and financial services, she has significantly influenced business education, digital transformation, and financial inclusion across Africa.

As Dean of Lagos Business School, she has held multiple leadership roles, contributing to the school’s international accreditations and global recognition. Her research focuses on the impact of technology on business models, strategy, and policy, and she leads the Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Financial Services (SIDFS) initiative, promoting financial access and digital innovation.

She holds certifications in cyber risk governance, enterprise IT governance (CGEIT), and information systems auditing (CISA), and is a member of the Fintech Association of Nigeria. A mentor to young women in STEM, she has been recognized among Nigeria’s leading women in fintech and featured in global publications for her work in financial inclusion.

Lorenzo Fernández Alonso is IPADE Business School’s Dean and professor in the Financial Management Department. He holds a master’s in business administration from IPADE and a BA in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad Panamericana. Before taking on the dean’s role, Mr. Fernández Alonso held positions as the School Secretary and the director of the Senior Management Programs and Alumni Liaison Departments at the Monterrey Campus. He currently serves as a member of the Rector’s Board.

He has also been a valuation consultant and financial analyst and has done consultancy in numerous companies. He has been a professor of Finance at different Business Schools: INALDE Business School (Colombia), IAE Business School (Argentina), Instituto Superior da Empresa (Brazil), Tayasal Business School (Guatemala), and PAD School of Management (Perú).

Since 2019, Dan LeClair has been CEO of the Global Business School Network (GBSN), a Washington DC based non-profit strengthening the contributions of management education to the development needs of society. He also advises several education startups globally, as well as business schools in Brazil, Rwanda, Peru, India, Germany, and Finland.
Prior to GBSN, Dan helped transform AACSB from a US accreditor to a global thought leader and internationally respected quality assurance agency. His 19 years at AACSB includes three years as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, seven as Chief Operating Officer, and five as Chief Knowledge Officer.

Recognized globally as a business education thought leader, Dan has authored or co-authored more than 100 research reports, books, and articles and delivered more than 200 presentations in over 50 countries. He was officially recognized by the UN for pioneering efforts in the formation of its Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and is a fellow of the Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) initiative.

Before AACSB, Dan was a tenured associate professor and an associate dean at the University of Tampa. He earned a PhD in economics from the University of Florida writing in game theory.

Dr. Mark Lyons is President and CEO of Alltech, having grown up immersed in the company founded by his father, Dr. Pearse Lyons. With hands-on experience across regions and departments, he launched the Planet of Plenty® vision in 2019, promoting global collaboration to improve nutrition, local economies, and environmental sustainability.

He began his career developing Alltech’s core nutritional technologies and led major projects in Serbia, Brazil, and Mexico. As Director of North America (2009–2011), he expanded Alltech’s footprint, and later led operations in China, fostering industry partnerships through research and education.

Now based in Kentucky, Dr. Lyons is active in global industry groups and has published work on topics ranging from enzyme production to food safety. He holds degrees in political science, environmental science, brewing and distilling, and a Ph.D. in solid-state fermentation. Multilingual and globally engaged, he continues to shape the future of agriculture through innovation and leadership.

Nicola Melchiotti is the Chief Executive Officer of CESI, a global industrial group delivering advanced technical services and innovation to the power sector, with operations spanning over 70 countries. With two decades of executive leadership in the energy industry, Nicola has held pivotal roles within Enel Group, one of the world’s largest utilities. His career includes international assignments as Country Manager in Mexico and Argentina, Area Manager for Mexico and Central America, Head of European Public Affairs and Regulation in Brussels, and Head of Global Customer Operations, reporting directly to the Group CEO.

He has successfully led start-ups, scale-ups, and complex corporate turnarounds across diverse markets and organizational settings. Nicola began his career at McKinsey & Company and holds master’s degrees from Politecnico di Milano, École Centrale Supélec in Paris, and Harvard Business School. He actively contributes to corporate and advisory boards, bringing strategic insight and global perspective to industry challenges.

He lives in Rome, Italy with his wife and two children.

Mette Morsing is Professor of Business Sustainability and Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. Leading a team of scholars committed to achieving Net Zero and the UN SDGs through interdisciplinary, international and impactful teaching and research. She also serves on numerous Councils and Advisory Boards Worldwide (USA, Europe, Asia, China, UK).

She previously served the United Nations, New York (USA), where she led Principles for Management Education, the UN’s largest initiative responsible management education with over 800 universities and business schools to transform leadership education towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Her research has won international awards and recognition, and she is an invited author, researcher and speaker globally. Having published extensively in some of the world’s most highly regarded academic journals on business and sustainability and recently co-edited the textbook Corporate Sustainability: Managing Responsible Business in a Globalised World .

Professor Emi Osono specializes in competitive strategy, innovation, and organizational adaptability. She has published extensively on strategy development, creativity, and innovation in Japanese companies. She leads the Porter Prize initiative in Japan, recognizing firms with unique and profitable strategies. Her notable publications include Extreme Toyota and articles in Harvard Business Review and Hitotsubashi Business Review. She also develops executive education and case studies in strategy and innovation.

Professor Osono serves on corporate and government boards, including Tokyo Marine Holdings, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and various Japanese ministries. She also contributes to nonprofit and academic institutions such as the International House of Japan and Bai Xian Asia Institute. She holds a BA and PhD in Commerce from Hitotsubashi University and an MBA from The George Washington University. Before joining ICS, she taught at Waseda University and worked at Sumitomo Bank.

Isidro Quintana Garza is President and Chief Executive Officer of Cisco Mexico, responsible for leading the company’s operations in the country and driving its strategy to accelerate Mexico’s digital transformation. With more than 20 years of experience in strategy, business development, and technology leadership, his career includes key positions such as Senior Strategy Manager, Public Sector Director, Services Director, and Senior Director of Strategy and Planning for the Americas.

Prior to joining Cisco in 2000, he worked at Deloitte Consulting in Mexico and Canada. He holds a degree in Economics from Universidad Panamericana, an MBA from IPADE, and has completed executive studies at London Business School. His leadership approach combines strategic vision, innovation, cybersecurity, connectivity, and public-private collaboration.

His mission, in his own words, is to “accelerate the country’s digital transformation by promoting technologies that drive economic and social growth,” with a strong belief in the power of technology to close digital gaps, enhance business competitiveness, and build the infrastructure of the future. He is driven by building trust-based relationships, developing top talent, and designing strategies that position Mexico as a hub for innovation in Latin America and beyond.

Rak Ramchandran is the CEO of QBurst, a global digital engineering firm, bringing over 25 years of leadership in technology-driven transformation. He has built and scaled businesses across startups and Fortune 500 companies, with a strong focus on emerging technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence.

Before QBurst, Rak led Hexaware’s High Tech and Professional Services vertical and its Generative AI unit, shaping strategy and execution across global clients. He also held senior roles at Capgemini, Sogeti North America, and Infosys, where he led key verticals and strategic initiatives.

Appointed CEO in April 2025, Rak is driving QBurst’s vision to become an AI-native, agile tech company. He holds an engineering degree from IIT Bombay and a management diploma from IIM Calcutta, and is based in Palo Alto, California.

Guy Rodríguez holds the position of President of Nissan Latin America and Corporate Vice President of Nissan Motor Corporation. With an entrepreneurial mindset, he strives to be an inspiration for new generations, redefining leadership and showing a different style of management that invites to think big and find opportunities. Having lived in 5 different countries and being part of a multi-geographic family, Guy truly believes that diversity, equity, and inclusion are game-changers for both business and society.

Guy is convinced that experiences and emotional connections drive people to choose brands rather than products. He’ll always be a learner: reading, listening and observing are part of his daily basis, to gain insights and understand consumers.

But in the end, it’s all about people: he aims to develop, be part of, and learn from teams that continuously innovate, reinvent themselves, and look back on our collaboration with a smile in their face. Make people feel good and empowered. That’s his passion.

Javier Sotomayor joined Cineworld Group in March 2024 as President of Cineworld International. Based in London, he leads the business across all nine territories outside of the United States: United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Israel. Prior to joining Cineworld Group, he was Managing Director of Asia & Middle East at Cinépolis, the third-largest theatrical exhibition circuit in the world, where he held multiple executive positions over 20 years.

During his time, he received the Exhibitor of the Year award at the CineAsia awards ceremony in 2023. Javier has over 25 years of experience in start-ups, marketing, business development, supply chain, and strategic planning in the industries of retail, entertainment, and financial services.

Industrial Engineer from Tec de Monterrey, MBA from IPADE Business School, AMP from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Dominique V. Turpin is European President and Professor of Marketing at CEIBS, joining in 2022. A marketing expert and Japan specialist, he previously held senior roles at IMD, including President and Dean, and was the Dentsu Chaired Professor of Marketing. He holds a doctorate in economics from Sophia University in Tokyo and a master’s in marketing from ESSCA.

He has extensive global experience in executive education, consulting, and research, particularly in brand management and international strategy. He serves on advisory boards of institutions like SSE and Waseda, and is a board member of EFMD. He also chairs DAA Capital Partners and sits on several corporate and academic boards.

Dr. Turpin has authored over 100 publications and award-winning case studies, and is currently working on two books. He has taught and directed programs for leading companies worldwide and remains a prominent voice in global business education.

Ramón Zapata is a seasoned global finance executive with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer goods industries. He has held leadership roles at leading global companies including Novartis AG, Sandoz AG, and Mondelēz International, and has worked across Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. Throughout his career, Ramón Zapata has led finance functions enabling seamless execution from drug discovery through commercialization, including overseeing M&A transactions and successful integrations as well as driving digital finance transformations.

Prior to joining BioNTech, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Scientific Operations of BioMedical Research at Novartis, where he was responsible for the overall leadership of the division’s finance strategy and operations, portfolio realignment, cross-functional integration, and strategic external collaborations.

Ramón Zapata holds dual citizenship of the United States and Mexico. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from Universidad Panamericana. He holds an MBA from IPADE Business School, with academic credits earned at IESE Business School as part of the program. He also earned a postgraduate diploma in Tax Legislation from ITAM and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Harvard University.