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HOUSTON (Oct. 17, 2017) — The International Society for Mexico Energy (ISME), a non-profit energy business advocacy group formed three years ago in Houston, is launching its Mexico City chapter with an inaugural meeting to be held on Nov. 14 at the EGADE Business School in Mexico City. A meeting previously scheduled for late September was canceled due to the earthquake disaster that struck Mexico City. Burns & McDonnell is a founding partner of ISME, an organization chartered to help businesses navigate Mexico’s quickly evolving energy and power markets in the wake of Mexico’s deregulation and partial privatization of its power and energy sectors.

“This is a time of tremendous opportunity both for businesses within Mexico and for multi-national businesses looking to invest in Mexico,” says Noé H. Sáenz, President of the ISME Board of Directors and Manager of Mexico Operations for Burns & McDonnell. “When you have dramatic changes like these going on in the energy and power sectors, there is a great need for accurate information and basic education on best practices. ISME was formed to build bridges between Mexico and all the players in the power and energy world and our mission is to help all our members be successful.”

Mexico has implemented far-reaching reforms of its power and energy industries, opening both sectors up to private investment in 2013 after decades of monopoly control by state-run enterprises PEMEX and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). The reforms are creating a surge of attention among both U.S. and international businesses. ISME is chartered to help serve as a clearinghouse of best practices and accurate information for businesses and others looking for business opportunities.

“Our vision to become an aggregator of business knowledge and best practices,” says Sáenz. “Our meetings and events are not about direct selling. We are totally focused on helping our members gain formal and informal opportunities for expansion and really to learn what the playing field looks like with everything from regulations to cultural traditions and practices. Businesses in Mexico are the same as those in any other country. They are looking for true partnerships with international players where everyone benefits.”

Founding partners of ISME are Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City Southern Railroad, Emerson and Siemens Financial Services. Founding academic partners are Tulane University Business School in Houston and the EGADE Business School at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico City. 

With the start of the Mexico City chapter, ISME will rotate its monthly meetings between Mexico City and Houston. Each monthly meeting features a series of educational sessions updating members on latest developments within Mexico’s energy sectors along with other items of interest from around the world. Learn more at www.ISMExicoEnergy.org.

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