Americas

Lithium, the lightest of all metals, is one which almost everyone has heard of, but just a portion of people are aware of its modern day importance. To draw an analogy, lithium is to the 4th industrial revolution (the mass digitization which the world is currently undergoing) as steel was to the first industrial revolution. It is an essential component of the rechargeable batteries which keeps the fourth industrial revolution moving.

When we think of the most innovative companies in the world, our mind tends to wander to companies in North America, Europe and Asia. But there’s a world of innovation that exists in the southern hemisphere that we’ve become coded to ignore. Latin America has given the world some of its most enduring innovations, and continues to be a focal point for the world’s most valuable intellectual property.

In 2019, the national economy of Guyana grew by 4.7%, the largest increase since 2014. But while most countries would be delighted with a hike in GDP of this magnitude, for Guyana it really is only the beginning; oil production in the country is set to generate GDP growth of double figures for the foreseeable future.

It's been a little over five years since Business Excellence first visited CEPA, El Salvador’s port, airports and railways authority. In the time which has passed, the economy has continued on its upward trajectory, recording consistent annual GDP growth of over 2%. Recent political disharmony aside, the Central American republic continues to prosper.

Perhaps no country in the world has taken advantage of its geographical location, as well as Panama in Central America. No one else can provide such rapid and relatively unhindered access between two major oceans and Panama has taken advantage of this to a remarkable extent to effectively become for the world in the 21st century what the Silk Road was several centuries earlier.

The history of the Mexican state of Zacatecas is inextricably linked to that of mining. In the early 18th century, it is estimated that the state was responsible for as much as a fifth of the world’s silver output. At different stages of Mexican history, its minerals have contributed over half of the country’s export volume in monetary terms. In short, this is a region which knows its silver mining.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a Caribbean archipelago perhaps more traditionally accustomed to receiving cruise ships than airplanes. But since 2006, when the Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority (TCIAA) was established to control and manage the state-owned airports within the islands, the balance has been redressed. In 2018, the islands welcomed 1.52 million visitors - a new record, which was boosted by tourists flying in.

Two of the largest trends witnessed in the global banking industry over the past 25 years have been the consolidation of national banking industries, whereby most countries are dominated by three to four banking groups (often referred to as the ‘big four bank phenomenon’) and the movement of western banks into so-called emerging economies, where they could enjoy the benefits of an unprecedented rise in the middle class.

Medellin, Colombia’s second city, has a lot to be proud of. As recently as 2013, the Urban Land Institute chose it as the world’s most innovative city. It beat off 200 other cities to win the award in a contest that took into account eight separate criteria, ranging from infrastructure and education to livability and culture. Perhaps no institution in the city better exemplifies all four of these metrics better than its metro system - Metro Medellin.

Business Excellence first visited the Sierra Gorda mine almost seven years ago, when it was still under construction. Its new owner, Polish mining giant KGHM, had recently invested over US$5.2 million to acquire the mine, making it the biggest foreign investment ever by a Polish firm outside of Poland.