Under the Women's Business Growth initiative, INCAE Business School's Empresarias Progresando - EMPRO program will contribute to productivity, job creation and economic growth in Guatemala by providing direct and in-depth support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) run by women who are looking to grow, but need knowledge, skills or connections to do so.
EMPRO is a program divided into three pillars:
"At Cargill, we are convinced that when women have the opportunity to earn income, their families and their environments prosper, because they are at the heart of their communities and are a vital link between families and the economic and social development of the country," Xavier Vargas, president Cargill Protein Latin America.
"It is critical to invest in local businesses and strengthen their ability to be agents of change in their communities. By helping women-led businesses thrive, they in turn provide local employment opportunities for others."
"Supporting the growth of businesses led by Guatemalan women entrepreneurs contributes to PriceSmart Foundation's mission to promote an environment of opportunity and access for the communities where PriceSmart operates its business."
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Guatemala, created the Guatemala Entrepreneurship Development Initiative(GEDI). Vice President Kamala Harris announced GEDI in June 2021.
Under this initiative, eight organizations were selected to receive funding, including INCAE. The selected projects will employ creative and innovative approaches to address the problems faced by Guatemalan entrepreneurs, particularly around access to finance and markets.
The initiative is also harnessing the power of collective action by having Cargill, MasterCard and PriceSmart Foundation as strategic allies. The combined efforts seek to contribute to the growth and prosperity of women in Guatemala.
Our team works together every day to build EMPRO's overall objective. This program seeks to contribute to economic growth in priority regions prone to high migration in Guatemala by increasing the income levels of businesses and jobs created by women-led SMEs.
Gabriela Lucke studied Business Administration at the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, where she later obtained a Master's Degree in Project Management, graduating Summa Cum Laude. In 2022, she graduated from the Senior Management program at INCAE, joining the Incaísta community.
He worked as a Commercial Specialist for the trade department of the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica. During her 10 years at the Embassy, she advised over 1000 companies, an experience that allowed her to interact with a variety of people, from ministers to general managers to college students. At the Embassy, Gabriela discovered her passion for the education sector while developing the business strategy to promote higher education opportunities in the U.S., which motivated her to move into the education industry.
In October 2017, she began her work as Director of the Center for Inclusive and Sustainable Leadership (CELIS), where she has been responsible for the implementation of the strategy to promote gender equality at executive levels and in the entrepreneurship sector. She led three editions of the LEADS Mujer by Mastercard and INCAE program and one edition of LEADS Academy for Women together with Banco Industrial, all aimed at women business owners who wish to grow their businesses, thus impacting more than 500 women.
It currently leads two programs: LEADS Academy for Women together with Coope Ande and Banco Industrial, for 40 Costa Rican and 40 Central American businesswomen, respectively; and Mujeres Progresando EMPRO, for 80 Guatemalan women.
Additionally, she has mentored more than 120 women in the program, both in the process of personal empowerment and in the development of business growth plans. She has led several research projects with a gender focus, targeting women entrepreneurs and professional millennial women. As Director, she has been responsible for the execution of the annual conferences held by the Center to raise awareness on gender equity issues and the advancement of women to leadership positions.
She strongly believes that education is the best tool for social and economic mobility of people. In her free time, she loves to walk her dog, swim and spend as much time as possible at the beach.
Project coordinator of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS), graduated in Business Administration with emphasis in the Hotel area at Universidad Latina. Experience in project coordination, development of an inventory platform, budget management and service design. In the hotel area, experience in event elaboration, MICE group management, customer service, food and beverage, room division and quality control in standards and service.
Place of work: INCAE
From: 2015 To: 2019
Position: Campus & Hospitality Coordinator
Description: Supervision of housekeeping, reservations and housing staff, responsible for maintaining standards and policies of both staff and with students. Area Budget. Distribution of spaces in both housing and offices. Project supervisor.
Place of work: Hotel Real Intercontinental
Since: 2010 Until: 2015
Position: Corporate accounts coordinator
Description: Corporate and international group accounts executive MICE, Tour & Travel.
University professor, researcher and facilitator of innovation processes. He began his professional career in the technology industry, holding positions as strategic account manager and sales manager for more than 14 years. His experience includes both high-tech start-ups and large corporations such as Microsoft. His career has been characterized by breaking new ground with cutting-edge technologies for emerging markets.
During the 1990's when the Internet was still becoming popular in the Central American market, Alvaro helped in the commercial development of a successful start-up pioneer in Internet security services that today is a leader in the region.
Later, in 2001, his exceptional work performance at Microsoft led him to receive an award from Bill Gates for the 300 most valuable employees worldwide that year. His recognition of the importance of human interaction in successful business transactions led him to pursue a Master of Science degree in Organizational and Social Psychology at the London School of Economics in 2006, where he was one of the top-performing students in the class of 2007. His high performance as a researcher led him to win a scholarship from the British government through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ ) in 2008, to do a PhD in Innovation Management at the University of Cambridge.
He worked at the Cambridge Integrated Knowledge Centre (CIKC http://www-cikc.eng.cam.ac.uk/) supporting with commercial strategies to develop the inventions of physicists at the Cavendish Laboratory(http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/ ) and electrical engineers at the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE http://www-cape.eng.cam.ac.uk/). This helped to consolidate Alvaro's career as a specialist in emerging technologies and markets. This is because his work focused on the commercialization of flexible, transparent electronic devices made of advanced materials for industries that are still emerging today such as the Internet of Things.
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Andrea M. Prado is an associate professor of management and organizations at INCAE Business School. She is director of the Strachan Chair in Philanthropy and Social Investment. Her research explores the role of companies in promoting sustainable development in the countries where they operate, particularly through their corporate social responsibility strategies and the delivery of products and services to low-income populations.
She also studies the impact and dynamics of industry self-regulation (i.e., the adoption of voluntary certification programs) to promote environmental and labor practices in emerging economies. She has published her research in prestigious academic journals, books and book chapters and has received multiple international awards.
Prof. Prado has led multiple executive programs in Health Management and Global Health at INCAE. She was the Academic Director of the Central America Healthcare Initiative (CAHI) from its inception in 2012 to 2019. CAHI seeks to catalyze access to quality healthcare services for low-income populations through innovative solutions and improved management capabilities in the region through a scholarship program delivered by INCAE.
Prado received a Ph.D. in Management and Organizations from the Stern School of Business, New York University, an M.A. in International Economics from the University of Essex, UK and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Costa Rica. She received a Fulbright scholarship for her doctoral studies and a Chevening scholarship for his master's studies.
More information at: https://www.andreamprado.com/
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Associate Professor at INCAE Business School, specializing in competitive strategy, corporate strategy and organizational change. His academic career distinguishes two lines of research: one related to the evolution and reconfiguration of global value chains and the other that seeks to understand how differences in organizational configuration, structure and management systems in Latin American environments affect firm performance. His teaching areas include: business strategy, corporate strategy, change management and organizational transformation.
His academic research has received several international awards, such as the Gunnar Hedlund Prize (2016), awarded by the Stockholm School of Economics for the Best Doctoral Thesis in International Business, the Global Strategy Research Award (2020) by the European International Business Academy, recognizing his work in global strategy and the IM Douglas Nigh Award (2020), awarded by the International Management Division of the Academy of Management. He has published his research in renowned academic journals such as: the Global Strategy Journal, the Journal of Business Research, Corporate Governance, among others.
Professor Rodriguez has been recognized for his teaching excellence and has won the award for the best teacher in the full-time MBA program in 2019 and 2020. As a consultant, he has worked with firms from Mexico to Panama in areas of strategic planning, corporate strategy, cultural change management, organizational design and transformation.
D. from McGill University, Canada. A graduate with distinction in Business Administration from INCAE Business School, prior to his academic career, he worked as a project manager at Procter and Gamble for five years.
He was a visiting scholar at Duke University. During high school he won a gold medal in the Costa Rican Mathematics Olympiad (1994) and took first place in the team competition in the Iberoamerican Mathematics Olympiad (Brazil, 1995).
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As an academic, he has two lines of research, one related to the evolution and reconfiguration of global value chains and another that seeks to understand how differences in organizational configuration, structure and management systems in Latin American environments affect firm performance.
As a consultant, he has worked with firms from Mexico to Panama in the areas of strategic planning, corporate strategy, culture change and organizational design. Before returning to INCAE, he was a visiting scholar at Duke University. Prior to his academic career, he was a project manager at Procter and Gamble for five years.
During high school he won a gold medal in the Costa Rican Mathematics Olympiad (1994) and first place in the team competition in the Ibero-American Mathematics Olympiad (Brazil, 1995).
Executive Programs
Guest Professor at INCAE Business School. President and Founder of Geoestratégica S.A., a recognized consulting firm specialized in the improvement of commercialization and trade marketing systems in the mass consumption industry in Latin America. It has offices in Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama, as well as representatives in other countries.
Its main clients include: SABMiller Latam (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador, Honduras) Grupo Bimbo S.A. (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay, Colombia), FEMSA (Central America) , PEPSICO (Central America), Schweppes Beverages Co, Heineken, Cabcorp, Refrescos Nacionales S.A. (Dominican Rep.), Corporación Pipasa S.A. (Costa Rica), Cadbury Beverages Inc. (Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia), Florida Bebidas S.A. (Costa Rica), Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, Grupo Pellas S.A. (Nicaragua), Cervecería Centroamericana S.A. (Guatemala), Bonlac S.A. (Panama), Avícola Salvadoreña S.A. (El Salvador), Avícola Sello de Oro (El Salvador), Brasserie de la Couronne (Haiti), Banco Promérica (Costa Rica), Grupo Financiero Delta S.A. (Panama), among others.
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A psychologist by profession, Ramiro Casó has developed his career in two areas: communication and teaching.
In the first, he has worked as a strategic planner in important advertising agencies such as JWT, Publicis, DRAFTFCB and BBDO.
In the teaching area, he started as a professor at the School of Psychology of the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and at the International Center for Professional Updating of the same university (Caracas, Venezuela). He has recently taught courses on Business Analytics at INCAE Business School (Alajuela, Costa Rica), both in executive masters programs and in open programs.
His work has focused on the development of communication strategies, always using psychology as a starting point, but also on the study and discussion of persuasion as a psychological process and its component variables.
He is currently a Senior Researcher at INCAE Business School.
He is a graduate of the Executive MBA and the Executive Master in Business Analytics and Data Management, both with High Honors.
He is a doctoral candidate (Ph.D.) at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands.
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Consultant in leadership, communication and change management for companies in various industries in Latin America, including family businesses and state institutions.
She served for almost 10 years as Director of Business Development and Human Resources for Ernst & Young in Central America and the Caribbean. The transformation she led at a cultural level, led the company to rank third in Great Place To Work (GPTW) at a regional level.
She was a consultant in the design of communication and change management strategies for IDB and World Bank projects. Her most recent collaboration with the IDB was the design and deployment of a Leadership Program for Emerging Women Leaders.
He teaches mentoring, personal branding and management skills programs for companies with local, regional and Latin American scope. Speaker on personal branding, leadership and change management.
At INCAE she is a guest lecturer on negotiation, communication, leadership, high performance teams, personal branding, organizational change management and other related topics.
He began his career as a journalist. She holds master's degrees in Project Management, Business Management and International Management. She is certified in a number of tools including: The Leadership Circle Profile; LCP®Change Management Prosci®; Conflict Management - TKI®; Interpersonal Relations - FIRO-B®, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®); HCMBOK® 3G Practitioner; HCMP® 3G Expert Professional and Belbin Team Roles®.
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Roy Gerardo Zúñiga is the Dean of Degree Programs and Full Professor at INCAE Business School, where he teaches the courses Operations Management, Operations Strategy, Digitalization of Operations, Industry 4.0, Operations and Supply Chain Analytics. He is the academic director of the Artificial Intelligence for Organizations Program, the Master in Business Analytics, the Master in Data Analytics, the Young Executives Program, the Leadership for High Potentials Program and the Entrepreneurship Development and Acceleration Program. He teaches in Executive Education and Public Management Programs.
He previously served as dean of the Walter Kissling Gam Campus at INCAE, dean of faculty, director of CLACDS (Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development), dean of executive education, associate dean of marketing and as executive director of INCAE.
He has been a consultant for the World Bank, founder and board member of several companies and advisor to the Industrial Reconversion Program of Costa Rica in the leather and footwear, textile, apparel, food and plastics sectors; general manager of a restaurant chain; as well as process engineer, assistant materials manager and plant manager of Sony Music's Columbia Broadcasting System.
He was nominated by his students at INCAE for the Best Business Professor Award by The Economist, obtaining the number 4 position in the world and the number 1 position in Latin America. His professional, academic and life experience, in more than 50 countries in 4 continents, make him a citizen of the world, with a solid multicultural vision based on countless experiences and learning.
He was nominated by his students at INCAE for the Best Business Professor Award by The Economist, obtaining the No. 4 position in the world and the No. 1 position in Latin America. His professional, academic and life experience in more than 50 countries in 4 continents makes him a citizen of the world, with a solid multicultural vision based on countless experiences and learning.
Those who have worked with him describe him as both an Expert and a Visionary who always looks ahead, in a framework of passion, respect and enthusiasm for everything he does. He is known for refining or adapting existing topics to deliver new solutions and looking at situations from different perspectives. He is an atypical academic, who worked for many years in various organizations before obtaining his PhD, which allows him not only to recognize the underlying problems and complexity, but also to seek sustainable solutions to problems relevant to organizations.
He has held General Management and Functional Management positions in both Service and Manufacturing organizations, developing several works for the Public Sector and NGOs, being able to easily understand different organizational schemes. He is an entrepreneur, consultant, Academically Qualified professor according to the international standards of INCAE Business School, being his research published in academic journals such as Journal of Nonlinear Dynamics, Psychology and Life Sciences, Journal of Business Research, International Journal for Court Administration, Informing Science: The International Journal, Higher Education for the Future, Proceedings System Dynamics, among others.
Member of Boards of Directors for both Private and Civil Society organizations. Founder of a regional consulting group specialized in Complexity Management, Results, Excellence in Strategy Execution, Operations, Metrics and Innovation. He has worked for organizations of different sizes and economic activities, such as: ADELCA, African Court of Human and Peoples Rights, Panama City Hall, Autoridad Reguladora Servicios Públicos, Avícola Salvadoreña, BASF, Banco Agromercantil de Guatemala, Banco General de Panamá, Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, Banco Nacional, BANESCO, Banco Mundial, Banco Popular, Banco Popular, Bonice de México, Boston Scientific, Café Soluble de Nicaragua, CBC, CCSS, Cervecería Centroamericana S.A. of Guatemala, Cervecería Costa Rica, Cervecería Nacional de Panamá, Coca Cola FEMSA, Coca Cola Interamerican, Columbia Broadcasting System of Sony Music, COMASA of Nicaragua, Compañía Avícola de Centro América, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates of Colombia, CuestaMoras, Fundación Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho of Venezuela, Grupo Hugger, Grupo Kineret, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, Instituto de Previsión Social de Paraguay, Kellogg's, Koramsa, Master Card-LEADS, Millicom-TIGO, ILO, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Poder Judicial de Costa Rica, Pfizer, SAB Miller, SigmaQ and Advisor to the Industrial Reconversion Program of Costa Rica in the Leather and Footwear, Textiles, Apparel, Food and Plastics sectors.
He previously served as Dean of the Walter Kissling Gam Campus at INCAE, Dean of Faculty, Director of CLACDS, Dean of Executive Education and as Executive Director of INCAE. He is the Academic Director of the Masters in Business Analytics and Data Analytics. He teaches courses in Operations Management, Operations Strategy, Digitalization of Operations, Industry 4.0, Logistics and Quality and Process Management. He is the Academic Director of the Artificial Intelligence for Organizations Program, the Young Executives Leadership Program and the Leadership for High Potentials Program, and Co-Academic Director of the Middle Management Program. He teaches in Senior Management, Senior Public Management and Service Management Programs.
Leader of several projects of the Latin American Center for Competitiveness and Sustainable Development (CLACDS): Competitiveness of the Information Technology Cluster in Venezuela and Agrotechnology in Ecuador, carried out by a joint effort between INCAE, Harvard University and the Andean Development Corporation, the study of the creation of a Medical Devices Cluster in Costa Rica, Coffee Cluster in El Salvador, Banana Cluster in Costa Rica, Business Climate in the Central American Textile and Apparel Industry, Strategic Action Guide for the Costa Rican Dairy Sector, Strategic Action Guide for the Honduran Textile Maquila, and Non-Tariff Tariff Tariffs for obtaining sanitary registrations in Central America.
Member of System Dynamics Society, Production and Operations Management Society, Global Innovation Management Institute, Informing Science Institute and American Society for Quality. Master Level Certified. Founding member of INTECO and the College of Operational Excellence of the Production and Operations Management Society.
EMPRO is a program aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led by women in Guatemala. It has a duration of 2 years and is structured in 3 pillars:
Entrepreneurs selected from Pillar 1 will be able to participate in Pillar 2:
Selected entrepreneurs from Pillar 2 will be able to participate in Pillar 3:
Below is a summary of the program pillars, which are explained in detail later in the page. The dates in this timeline are subject to change, the exact weeks will be communicated to participants in a timely manner during the process.
Module 1. Introduction to the Program
Week 1-6
6 weeks: self-diagnosis and training to cover identified gaps in business management and in self-confidence, resilience and assertiveness, limiting beliefs, communication and personal value proposition.
Duration: 6 weeks.
Format: virtual.
Stage 2. Selection
Week 7-10
A selection committee will choose the entrepreneurs who will move on to the next stage.
Duration 3 weeks.
Module 2 and 3. Virtual training
Week 11-19
Selected entrepreneurs will receive in-depth virtual training on the following topics: Finance, Strategy, Marketing, Innovation, Operations, Technology for SMEs, digital marketing, sales, technology and clean energy and climate change adaptation.
Duration: 7 weeks.
Format: virtual
Module 4. Development of Acceleration Projects
Week 20-34
The entrepreneurs will be accompanied in a personalized way by a mentor for 3 months to complete their business acceleration projects.
Duration: 12 weeks.
Format: virtual
Stage 3. Face-to-face training
Week 35
The entrepreneurs will travel to the Campus of INCAE in Costa Rica for an intensive training that will prepare them for their business presentation. All participants will present their proposal before a jury. This stage facilitates networking among the women.
*Each businesswoman will pay for her own travel ticket from Guatemala to Costa Rica. Their lodging and meals will be covered by the Program.
Duration: 1 week.
Format: classroom
Module 6. Implementation of Acceleration Plans
Week 36-43
Entrepreneurs will be accompanied on a one-on-one basis by a mentor for 8 weeks to support the ongoing implementation of their acceleration projects.
Duration: 8 weeks.
Format: virtual
Week 1-7
A selection committee will choose the participating entrepreneurs from Pillar 1 to participate in Pillar 2.
Duration 7 weeks
Week 8-13
A virtual program to strengthen participants' abilities to secure large-scale contracts and supply leading companies. Participants will receive training and coaching sessions with representatives from distribution/retail channels.
Among the topics covered are: operational excellence, digital transformation, logistics to overcome challenges related to distance to market, negotiations, growth management, financial challenges, the role of certifications and quality management system, supplier selection criteria, environmental and digital transparency.
Duration: 10 weeks
Format: virtual
Week 14-17
Participants will conduct a self-assessment guided by experienced mentors to determine their level of readiness and identify gaps and areas for improvement.
Duration: 2 weeks
Format: virtual
Week 18-19
Based on the learning from the Stage 2 trainings and activities and with the support of experienced mentors, participants will have two weeks to develop a new distribution plan for their plans to enter or expand into new customers or markets.
Duration: 2 weeks
Format: virtual
Week 28
Participants will meet introductory or formally (depending on their level of maturity) with representatives of selected retail distributors to present their company and products.
Duration: 2 weeks
Format: mixed, face-to-face business roundtable in Guatemala.
Stage 1. Selection
Week 1-7
A selection committee will choose the participating entrepreneurs from Pillar 2 who will participate in Pillar 2.
Duration 7 weeks
Module 1. Academic Program "Demystifying the Credit Process".
Week 8-11
Asynchronous virtual program with direct expert mentoring support covering the following topics: how credit works, how financial institutions evaluate credit worthiness, collateral, overcoming barriers and biases against women-owned businesses, types of financial products, negotiation terms.
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: virtual
Module 2 Academic Program "Securing Financing".
Week 12-19
Selected entrepreneurs from Stage 2,Pillar 3, will receive accompaniment in the preparation of successful credit applications and will receive 3 individual mentoring sessions led by experts from the Guatemalan financial sector.
Duration: 8 weeks
Format: virtual
*The requirements to participate in Phase 2 of Pillar 1 and in Pillar 2 and Pillar 3 will be announced to the participants.
Receive highly specialized training in women's entrepreneurship, provided by faculty from INCAE with expertise in the subject.
For entrepreneurs selected for Phase 2 of Pillar 1:
For entrepreneurs selected to participate in Pillar 2.
For entrepreneurs selected to participate in Pillar 3.
For entrepreneurs selected for Phase 3 of Pillar 3:
