AMIA Appoints New Executive President

AMIA’s executive board appointed Jose Guillermo Zozaya Délano as its new Executive President. "I am very excited about this new challenged as AMIA's Executive President, especially when taking into account the scenario our country is living: facing the COVID-19 pandemic while enforcing USMCA, one of the largest economic agreements in the world," said Zozaya on a statement. 

AMIA highlights the association's commitment to Mexico's economic growth, the automotive sector and supporting the country's development. "This commitment is honored when validating candidates for a certain position, that is why we proudly appointed Ph.D. Guillermo Zozaya as our new president," said AMIA on a statement.

Zozaya has more than 40 years of experience in domestic and international public and legal affairs, as well as mergers and acquisitions. His experience, according to AMIA, will be useful in the context of the pandemic and the challenges that USMCA's enforcement represents. 

For over 14 years, Zozaya has been President, General Manager and Executive Representative of Kansas City Southern. Before that, he spent nine years as ExxonMobil Mexico's Legal and Government Affairs Director. He was also President of the Mexican Association of Railroads (AMF) and President of the Mexican Transportation Council (CMET). 

AMIA is a civil association formed in 1951 with the goal of representing the interests of light vehicle manufacturers established in Mexico, including Audi, BMW, FCA, Ford, GM, Honda, JAC, KIA, Mazda, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, among others. For over 12 years, AMIA’s Executive President position was held by Eduardo Solís, who left office earlier this year to became an international consultant. The position remained vacant for more than six months. 

According to Solís, the post-COVID-19 scenario will be the perfect moment for Mexico to strengthen its local supplier base. “Both, USMCA and the COVID-19 pandemic will take Mexico to nearshoring practices, which is contrary to the offshoring practices seen in previous years,” he said in an interview for Mexico Automotive Review. “It is clear that we are all on a train moving into a new digital era, new production methods and a new generation of vehicles that include hybrid, electric and autonomous models.”

As Zozaya enters into office, he acknowledges AMIA’s commitment to keep the automotive sector relevant for the country’s economy. "The automotive sector is one of the main engines for Mexico's social welfare and we intend to keep it that way," Zozaya said on a statement.