- José Antonio Fernández took part in the Council of the Americas Symposium – BRAVO Leadership Conversation.
- The discussion was moderated by Susan Segal and also had the participation of Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder of Tent Partnership for Refugees.
- In 2020, FEMSA became one of the first companies in Latin America to join the Tent Partnership for Refugees.
Mexico City, Mexico. June 1, 2021. – “FEMSA has the undeniable priority of being a leading company in inclusion and diversity in Latin America. As a responsible company, we must offer opportunities to migrants and refugees, because hiring and training them adds values to the employees, the consumers and the communities”, said José Antonio Fernández, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of FEMSA, during the Council of the Americas Symposium BRAVO Leadership Conversation at New York (COA).
During the forum, which also had the participation of Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani and Founder of Tent Partnership for Refugees, José Antonio Fernández called for more companies to integrate migrants and refugees into their workforce, not only to benefit from their talent and cultural contributions, but also to support the economic recovery of Latin America. “At our company, we are convinced that helping refugees benefits FEMSA and the communities we serve, since inclusive and diverse companies can add 35% more value to the business”, he added. On October 6, 2020, FEMSA became one of the first companies in Latin America to join the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a non-profit organization created to promote and continue the economic integration of refugees in their work centers. The company developed a labor inclusion program for refugees in OXXO stores, with the technical support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Mexico (UNHCR). Today the program has the participation and commitment of more than 200 refugee collaborators working at OXXO stores.
“We decided to join Tent and contribute to the economic recovery of the region, which made our employees feel proud of being part of a company that cares about society. Our clients value our participation in the Tent program, and the refugees, in turn, bring new skills, experiences and teachings to the table. FEMSA is doing good things with refugees and refugees are doing good things with us. We are benefiting, so we want to replicate this in all our divisions”, said José Antonio Fernández.
To join Tent Partnership for Refugees, visit: https://www.tent.org/become-a-member/
About FEMSA
FEMSA is a leading company that creates economic and social value through companies and institutions and seeks to be the best employer and neighbor of the communities where it has a presence. It participates in retail trade through FEMSA Comercio, which includes the Proximity Division and of which OXXO, a chain of small format stores, is a part of. It also has a Health Division that includes pharmacies and related activities as well as a Fuel Division that operates the service stations chain, OXXO Gas. In the beverage industry it operates Coca-Cola FEMSA, public bottler of Coca-Cola products; in the beer sector, as the second largest shareholder of HEINEKEN, one of the world’s leading beer companies with a presence in more than 70 countries. Additionally, through FEMSA’s Strategic Businesses Business Unit, it offers logistics services, point-of-sale refrigeration solutions and plastics solutions to FEMSA companies and external clients. FEMSA also participates in the cleaning products and consumables distribution industry in the United States. Through its Business Units, it employs approximately 320 thousand employees in 13 countries. FEMSA is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability MILA Pacific Alliance Index, the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and the Mexican Stock Exchange Sustainable IPC, among other indexes that evaluate its performance in sustainability.
