2016 Annual Conference & Good Neighbor Awards Gala.
The 2016 Annual Conference & Good Neighbor Awards Gala, held in Washington, D.C., was once again the Chamber’s highlight event of the year and, as has been the history, brought together a mix of private and public sector representatives from the United States and Mexico who addressed timely topics and areas of interest for the participants.
IT and Security
The conference kicked off with a panel on cybersecurity and IT innovation moderated by the CEO of Softtek North America, Marcos Jimenez.
Jimenez also discussed how cyber-terrorists use phish software to cause damage in companies, citing examples such as the 2014 hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment systems. The hackers accessed personal information about Sony’s employees and their families, emails between employees, information about executive salaries at the company, copies of then-unreleased Sony films, and other information. He commented that security awareness programs are paramount to protect digital assets in industry and the public sector.
Panelist DC Page, senior vice president of Andrews International, shared his observations that the motivation for cyber-crime in many cases is financial, noting several countries’ purported participation.
According to Kerry-Ann Barrett, cyber security policy specialist with the OAS’ (Organization of American States) CICTE (Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, Comité Interamericano contra el Terrorismo), when authorities investigate and fix cyber-attacks, they undertake a forensic analysis to identify the source. She opined that, while congratulating Mexico for its mature framework for policy development regarding cyber security, there is much work yet to be done in the rest of Latin America.1
Joseph Guzman, Ph.D., assistant professor and interim director of the Chicano/Latino Studies Program at Michigan State University and former director of Biometrics Management Office at the U.S. Department of Defense, talked about innovation, new biometrics applications and the increasing use of face recognition software.
Migration & Border Facilitation
The second panel addressed migration and border facilitation. It was moderated by Seth Stodder, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Border, Immigration and Trade Policy. He emphasized the need for security at the border but not at the expense of the economies, and urged businesses to take advantage of the new digital economy, especially as related to collecting information that goes beyond North America.
Jose M. Garcia Sanjines, from Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, Taxation & Customs, Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., spoke about the increasing use of “fast lanes” and joint cargo inspections at the border, the current program for automated clearance and the release process.
Maria Elena Giner, general manager of the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC) detailed the new agreement on U.S.-Mexico border environmental cooperation, focusing on water and wastewater treatment.
John Chrisos, vice president of American Science and Engineering Inc. (AS&E), explained how new technology is being used to filter materials that cross the border and commented on the importance of identifying what exactly is being looked for, i.e. drugs, weapons, etc.
Congressional Roundtable and Reception
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX, 32nd Dist.), chairman of the House Committee on Rules, hosted the traditional Congressional Roundtable and Reception. In attendance were U.S. Reps. Mike McCaul (R-TX, 10th Dist.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Henry Cuellar (D-TX, 28th Dist.), member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Supply Chain, Logistics, Transportation & Infrastructure
The conference panel on Supply Chain, Logistics, Transportation & Infrastructure, was moderated by Jose Zozaya, president, general manager and executive representative of Kansas City Southern de Mexico.
William Cusack, manager of Global Solutions Manufacturing for Zebra Technologies, commented that customer expectations continue to increase—they want better time delivery and tracking of their goods.
Cate Luzio, head of Global International Subsidiary Banking Client Coverage, Global Commercial Banking, HSBC, described how Mexico has enhanced its connections to the world and the significant advantage it has over Asia in supplying goods to the U.S. Ambassador Juan Sosa, consul general from Panama in Houston, mentioned that Texas needs to be more competitive in cost and service than ever before, and the Panama Canal expansion will be providing an opportunity for Texas to accomplish this in shipping and logistics to the rest of the U.S.
Capital Markets & Emerging Economies
Juan Francisco Torres Landa, managing partner of the Mexico City office of the Hogan Lovells law firm, moderated the Capital Markets & Emerging Economies panel. He addressed his remarks to Mexico’s financial reforms, past meltdowns that prompted Mexico to plan ahead, and the increasing relevance and growth of the automotive industry in Mexico.
Dora Lakova, mission chief for Mexico, International Monetary Fund, focused her comments on the resiliency of the Mexican economy due to its significant and diversified exports to the U.S. She reported that remaining challenges in Mexico include reducing its “informal” market, increasing productivity and raising the level of female participation in the labor force.
Good Neighbor Awards Gala Dinner
wo days of great meetings and events were capped with the Good Neighbor Awards Gala Dinner at the impressive and awe-inspiring Organization of American States building.
Softtek USA (Mexico) and Verizon (U.S.) were the recipients of the Good Neighbor Award in the private sector for their respective countries.
Jeh Johnson, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Luis Videgaray Caso, Secretario de Hacienda y Credito Publico received the public sector awards.
