Speakers:

• Carlos Mario Giraldo, CEO, Grupo Éxito
• Erika Herrero, CEO, Belcorp
• Claudio Muruzabal, Chairman, SAP Latin America and Caribbean; President, SAP EMEA South
• Walter Pimenta, Senior Vice President, Products and Innovation, Mastercard
• Gabriela Frías, CNN en Español (moderator)

Consumers are more demanding than ever: they want their orders to arrive immediately, accurately, and efficently, said retail executives in a COA Symposium panel on how consumer behavior trends are changing. The shutdowns and quarantines have accelerated trends that originally were thought to be five years down the road, said Belcorp CEO Erika Herrero. Ecommerce is up an “astonishing” 35 percent year-over-year, said Mastercard’s Walter Pimenta, which is all the more impressive considering the travel and entertainment cateogry—which usually accounts for one-third of sales—is virtually non-existent. Grupo Éxito’s Carlos Mario Giraldo pointed out how consumers are buying more locally produced goods and “privileging the local economy because they’re sure it will have a very important impact in employment.” He also noted how consumers are visiting fewer stores these days but making higher-ticket purchases when they do. “Whoever comes to a store or comes online is serious about making a very effective purchase.” And SAP Latin America’s Claudio Muruzabal laid out three things companies can do today: Understand the consumer has changed in permanent ways and make sure you have the digital tools to serve them. Second, have a well-aligned manufacturing-to-consumer chain that can be retrofitted in days if not hours. And lastly, don’t forget your employees. “They’ll work in a different way and will define the success of your business,” he said.

Speakers:

• Rolf Hoenger, Area Head, Roche Latin America 
• Fernando Pedro, Chief Medical Officer, Amil
• Hugo Villegas, President, Latin America, Medtronic 
• James Fitzgerald, Director, Health Systems and Services, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization 
• Felicia Knaul, Director, University of Miami Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas and Professor, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Ferdinando Regalia, Chief, Social Protection and Health Division, Inter-American Development Bank
• Eric Farnsworth, Vice President, Council of the Americas (moderator)
• Zoe Dauth, Senior Manager and Coordinator, Healthcare Series, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

As Latin America becomes the new global coronavirus epicenter, public health experts and private healthcare leaders participated in a AS/COA Healthcare Series discussion addressing how advances in technology and regional coordination might improve healthcare in the region. In the first panel, which featured the private sector’s perspective, Roche’s Rolf Hoenger talked about how the pandemic has highlighted the need to adapt regulations and keep communication with the public sector open. Fernando Pedro talked about Amil implementing telehealth in Brazil and said the company is in the process of gathering data to learn more about increasing access to underserved areas in the country. Medtronic’s Hugo Villegas said only one third of population in Latin America has access to top healthcare technology and said the pandemic will require new business models in the healthcare sector. “There’ll be more need for healthcare with limited budget,” he said, stressing stakeholders’ need to better align their objectives.

On the second panel with public health experts, PAHO’s James Fitzgerald highlighted how the pandemic goes beyond a health crisis to a social and economic ones, and that there is false choice between emergency response and investing in health systems. Fairness and equal access will be keys to implementing solutions such as vaccine development across the region, he said. University of Miami's Felicia Knaul talked about the underlying conditions Latin America struggled with before becoming the epicenter, as countries deal with fast-aging populations, repressive regimes that have at times denied evidence-based policies, conflict-related migration, and weak health systems. Knaul said she hopes that state leaders will continue to enforce social distancing rules while countries reopen their economies amid case increases. The IDB’s Ferdinando Regalia talked about how to most effectively invest in technology and the healthcare sector as many countries prepare for an economic depression and to, for now, not cut their healthcare budget.

Speakers:

• Victoria Albanesi, Founder and Partner, Albanesi Tech & Legal Consulting
• Pierpaolo Barbieri, Founder and CEO, Ualá
• Hanna Schiuma, Founder, bankHer, and Partner at PRACK Asset Management
• Jorgelina do Rosario, Editor, Bloomberg (moderator)

Young Professionals of the Americas hosted a panel of fintech experts to discuss the way the industry is growing and changing in Latin America, given a world with adjusting financial needs amid a pandemic. Panelists spoke about the importance of universal financial inclusion in Latin America, with Hanna Schiuma talking about her work in finding systemic solutions to help women in the region find financial independence. Pierpaolo Barbieri spoke about the need for Latin America to access its own capital markets and the need for universal banking. Panelists spoke about how COVID-19 is also changing the financial landscape, and as Victoria Albanesi noted, it is “showing financial authorities that fintech is an industry that can bring essential services to people in crisis mode.” The panelists concurred that collaboration, as it contributes to healthy competition, is key to the future of fintech.