Over three days, eight experts will present strategies to small and medium-sized businesses on post-pandemic business prospects and opportunities at the virtual event "SMEs: Successful Transition to a New Normal," organized by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR).
Ignacio Méndez, Vice Minister of SME Development at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs; a representative from the Inter-American Development Bank; Andrés Marranzini, Executive Vice President of Asonahores; Eduardo Cruz, President of Grupo Humano; José Antonio Cabrera, President of Cemex Dominicana; Iván Valdez, Director of New Business at Pedidos Ya; Dr. José Yunén; and Francisco Guzmán, Vice President of SME Segments at Banco BHD León, will be responsible for developing the event program.
The virtual sessions, created under the AMCHAMDR Sessions program, will be held on July 22, 23, and 24, starting at 4:00 PM. The event will be free for AMCHAMDR members and will cost 750 pesos for non-members.
Those interested in participating in the event "SMEs: Successful Transition to a New Normal" should fill out this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=tlbCAyv1zUaIFJjhbQecwDhmUU4tAGpIkQcvyZvLdUNURDExMVg5SUVaRUZORUJER0M5NFE2Wk9NRi4u
Day 1: Current situation and perspectives of SMEs
Ignacio Méndez, Deputy Minister of SME Promotion at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs, holds a degree in Business Administration from the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU) and also has postgraduate studies in Production Management from the Santo Domingo Institute of Technology (INTEC).
He has been active in the trade and business sectors, serving prominently in the Federation of Industrial Associations, Inc. (FAI), the Association of Industrial Companies of Herrera (AEIH), the Association of Representatives of Wine and Liquor Importers, and the Association of Free Trade Zone Stores of the Dominican Republic. He has been a member of the National Competitiveness Council, representing the private sector, since 2004.
Méndez, who is a member of the Board of Directors of Mercofact, SA and the Boards of Directors of Worldwide Insurance, as well as the Foundation for Human Improvement (Progressio), will speak on "Perspectives for SMEs: Capitalization, Government Incentives, and the National Shared Guarantee Fund."
The Vice Minister of SME Promotion of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs will share the virtual stage with Pauline Henríquez, Specialist of the Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank, who will address the topic “Digital Transformation of SMEs in the Region: Challenges and Opportunities in Times of Crisis”.
Day 2: Opportunities for SMEs in different productive sectors
On July 23, the opportunities available to SMEs in different productive sectors will be discussed. Andrés Marranzini, Executive Vice President of Asonahores, will be representing tourism; Eduardo Cruz, President of Humano, will be representing the health sector; and José Cabrera, Director of CEMEX Dominicana, will be representing construction.
Andrés Marranzini Grullón:
The executive vice president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (ASONAHORES) holds a doctorate in law from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE). He earned a master's degree in corporate law and postgraduate studies in finance, both from New York University (NYU).
As a lawyer, he specializes in the development of tourism and real estate projects, corporate and environmental law, with an emphasis on contracts and tax planning. He also serves on the boards of directors of companies in the financial and technology sectors and co-founded the Strategic Business Group, a think tank comprised of young entrepreneurs interested in making contributions to public policy from a business perspective.
Previously, Marranzini Grullón served as Vice Minister of Labor and Administration of the Presidency, as well as Legal Consultant to the Ministry of the Environment.
Eduardo Cruz
He is the Executive Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Grupo Humano, a consortium specializing in personal insurance with 1.5 million policyholders, headquartered in the Dominican Republic and with operations in Panama, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
He graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from UNPHU in Santo Domingo. He also holds a Master's degree in Administration from PUCMM, an MBA from the Georgia Institute of Technology-Atlanta, and a Master's degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Political Science at Harvard University, where he was also an Edward S. Mason Fellow.
José Cabrera:
José Antonio Cabrera is president of CEMEX Dominicana, Puerto Rico and Haiti, a company he joined for the first time in 2000. He holds an MBA from the Instituto de Empresa (IE) and a BA in Physics, Automation and Control from the University of La Laguna in Spain.
Since then, and over the past 19 years, he has held various positions in strategic planning, operations, and marketing, providing significant support to CEMEX's operations and contributing to the company's growth.
Prior to his position as Vice President of Strategic Planning, Cabrera served as Director of Sales and Operations for CEMEX Spain, as well as Director of Strategic Planning Projects for CEMEX Spain and the Mediterranean Region. In his new role, he will report to Jaime Muguiro, President of CEMEX for the Central, South America, and Caribbean Region.
Day 3: Business Continuity
The final day of the virtual sessions will focus on Business Continuity for SMEs with a talk on the "Development of New Digital Channels - eCommerce." Participating that day will be Iván Valdez, Director of New Business at Pedidos Ya, and Dr. José Yunén, who will speak on New Health Protocols. The day will conclude with the topic "Alternatives for Supporting the New Normal," presented by Francisco Guzmán, Vice President of SME Segments at Banco BHD León.
Ivan Valdez:
For the past nine months, he has served as the Director of New Business at Pedidos Ya, a leading online delivery service for restaurants, pharmacies, supermarkets, beverages, stores, and other businesses. Pedidos Ya operates through a website and apps designed for iPhone and Android.
She earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) and later completed a master's degree in Comprehensive Marketing Communications from the Universidad Iberoamericana.
Valdez co-founded DeliveryRD, which later became PedidosYa, a company that operates in Santo Domingo, Santiago, La Romana, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macorís, San Pedro de Macorís, among others.
José Yunén:
He is Vice President of the risk management firm ARS Yunén (ARS Yunén). Dr. Yunén earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Boston College, Massachusetts. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he enrolled in the Master's Program in Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He then completed his medical degree at the Universidad Central del Caribe.
He currently serves as an advisor to the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of CEDIMAT. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of OYMED (www.oymed.edu.do) and the Dominican Association of Health Tourism. It is one of the 70 Dominican members of the Entrepreneurs Organization (OE).
Francisco Guzmán:
He has served as Vice President of SME segments at Banco BHD León for 17 years. Guzmán holds a degree in Business Administration from ICESI University in Cali, Colombia; he also holds a postgraduate degree in Finance, with a concentration in Advanced Finance. He is an executive coach and, among other fields, has specialized studies, both national and international, in Strategic Management, Foreign Trade, Credit, and Finance.
