Throughout my career, I have accumulated extensive experience in innovation and aging, leading AVU México, a hub dedicated to improving the quality of life for older adults. AVU, which has been operating for seven years, has become a beacon in the silver economy, promoting the autonomy and inclusion of older adults in Mexico and Latin America.
I was inspired to create AVU by my grandmother, who has Portuguese roots. The name “AVU” is a fusion of Spanish and Portuguese, symbolizing this connection. Since its inception, AVU has tirelessly worked to connect various stakeholders in aging to foster autonomy among older adults through impactful employability and self-employment models. Our approach has always been person-centered, aiming to combat age discrimination and enhance social inclusion.
I believe longevity represents one of the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time, capable of transforming the world as we know it. Longevity is a precious gift often misunderstood as merely old age and death, ignoring its broader potential from both a business and societal perspective.
What motivates me daily is the possibility of making a difference in the lives of older adults. I want to ensure that AVU is ready for the increase in life expectancy and can offer solutions that support and protect our users throughout their entire lives with full-span lenses. My life’s purpose and commitment to the community align perfectly with AVU’s mission. Being at the forefront of this transformative journey is incredibly fulfilling.
At AVU, my daily focus is on conceiving, developing, proposing, leading, and implementing a comprehensive longevity strategy, working closely with various departments. It all begins with the user; we focus on understanding the older adults of today and tomorrow and their life journeys. This understanding allows us to identify opportunities, develop strategies to maximize potential, rethink our communication strategies, and refine our offerings with a segment-focused and longevity-centered vision.
Advocating for Mexico’s commitment to older adults’ rights fills me with pride. Developing corporate inclusion and non-discrimination guides to promote age diversity and inclusivity in workplaces is something I am deeply passionate about. Organizing events and programs celebrating and integrating older adults into the tourism and fashion industries excites me. Supporting older adults with food donations and entrepreneurship models is close to my heart. Creating employability models for companies and building networks of intergenerational collaboration are significant steps toward inclusivity.
My involvement with UNFPA as an aging advisor for Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic began when AVU was already well-established and recognized for its impactful strategies. The turning point was when Alana Armitage, UNFPA’s representative, attended one of our events focused on silver fashion. She saw the potential in our approach and invited us to develop various strategies for UNFPA. The major challenge I encountered was the lack of awareness and understanding among decision-makers, requiring significant efforts to standardize concepts and guide them effectively.
In my role at IFC, I have spent the past year developing and implementing a five-component strategy across Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, Colombia, and Chile. This strategy focuses on market research, knowledge sharing across Asia and Europe, and creating events to share best practices. One of our successes includes collaborating with Dimex and its bank. Our goal is to build a robust market for the silver economy, and it’s a significant challenge, but it’s one that brings me immense satisfaction.
We have seen tangible results, such as increased participation from banks and investments, along with the creation of a highly skilled team dedicated to these issues. Latin America is aging rapidly and is the least prepared for these demographic changes. Concepts like Active Aging are not yet ingrained in the minds of decision-makers. As a Mexican, one of my goals is to ensure that Latin America is prepared for demographic shifts through the demographic resilience concepts I adopted from the UN. Additionally, I aim to position gerontology as a dignified and key profession globally, recognizing its expertise in policy, economy, and the society of older adults.
I see my future in establishing the National Longevity Center in Mexico and coordinating longevity-related initiatives across Latin America. My priority is to make Latin America resilient to demographic changes, ensuring that concepts like Active Aging become integral to our approach to aging.
AVU is not just an innovation hub; it is a movement seeking to transform the lives of millions of older adults. We are committed to creating a world where aging is viewed not as an end but as a stage full of opportunities and value. Let’s continue forward, building a more inclusive and just society for all. The longevity market is vast and underexplored, and recognizing the potential in older adults is crucial for the future. This perspective, coupled with the global trends of AI, climate change, and longevity, will shape the solutions we need.
