Institute for Latin American Business - About Us
Executive Director
Walter Esquivel
wesquivel@babson.edu
As CEO of Navex, Walter Esquivel developed a successful ‘container logistics’ business in Costa Rica consisting of an ocean shipping agency (Sea Land Service, Inc.), inland transportation, container storage and repair and stevedoring services. In 2001 the company was acquired by GIS Inc. a San Francisco based Company seeking to expand its business to the South American market. Walter also served as the Chairman of the Board of CINDE which is an institution whose purpose is the attraction of (FDI) foreign direct investment into Costa Rica; President of AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce) which together with the other Amchams of the region has been instrumental in promoting a Free Trade Agreement with USA and, has served as a Board of Directors member in a variety of industries such as a banking/financial institution, food processing plant and a real estate development company. Walter earned his BA from California State University, Long Beach and attended the (PAG) Executive Business Program at INCAE. His entrepreneurial spirit has lead him to actively participate in the business organization YPO and lately WPO (World Presidents Organization). He is fluent in three languages (Spanish, English and French).
Director
Edward G. Cale, Jr.
1 781 239 5890
cale@babson.edu
Dr. Cale has been a professor of information systems at Babson College since 1988. In 1997, Dr. Cale founded the Institute for Latin American Business (ILAB) at Babson, where he is currently the Faculty Director. He has also taught at Bentley College, Northeastern University, and Harvard University. Other professional experience include Fairchild Semiconductor and the United States Air Force. Additionally, he has consulted with several Fortune 100 companies and federal and state agencies. Dr. Cale's areas of expertise include strategic use of Information Technology, planning for and managing the Information Technology organization, and Latin American business issues. His research interests include end-user computing systems, systems implementation, and information systems curricular issues.
Associate Director
Carlos Rufin
781 239 6411
crufin@babson.edu
Dr. Rufin teaches in the strategy area within Babson's management division. His dissertation in public policy examined the political economy of institutional reform in the electricity industry, by means of a theoretical model, econometric analysis, and a comparison of the reform experience in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics and has worked extensively as a consultant and business analyst in the energy and chemical industries. His research focus is on international business strategy and on the interface between the private and public sectors, particularly the impact on business of the worldwide shift in the role of government from producer to arbiter among non-governmental interests.
Research Director
1 781 239 5578
edmunds@babson.edu
Dr. Edmunds has been Faculty Advisor to the Babson College Fund, Director of the Stephen D. Cutler Investment Management Center, and Chairman of the Finance Division. He is also on the faculty of the Arthur D. Little School of Management, where he was voted Professor of the Year in 1994.
Prior to 1993, he was Professor of Capital Markets at Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain, where he was the first holder of a chair funded by Asesores Bursatiles, a leading Spanish securities firm. He has taught at other schools in the Boston area, including Boston University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. He has also taught at INCAE in Costa Rica and La Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic, and two universities in Chile.
He is the author of three books and over 80 articles and cases published both in academic and practitioner journals. His most recent publications are his books, The Wealthy World, Wealth by Association (with John E. Marthinsen), and Brave New Wealthy World.
Dr. Edmunds has lived in six countries and spent 18 years abroad. His international experience is in Latin America and Europe; and he has also worked in Asia and Africa. He is fluent in Spanish and also speaks French.
Program Manager
Enio Pinto
1 781 239 5833
epinto1@babson.edu
Enio manages the institute's programs and activities. Prior to Babson he was working at ExxonMobil in Brazil. During his time at Babson he also worked in the Office of Program Management. Enio is fluent in Portuguese and English. He holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering from Universidade Federal de São Carlos and he is also pursuing his MBA at Babson College.
Executive in Residence
Thomas Mc Dermott
mcdermott@babson.edu
Mr. McDermott has collaborated with the Institute for Latin American Business since its creation. He is retired from Ernest and Young were he completed 38-years including as Managing Partner for the New England Region, and as Managing Partner for the South American Region concerning18 cities with Headquarters in Brazil. Today he serves on public and private boards and consults with US companies wishing to expand to Latin America. Speaks Spanish and Portuguese. He is a BS from Fordham University in 1956.
Executive in Residence
Jose Domingo Sosa
jsosa@babson.edu
Mr. Sosa was a partner at the largest investment bank in Venezuela and board member responsible for corporate finance. He was involved in international projects with Merrill Lynch, Chase Manhattan Bank and Credit Lyonnais of France, were he handled the design, structuring and execution of IPOs, M&A transactions, privatizations of government assets and debt restructuring deals for large corporations. He has been a board member of several firms and non-profit organizations. He has an extensive experience in financial valuation models for analysis and determination of country investment risk. Jose Sosa holds a MBA from Babson College.
