The renowned Mexican businesswoman María Asunción Aramburuzabala received the annual Carrera al Universo (Race to the Universe) award from ITAM and its alumni association in a ceremony that celebrated the careers of its most outstanding graduates. The Mérito Profesional (Professional Merit) awards were also presented at the event.

“Having been chosen as the winner of the award is the highest honor of my professional life and the closest to my heart coming from my alma mater.”

María Asunción Aramburuzabala

2018 Carrera al Universo Award

It was in the afternoon on December 10, 2018, in the most solumn forum of our institute, the Raúl Baillères Auditorium, when María Asunción Aramburuzabala received the award from Don Alberto Baillères, who chairs the ITAM Governing Board. She said she was proud of this recognition and acknowledged the rigorous and humanistic training that she received at her alma mater. The most important lesson she learned there, she said, was the most essential: Success is achieved by merit, untiring work and strong determination.

 

The ceremony took an emotional turn when she dedicated the award to her mother, Mrs. Lucrecia Larregui, and her sister, Lucrecia Aramburuzabala. She thanked them both for their teachings, their life examples and unconditional support that, in her own words, led her to be who she is today. Finally, she reiterated her thanks to Don Alberto Baillères for an award that will always remain in her memory.

 

“On this occasion, we honor an exceptional woman, María Asunción Aramburuzabala Larregui, who has become an outstanding entrepreneur and has also shown us integrity and character.”

Dr. Arturo Fernández, ITAM President

 

Dr. Arturo Fernández, ITAM President, congratulated the winner of the Carrera al Universo award and the winners of the Mérito Profesional awards. He mentioned that this group of alumni makes the ITAM community proud because they have distinguished themselves for their valuable and innumerable contributions to business, academic, social, civil and political life of Mexico.

 

He added that those values alumni share are the result of having been formed by this university, with its adherence to academic freedom and its educational philosophy. Among these values, he highlighted responsibility, honesty and strong conviction. He also emphasized that freedom and justice are fundamental to preserving human dignity, appreciation of merit, faith in education, love and commitment to Mexico, as well as to searching for a harmonious coexistence in society to achieve prosperity for all.

 

Finally, Dr. Fernández said, alumni who are recognized with these awards are the most precious fruits of the institute and an example for young people who are studying at ITAM.

 

An Exceptional Career: The Story of María Asunción Aramburuzabala Larregui

 

Much has been said, and written, about this Mexican businesswoman. In newspaper archives, what stands out is both her inherited fortune as well as her ability to overcome the gilded cage -or noble birth syndrome found in upper class families-, which is often considered a handicap in surpassing the inheritance received and in being able to take on greater challenges.

 

According to Forbes, the combination of her intuition to find potential companies to invest in, along with her ability to maintain long-lasting relationships with her clients, as well as create mixed projects, is what has made Aramburuzavala, the owner of the infrastructure company and information technology services Kio Networks (that she founded in 2002), one of the most important references when it comes to businesses. Milenio. Cristina Ochoa. ‘Mariasun’, la empresaria más poderosa de México. Milenio, November 3, 2018.

 

The granddaughter of the founder of Grupo Modelo has managed to break through on her own, and her curriculum makes clear the successes of a life dedicated to the world of business and investment. These examples of effort and sacrifice are what made this notable accounting degree alumni worthy of the ITAM award.

 

 

María Asunción Aramburuzabala Larregui was born in Mexico City on May 2, 1963. Her grandfather, the Basque immigrant Félix Aramburuzabala, was co-founder of Grupo Modelo, the brewery that produces Corona, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Victoria, among others. After the sale of Grupo Modelo to AB-InBev in 2013, Aramburuzabala remains a shareholder and occupies a place on the board of directors of the multinational brewery.

 

Her father died at age 63. His wife Lucrecia and their two daughters had to manage the businesses and properties. It was then when the family created Tresalia Capital, a Family Office to administer all of their investments. Tresalia means Three Allies and symbolizes, therefore, the strong bond between the three women in the family. María Asunción became the CEO of this private investment bank at age 33.

 

 

The Aramburuzabala family began to expand and diversify their businesses by making direct investments in important Mexican and foreign companies with Tresalia Capital’s own funds, through private capital investments, venture capital and real estate assets. Tresalia is also known for supporting investment projects of young entrepreneurs.

 

 

Its private equity funds have been invested in companies such as Televisa, KIO Networks, Aliat Universidades, Medistik, Aeroméxico, Tory Burch, Multiplan, Casper, Kraft-Heinz, JAB, among others. Their participation in venture capital includes projects such as Miroculus, Gaia, Kavak, Luuna and Editas.

 

ABILIA is its leading real estate company, with more than three million square meters of spaces developed in residential, office and commercial areas. It currently has 24 projects under development.

 

 

Its high level of social responsibility has led Tresalia Capital to focus its investment scheme on profitable projects based on a recurring premise: They must be of high priority for the economic and social development of the country and for this a high degree of integrity is required.

 

Applying this philosophy, Tresalia has managed to diversify its investments, formerly concentrated in the beer industry, to other global consumer goods, technology infrastructure, real estate development, education and fashion companies.

 

María Asunción Aramburuzabala is a board member of the following companies: Tresalia, KIO Networks, ABILIA, Aliat Universidades, El Universal and AB-InBev.

 

In the past, she was an advisor to other leading Mexican and foreign corporations, including Grupo Modelo, Televisa, América Móvil, Grupo Financiera Banamex, Banco Nacional de México, Fresnillo, ICA, Aeroméxico, Médica Sur, Siemens, Tory Burch, Diblo, DiFA, Empaques de Carton United and Empaques San Pablo. It should be noted that she was the first female advisor at the Bolsa Mexicana de Negocios (Mexican Business Exchange) and she participated in the International Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange.

 

Among the awards she has received during her long career are the   Premio a la Excelencia Empresarial (Business Excellence Award), the Woman of Achievement Award,  the Trofeo a la Mujer Montblanc (the Montblanc Women’s Trophy), the Premio a la Mejor Imagen Empresarial (the Best Business Image Award),  the Golden Plate Award, the ITAM Mérito Profesional Award, the Premio a las Trece Líderes Mexicanas (the Thirteen Mexican Leaders Award), the Woman of the Year award, the Corporations that Make the Difference and the annual award of the Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World.

 

To learn more about one of the most influencial women in Mexico, check out this exclusive interview that Forbesconducted with María Asunción Aramburuzabala, which you can see on YouTube:

 

 

The Winners of the 2018 Mérito Profesional (Professional Merit) Awards

 

The winners of the Mérito Profesional Awards thanked our institute for everything it contributed to their lives through a moving video. They recalled their time as students and dedicated the award to both their professors and their loved ones, recognizing, at all times, the legacy of ITAM in their personal and professional life. In their testimonies, they agreed that, beyond the professional discipline and the intimate challenge of improving themselves in order to grow, they strengthened important values, such as commitment to society, freedom of thought and, above all, the shared love for Mexico at the institute.

 

In addition to the winners, the event was also attended by Don Alberto Baillères, president of the ITAM Governing Board; Dr. Arturo Fernández, ITAM President; Dr. Alejandro Hernández, Provost; Alfredo Orellana, president of the Alumni Association; María Elisa Rojas, its vice president, and Professor Juan Pablo Baillères, president of the Awards Committee.

 

Carrera al Universo is the most important award that ITAM grants its alumni and its purpose is to recognize an excellent professional career of 30 years or more. The Mérito Profesional awards are given to graduates who have had at least 15 years of meritorious professional performance in the public, corporate, entrepreneurial and social sectors, or in international organizations, civil society or the academic world.

 

To know more about these ITAM graduates, you can visit the Carrera al Universo website. You can also follow the ceremony that took place in 2016 and, in essence, is repeated each year:

 

 

The winners of the 2018 Carrera al Universo and Mérito Profesional awards are

Carrera al Universo
	María Asunción Aramburuzabala CEO of Tresalia Capital
Mérito Profesional Public Sector
	Julio Alfonso Santaella Castell Chairman of the Board of Governors of INEGI
Mérito Profesional Corporate Sector
	Guadalupe Phillips Margain CEO of ICA
	Alberto de la Fuente Piñeirua President of Shell México
Mérito Profesional Entrepreneurial Sector
	Fernando Lelo de Larrea y de Haro Managing Partner ALLVP
	Santiago Urquiza Luna Parra President of BIVA – CENCOR
Mérito Profesional Social Sector, International Organizations and Civil Society
	Juan Pablo Castañón Castañón President of the Business Coordinating Council
Mérito Profesional Academic Sector
	Natalia Saltalamacchia Ziccardi Fulltime Professor at ITAM and member of the National Researchers System, Level I
	Carlos Fernando Esponda Darlington Fulltime Professor in the Department of Computer Science at ITAM