Worldfund Dinner Remarks
José Antonio Fernández Carbajal
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
FEMSA
New York
June 9, 2009

Dear Friends,

Good evening....

It is a great honor for me to be here with you tonight at this gala evening  celebrating the 2009 Education Leadership Award given by one of the most important and meaningful organizations of its kind in Latin America: The Worldfund.

Thank you Don for that incredible presentation; it is very special for us to have you present this award tonight. Thank you for your friendship over the years and for your example of leadership in all aspects of your life, especially in education. Our paths seem to unite continuously these days: just a couple of months ago, we were so pleased to have you as our guest speaker in Monterrey; everyone present at that meeting with the Monterrey Tech Board of Trustees will always remember your encounter with Charlie Rose as an inspiring story of success in life and one of the highlights of the entire three-day event.

Also, thanks Luanne, to the Worldfund Team and to its Board of Directors for this honor and the incredible organization of this gala and event.

And a very special thanks to my co-honoree Muhtar Kent and his wife Defne for sharing this important moment with my wife Eva and me.

First of all, on behalf of the whole FEMSA organization that I represent, I would like to thank you for this award. It is a great honor for us all and reflects the joint efforts of the entire FEMSA team.

In fact, the FEMSA mission has a lot in common with the vision and mission of the Worldfund. As we all know, education is the most powerful tool to improve quality of life, across time, across cultures and across geographical boundaries. Our passion and obsession with education are based on the principle of "Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for a day; but teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime".

Today's event is an encouraging reminder of how we can come together, as individuals and as organizations, to increase access to education and improve its quality, particularly in Latin America, where opportunities are still very few and far between. In fact, over 60% of the inhabitants of Latin America have not yet reached 30 years of age, so we have a tremendous window of opportunity to link education to poverty reduction, economic development and better opportunities for our people.

FEMSA and the companies, from which it has grown have been involved at the core of educational initiatives for generations, and one of the most important achievements has been Monterrey Tech.

If we look back, it was not that long ago, in 1943, when the manager of a small Mexican brewery, Don Eugenio Garza Sada, had a dream and started what today is Monterrey Tech. Since then, through Don Eugenio's ongoing efforts and the leadership of his son, Don Eugenio Garza Lagüera, who continued his father's work, this institution has grown into a nationwide system of 33 campuses with 92,000 students and 8,000 faculty members.

Over the past 66 years, it has awarded degrees to almost 200 thousand young people, who have gone on to become important players in both the private and the public sector. Around 30% of these students received some form of scholarship or support from the Tech's financial aid program. Moreover, despite the fact that Monterrey Tech represents only 3% of the total higher education in Mexico, 19% of the directors of the 200 most important companies in Mexico and 20% of the governors of the Mexican states are Tech alumni; also, 68% of the alumni are owners of new companies 20 years after graduation.

This dream could never have become a reality without the efforts and dedication of the institution's farsighted founder. Don Eugenio Garza Sada relentlessly sought financial and human resources from friends and other business leaders to crystallize his vision. It was his ability to present it so clearly that allowed him to obtain their commitment to this outstanding project. I sincerely believe that Monterrey Tech is the Mexican private sector's biggest contribution to quality education in Latin America, but we still need help for the future of this important educational institution.

FEMSA keeps making humble contributions to continue what is still a work in progress; recently, we collaborated with the Tech in the launch of its Biotechnology Center, focused primarily on the high-tech innovation and development of bioprocesses, agro-biotechnology and bio-energy. We are especially enthusiastic about the role this new initiative will have in developing future generations of nutritional foods and beverages that will help to provide better solutions for the dietary needs of our people, particularly our children and young adults.

One of our newest projects is the Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean, launched with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Monterrey Tech. The Water Center is involved in research, technology development, consulting services and capacity building programs aimed at improving the management and use of our region's water resources. Water is likely to be one of the most important issues in the world of tomorrow, so setting up this center continues the vision of our founder.

In addition, it is important to mention that our partner, The Coca Cola Company, is also working hard on water conservation, through its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, combining international strengths and resources to help conserve and protect watersheds throughout the world.

Another initiative that personally makes me feel very proud is the "Banco de Tiempo" program in Colombia, that helps people who were formerly involved with the guerrilla movement and now wish to reintegrate back into society. In this initiative, Coca-Cola FEMSA executives and employees, with private and public support, volunteer their time to provide former rebels with the business knowledge, education and skills that they require to lead a new, positive life. We're very excited because the first generation will complete its training and is scheduled to graduate next month.

We are very fortunate to have had leaders in our organization like Don Eugenio and his son, men with great vision, energy and drive, the necessary elements to make big things happen, and we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to give continuity to their ideas and dreams, to make them grow and multiply onto a larger scale.

We're also very fortunate to have a key partner to share our values and concern for education: The Coca-Cola Company. It's Scholars Foundation, its association with Emory University and its numerous education programs across the world are just some examples of this outstanding company's fostering of education as a way to practice social responsibility. Without a doubt, working side by side with this great partner has resulted in a multiplication of efforts and results in the field of education.

And so, I would like to urge you all to keep working for education; WE HAVE TO DO THIS FOR OUR PEOPLE, FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE HALF A BILLION PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN LATIN AMERICA. The challenge is enormous, but so are the will and determination of leaders like Luanne and the Worldfund.

I would like to thank you for this Education Leadership Award and for all your contributions to tonight's gala, but even more than that, I want to thank you for your commitment and support of education in our countries... On behalf of all my fellow FEMSA associates, it is an honor and a privilege to receive this award.

Once again, thank you very much.