Claudia Ávila Connelly

International trade, nearshoring & economic development expert

She is a recognized columnist and speaker on economic development, foreign direct investment, nearshoring, global supply chains, and competitiveness. Most recently, she led the Customs Attention and International Affairs department at the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM). Before that, she served as an advisor to the Secretary of Finance of Mexico, where she coordinated "Plan Mexico," a key initiative between Mexico and the United States to strengthen regional supply chains post-COVID-19.

For 16 years, she was the Executive Director of the Mexican Association of Private Industrial Parks (AMPIP), representing major players in the industrial real estate sector and hosting multinational manufacturing and logistics companies. She also held roles as Secretary of Economic Development for the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, and as Deputy Commercial Counselor of Mexico in Sweden and Canada, where she promoted exports and investments, focusing on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now known as T-MEC.

In 2020, Expansión magazine named her one of Mexico's 100 most powerful women in business. She was also recognized by the T21 Group as one of the top 100 most influential logistics and manufacturing leaders in 2020 and 2021. Today, she continues to serve as an independent advisor to companies in Mexico and Colombia.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from UNAM, an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and a PhD in Strategic Management and Development Policies from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. She speaks four languages.