Visa-FT Financial Literacy Forum Series, Mexico City

Summit Chair
Jude Webber Central America and Mexico Correspondent Financial Times Jude Webber recently took up the post of Mexico and Central America Correspondent at the Financial Times, after six years as Correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, based in Buenos Aires. Prior to that, she worked for 15 years at Reuters News Agency in a variety of foreign postings, including as Peru Bureau Chief and in Rome, Madrid, London and Dublin, and has also written for The Economist, The Miami Herald, The Independent and a number of specialist publications. She studied Modern Languages at Oxford University and has been based in Latin America since 2000, traveling frequently in the region.

Opening Remarks
Luz Adriana Ramírez Chávez Country Manager Visa Mexico Luz Adriana Ramírez Chávez was appointed Country Manager of Visa Mexico in August 2013. She is responsible for all business operations in Mexico and manages relationships with financial institutions and other key stakeholders. Ms Ramirez has more than 20 years’ experience in consumer and commercial finance. Before joining Visa, she was President for Latin America at Karum, a US-based company focused on consumer financing. Previously, she spent more than 17 years at General Electric, where she held different positions within the GE Corporate, GE Money and GE Capital units. During her time at GE, Ms Ramirez was responsible for driving both industrial and financial businesses, managing commercial finance at a regional level, and leading and coordinating a multidisciplinary team. She was also head of the GE Women's Network for Latin America. Ms Ramirez is currently active on the AMME (Mexican Association of Female Executives) Committee, and the Women in Senior Management Committee of the IPADE Business School. She also participates in the American Chamber’s Diversity Committee. Ms Ramirez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad La Salle, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey. She has also completed Finance and Investment Project Evaluation studies at the University of Buenos Aires.

Keynote Address
David Esaú López Campos Deputy Director of Financial Analysis and International Liaison Ministry of Finance and Public Credit David Esau Lopez Campos is Deputy General Director of Financial Analysis and International Liaison in Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. He is responsible for the analysis and designing of policies that foster the development of the financial system, including specific issues such as Financial Inclusion, Financial Literacy and Financial Consumer Protection. He was former CFO at Financiera Rural, and before that, Deputy General Director for Planning and Financial Analysis in the Federal Treasury, responsible for Liquidity Management. Prior to that, Mr Lopez was Head of Financial Investment at the Institute of Social Security, responsible for investment and management of reserves and pension funds; Director of Institutional Investors, at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, responsible for development of the money market, coordination of public debt issues and monitoring the investment regime of federal entities; and Deputy Director for the automotive industry at the Ministry of Economy. Mr Lopez has a Master’s degree in Engineering, Economic Systems & Operations Research from Stanford University and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana.

Speakers
Mario Alberto Di Costanzo Armenta President National Commission for the Protection of Users of Financial Services (Condusef) Mario Alberto Di Costanzo was appointed President of the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (CONDUSEF) in January 2013. He has had an almost 30-year career in politics. Between 1984 and 1996, Mr Di Costanzo worked at at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Lottery, holding a number of positions pertaining to economic, financial and public finance matters. In 1998, he became a consultant for the PRD parliamentary group in the Chamber of Congress, and was involved in many initiatives related to economic and financial issues, budget transparency and accountability. In 2001, Mr Di Costanzo worked as a consultant for the Committee on Finance and Public Credit, and the following year, advised the Surveillance Commission for the Federal Superior Audit Office. In 2002, he was also an advisor to the Legislative Committee in its investigation of bank bailouts in Mexico. In 2003, he was a member of the consultants group for the Evaluation and Oversight Unit of the Chamber of Congress, and in 2005, participated in Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s movement. In 2009, Mr Di Costanzo won the parliamentary election for the 20th District seat in Iztapalapa and became a Federal Congressman for the Labor Party. As a Congressman, he sat on the Committees on Finance, Tax Expenditures and Competitiveness, and was Secretary of the Monitoring Commission of the Federal Superior Audit Office. Mr Di Costanzo presented 23 legislative proposals, including acts on tax, credit institutions, the federal budget and federal accountability. He has co-authored six books, on bank bailouts, money laundering, labour reform and federal expenditures. Mr Di Costanzo studied Economics at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM).

Alberto Gómez Alcalá Executive Chairman Mexican Bankers Association Mario Alberto Di Costanzo was appointed President of the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (CONDUSEF) in January 2013. He has had an almost 30-year career in politics. Between 1984 and 1996, Mr Di Costanzo worked at at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Lottery, holding a number of positions pertaining to economic, financial and public finance matters. In 1998, he became a consultant for the PRD parliamentary group in the Chamber of Congress, and was involved in many initiatives related to economic and financial issues, budget transparency and accountability. In 2001, Mr Di Costanzo worked as a consultant for the Committee on Finance and Public Credit, and the following year, advised the Surveillance Commission for the Federal Superior Audit Office. In 2002, he was also an advisor to the Legislative Committee in its investigation of bank bailouts in Mexico. In 2003, he was a member of the consultants group for the Evaluation and Oversight Unit of the Chamber of Congress, and in 2005, participated in Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s movement. In 2009, Mr Di Costanzo won the parliamentary election for the 20th District seat in Iztapalapa and became a Federal Congressman for the Labor Party. As a Congressman, he sat on the Committees on Finance, Tax Expenditures and Competitiveness, and was Secretary of the Monitoring Commission of the Federal Superior Audit Office. Mr Di Costanzo studied Economics at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM).

Adina Chelminsky Personal Finance Columnist Excelsior Adina Chelminsky is a personal finance advisor, journalist and speaker with over 12 years´ experience. She has written more than 3,000 articles on personal finance and money management in various business, women´s and general interest magazines and newspapers. Ms Chelminsky currently writes a weekly column in the Excelsior newspaper focused on personal financial decision-making and entrepreneurship. She has published four books in the past six years, all aimed at making personal finance understandable to the mainstream market in Mexico. Ms Chelminsky has also worked as a financial analyst at BBVA Bancomer, and as a college professor. She holds a degree in Economics from Universidad Iberoamericana and a Master’s degree in Finance from Universidad Anahuac, and has completed non-degree studies in Corporate Valuation, Behavioural Economics and Family Business Management.

Calixto Mateos Hanel Director, Institutional Liaison Banco de México Calixto Mateos Hanel is Director for Institutional Liaison at Banco de México, where he is responsible for strengthening the central bank’s relationships with private, academic, social, and political institutions. Dr Mateos began his career at Banco de México in 1988. During his 25 years at the Central Bank, he has served as Research Economist, Deputy Manager for Macro-Financial Analysis, Deputy Manager for Special Development Bank Projects, Manager for Macroeconomic Analysis, Manager for Strategic Projects, and Head of Risk Management. He has participated in numerous national and international seminars and forums organised by institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other central banks such as the Bank of England, Deutsche Bundesbank, Banque de France, Bank of Spain, Bank of Italy, Bank of Canada, Bank of Guatemala, Central Bank of Colombia and Central Bank of Brazil. Dr Mateos has also published various articles in specialised journals on the subjects of monetary and fiscal policy, contributed to research at the Centro de Análisis e Investigación Económica (CAIE), and taught economics at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and the EGADE Business School of the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). He received a BA with Honors in Economics from ITAM and a PhD in Applied Economics from Stanford University.

Silvia Singer CEO Museo Interactivo de Economía Silvia Singer is the designer, creator and CEO of Museo Interactivo de Economía (MIDE - the Interactive Museum of Economics), the world’s first museum of economics and the recipient of seven national and international awards. With a background as a Biologist and a PhD in Ecology, Dr Singer specialises in the design and establishment of new museums and expositions. Before setting up MIDE in 2001, she was Director of Universum and Museo de la Luz -- science museums that belong to UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) -- from 1998 to 2000; designer of the Museo de Historia Natural in San Juan, Puerto Rico (1997-1998) and Museo de Historia Natural in Mexico City (1993-1997); and was in charge of Special Projects during the foundation of Papalote, the Children’s Museum in Mexico City (1989-1993). She has also been an advisor and designer for other institutions in Mexico and abroad. As a leading museologist, Dr Singer has held important positions in museum associations at international and national levels, including Board Member of AAM (American Alliance of Museums); Governing Member of ASTC (Association of Science and Technology Centers), and President of ICOM Mexico.