By Diego Kantt (HBS ’16) & Mauricio Concha Zegarra (HBS ’16), Harvard Business School Latin American Conference Co-Chairs 2016
In October of 1972, the Uruguayan Air Force plane carrying members of a Uruguayan rugby team, their friends and family members, crashed into the Andes Mountains. Dr. Roberto Canessa made history for being one of two men who stunned the world after walking eleven days and climbing 15,000 feet in the Chilean snowcapped Andes, to guide rescuers back to fourteen friends still trapped in the mountains seventy-two days after their plane crashed. Dr. Canessa was one of sixteen passengers who survived after enduring extreme conditions, severe cold, injuries, starvation and isolation. This event inspired British writer, Piers Paul Read, to write the bestseller “Alive”, which eventually became a Hollywood movie. Dr. Canessa went on to become a world-renowned pediatric cardiologist and motivational speaker. He is known for his work with newborn patients and prenatal echocardiography at the Hospital Italiano in Montevideo, Uruguay.
In a few weeks, on Saturday, April 9th, Dr. Canessa will be presenting his story and his book, “I Had to Survive”, at the 18th Annual Latin American Conference at Harvard Business School. This is an inspirational story of leadership and survival that has been shared at some of the most prestigious institutions and businesses around the world.
Dr. Canessa’s presence, as well as that of some of the most important executives and leaders in Latin America, at this year’s ‘The Road Ahead’ conference promises to be one that no one will want to miss. The past year has been marked by significant political and macroeconomic swings across the Latin American region. Brazil is experiencing its worst recession of the last twenty years, Peru is booming, commodity prices and currencies across the region were hit hard, and other countries are experiencing significant political changes. With so much volatility, this year’s event will focus on exploring “The Road Ahead” towards achieving stability and economic prosperity in the region. The conference will feature three remarkable keynote speakers including Jaime Gilinski (HBS ’80, philanthropist, entrepreneur and investor), Andrés Moreno (Founder, Chairman and CEO of Open English), and Dr. Canessa as well as sixteen speakers across four panels and an entrepreneurship workshop.
About the Latin American Conference at HBS:
Every year, the LatAm Club, a Student Club at Harvard Business School, hosts its Annual Latin American Conference where leaders from diverse fields across the region meet at the HBS Campus to understand and explore the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Latin America.
More information about this year’s event can be found at: //www.latamconferencehbs.org/.
Get 15% off your ticket when you use the coupon code HARBUSLATAM at checkout.
The LatAm Conference is a Harbus Student Club Partner.
