Lunch Conference with former Mexican President Vicente Fox

 

Dear Alumni and Friends of Harvard,
 

We are delighted to invite you to a lunch conference with former Mexican President Vicente Fox who will share his analysis of the current state of the U.S. and Mexico relations in the face of the new geopolitical order.

 

The relationship between the two countries has long been marked by complexity, shaped by shared borders, economic interdependence, and recurring political tension. As new trade measures and tariff policies re-enter global headlines, The Merode is honoured to welcome former Mexican President Vicente Fox for a timely discussion on the evolving dynamics between the two nations and its global implications.

 

The conversation will explore the historical roots and present-day realities of US-Mexico relations. President Fox will offer his insights on current developments, including the recent tariff announcements made by the Trump administration, and what these shifts signal for the future of cross-border collaboration, economic resilience, and geopolitical stability.

 

With more than 80% of Mexican exports destined for the US, spanning industries such as automotive manufacturing, agriculture, textiles, and pharmaceuticals, any change in trade policy has immediate consequences.

A unique opportunity to hear directly from a former head of state on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, not only for Mexico and the US, but for the broader global order.

 

This event is in collaboration with the Hagaard Institute, Novadvice Alternative Investments and the Harvard Club of Belgium.

 

Speaker

Vicente Fox is a Mexican businessman and former President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006 under the National Action Party (PAN). He is also the Co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organisation of Christian democratic political parties. After studying at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City and taking courses administered by the Harvard University Business School, he joined Coca-Cola Company in 1964 as a route supervisor. In 1974, he became president of company for Mexico and Latin America. When elected to the presidency of Mexico in 2000, Vicente Fox broke the stranglehold that the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party had held on the State for seven decades. President Fox has played a vital role in Mexico’s democratisation, and with strengthening the country’s economy. During his tenure, he succeeded in controlling inflation and interest rates, and in achieving the lowest unemployment rate in all of Latin America.

  

Moderator

Benjamin Van Oudenhove is a former lawyer, advisor, and investor. He studied law at the universities of Namur, Leuven, the Sorbonne, London Guildhall, and Harvard, where he earned a Masters in Law (1998). He began his career at Covington & Burling in Brussels, then joined McKinsey & Co. as an intern in 1999, before founding his own investment company with operations across Europe, the US, and the Middle East. In 2010, he was elected President of the Harvard Club of Belgium, where he invited global leaders such as Prince Albert II of Monaco, President François Hollande, and EU Commission Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and José Manuel Barroso. Van Oudenhove discreetly advises Heads of State and undertakes private diplomatic missions worldwide. He also advises several companies and funds, including as an advisory board member at Bank Edmond de Rothschild Belgium. He is an ambassador for the EPIC Foundation and co-founded the Bui!d group for young Belgian professionals.

 

Moderator

Marc Michiels is the founder and managing partner of Novadvice, an alternative investment firm founded in 2008 and now based in Brussels. Having more than 25 years of experience in many areas of asset management, his firm provides innovative and high-performance solutions for private and institutional investors in a peer-to-peer approach. Marc has been involved in dozens of M&A transactions and real estate development projects around the world. Having Belgian and Peruvian roots, Marc grew up between Europe and Latin America. He first graduated in Economics in Brussels and gained a Management Development degree from IESE in Spain. Then he became an investment advisor at several financial institutions throughout Europe prior to setting up his own company. For the last four years, Marc has been travelling to Mexico setting up local partnerships for future investment opportunities.

 

The event will take place on:

Friday, May 9th, 2025, at 12:15

at The Merode

Place Poelaert 6, 1000 Brussels

(Parking Poelaert, place Poelaert, 1000 Brussels)

 

If you would like to attend, please confirm your participation on Eventbrite before Friday, May 2nd, 2025, via the following link.

 

Participation for this event will be €75 for members and €95 for non-members (guests and non-member alumni). As always, we do not reimburse in case of cancellation after the deadline above.

 

We look forward to welcoming you at this event.

Warm regards,

 

 

Werner-Édouard de Saeger van Nattenhaesdonck, President, Harvard Club of Belgium

Benjamin Van Oudenhove, Former President, Harvard Club of Belgium