Miguel Ángel Andrade Gómez has decided to relinquish his leadership of the Mexican Association of Shipping Agents (Amanac) . This is not a sudden departure, but rather the culmination of a 35-year journey in which the organization grew alongside the Mexican maritime-port system, while he navigated a landscape of governments, laws, agreements, and people.
His professional career began in 1977 at the General Directorate of Legal Affairs of the then Ministry of Communications and Transportation. As private secretary to Luis Alberto Amado Castro, he became familiar with the workings of the sector. He then moved to the Merchant Marine and found the field that would define his career: ports.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, he headed the areas of concessions, the National Maritime Public Registry, and port services. He participated in the preparations for the 1991 Veracruz takeover , which paved the way for private participation in terminals and services. There, he witnessed the beginning of a port transformation.
That same year, he switched sides. On July 1st, Fernando Con y Ledesma, then president of Amanac, and his Board of Directors invited him to assume the General Management. The association was four years old, comprised seven shipping agencies, and employed four people. It was necessary to raise its profile with authorities and legislators and build a voice for its members.
Growth was achieved through meetings, documentation, discussions, and agreements. The country’s leading agencies joined, and in 1996, Andrade was appointed director general. “It’s proof that with hard work and dedication, great projects can be accomplished,” recalls Miguel, looking back at the small Amanac compared to the institution he now recognizes as one of the greatest achievements of his life .
He collaborated with 13 presidents and 18 boards of directors. Furthermore, in 1997, Amanac joined the Federation of National Associations of Maritime Brokers and Agents (Fonasba) and in 2004 participated in the creation of the Inter-American Chamber of National Associations of Maritime Agents (CIANAM) . Andrade served as executive secretary and three times as vice president; he also served on the Board of Directors of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States (Concamin) . The voice that sought a place in Mexico crossed borders.
Comment and follow us on LinkedIn: @Enrique Duarte Rionda / @GrupoT21
