Effective November 1, Jose Antonio Fernández Garza-Lagüera will assume the position of General Director of Fomento Económico Mexicano (FEMSA) , a position held since July 2023 by Jose Antonio Fernández Carbajal, who will return to his duties as Executive Chairman of the FEMSA Board.

This change is part of FEMSA’s previously announced succession plan and represents a strategic step in consolidating its long-term corporate leadership, the company announced in a statement.

Fernández Garza-Lagüera, who serves as CEO of FEMSA Proximidad y Salud , joined Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Heineken in 2011 as Sales and Operations Manager.

“From there, he rose through various management roles across FEMSA’s business units, including Director of Strategic Planning at OXXO and FEMSA Comercio, as well as General Manager of FEMSA’s Plastics Division, General Manager of Coca-Cola FEMSA Central America, and General Manager of Spin,” the firm emphasized.

As CEO of FEMSA Proximidad y Salud, Fernández Garza-Lagüera leads a team of more than 180,000 employees and is responsible for an operation that encompasses more than 28,000 convenience stores in 11 countries in the Americas and Europe, more than 4,300 pharmacies in four Latin American markets, and more than 550 fuel stations in Mexico.

Jose Antonio Fernández Garza-Lagüera holds a degree in industrial engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business .

“With his strategic approach and assertive, results-oriented leadership style, Jose Antonio will guide FEMSA into a new era of economic and social value creation, with a strong drive for growth, innovation, and sustainability, and with a continued focus on the development of FEMSA employees, their families, and the communities where the company operates,” the company emphasized.

The company recalled that since mid-2024, FEMSA launched a formal  succession planning process for its general management , which was coordinated by the Corporate Practices and Nominations Committee (CPSN).

“The Special Committee was chaired by Ricardo Saldívar Escajadillo, President of the CPSN, and comprised all other CPSN members and three additional independent directors. Once its evaluation was completed, the Special Committee issued its recommendation, which was approved by FEMSA’s Board of Directors,” he emphasized.

He indicated that in designing this process, as in previous general management appointments, they followed corporate best practices , “including the support of an international firm with extensive experience in processes of this nature, as well as advisors in various specialties.”

FEMSA noted that Jose Antonio Fernández Carbajal, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors and interim CEO since July 2023, will continue in his role as Executive Chairman. “The Board of Directors expresses its sincere gratitude to Jose Antonio for his leadership and dedication in serving in both roles during this transition period,” the company emphasized.

It is worth remembering that in the second quarter of 2025, FEMSA obtained revenues of 211 thousand 364 million pesos (mdp) , which represented an increase of 6.3% compared to what was achieved in the same period of 2024, driven by the growth in its business units, through which it employs more than 392 thousand collaborators in 18 countries .

FEMSA participates in the retail industry through its Americas Proximity Division, which includes OXXO, a small-format store chain, and other related retail formats.

Main photo taken from the LinkedIn profile of Jose Antonio Fernández Garza-Lagüera .

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