Cañizares Alumni Award

Business performance

• Consistently exceed performance goals while building balance across national and global perspectives.
• Discerning strategy: Understand where and how to build financially sustainable and resilient businesses in the context of volatile markets and/or economic crises.
• Adapt quickly to the fluctuating economics of business.
• Understand markets to make optimal strategic choices.
• Able to innovate.

Career track record

• Growth progression.
• Geographical breadth (# and variety of emerging and developed markets).
• Comfort with uncertainty and volatility and a demonstrated ability to make decisions with incomplete information.
• Manage cultural sensitivity.
• Courage.

Purposeful leadership & management style

• Understand the unique characteristics of emerging markets: inequality, demographics, level of schooling, drive for entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, improving biodiversity, adaptation/mitigation of climate change risks, etc.
• Build a culture based on trust.
• In alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and adopt environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
• Agent of Change: approach business innovation with a “multi-stakeholders’ mindset”. (View opportunities for the firm/ organization to generate upward career/economic mobility.)
• Balance conflicting goals of “high growth/high returns” with societal demands on equity, inclusion and sustainability.
• Reject corruption from business or governments partners.

Employees and their families

• Sharpen training on critical skills by focusing employees on requirements that include high flexibility and resilience.
• Enable career growth, stimulate mobility and foster optimism in times of systemic instability.
• Promote curiosity by driving open-mindedness and continuous learning.

Integrity and equity

• Multicultural “core soft skills” of knowledge, understanding and cultural empathy.
• Constructive ethical practices.
• Visible.
• Exemplary ethical/principled leadership.

Industry, community and region

• Focus business behavior around the potential for long-term friendship/partnerships, instead of being entirely driven by short-term results.
• Prioritize a strong network of human connection, approach them with humility and curiosity to drive open-mindedness and learning in countries and industries to cooperate on common social goals.
• Development agent: approach business as a way to contribute to sustainable upward human/economic mobility for the people in emerging markets.

Demir Sabonci, MBA ’99, has been awarded the 2026 Cañizares Annual Award for Distinguished Alumni in International Business and Emerging Markets.

Upon graduating from Cornell, Demir returned to Turkey and founded Teknosa (2000–2004), pioneering organized electronic retail in the country. Later, through Sedes Holding (founded 2002), he introduced institutional asset management, venture capital and sophisticated real estate models specifically designed to cultivate stability and drive capital growth amid the macroeconomic fluctuations inherent to developing economies. Demir stepped away from his established family conglomerate to build a multi-sector ecosystem from the ground up. He founded and scaled Gratis into Turkey’s leading personal care retail network across all 81 provinces, generating thousands of jobs and creating a regional blueprint for inflationary risk management in emerging markets.

Demir is an active philanthropist with organizations such as the Turkish Health & Education Foundation (SEV). He has also consistently dedicated himself to elevating the business environment in southeastern Europe and the Middle East. As Chairman of the Turkish Retailer’s Association (2003–2005) and an active member of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, he has shaped macroeconomic dialogue, championed transparent corporate governance and advocated for regulatory policies that lower the barriers to entry for future entrepreneurs.

As a member of the Johnson Advisory Council, he recognized that the greatest hurdle facing international business education was the friction of distance. In 2019, he funded and endowed the Sabanci Bridge, a telepresence classroom network linking Johnson School MBA students at Sage Hall in Ithaca and the Cornell Tech campus in New York City.

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Cañizares Annual Award for Distinguished Alumni in International Business and Emerging Markets, marking the first year with two honorees:

• Esohe Denise Odaro, MBA ’09, Head of Sustainable Finance and Transition, HSBC
• Wendell Huang, MBA ’86, CFO, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Taiwan

These outstanding alumni have demonstrated exceptional leadership and impact in emerging markets.
More details about their achievements will be added to the website soon.

Eduardo Padilla Silva, MBA ’81, has been awarded the 2024 Cañizares Annual Award for Distinguished Alumni in International Business and Emerging Markets. The award received the record of nominations this year.

Eduardo joined FEMSA in 1997 as Director of Strategic Planning and Control, and in January 2000 he became CEO of FEMSA Strategic Businesses (Packaging, Logistics and Retailing). At the same time he also assumed CEO of FEMSA’s Retail Operation. During his tenure, FEMSA’s flagship proximity store chain, OXXO, grew to become the largest small-format chain in the Americas, while achieving industry leading profitability levels. In January 2016 he was appointed Chief Corporate Officer of FEMSA, and since January 2018 he served as FEMSA’s CEO until December 2021. Prior to joining FEMSA, Eduardo spent 19 years at another major Mexico-based corporation, ALFA, where he rose to be CEO of its Carpets and Rugs operation, Terza. He holds a BS in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from ITESM (Tec de Monterrey), and an MBA from Cornell University. Currently Eduardo is a consultant and serves as Chairman of the Board at Signature Aviation, and also serves on the Board of Directors of other several corporations and institutions such as Sigma Alimentos, Grupo Lamosa, Proeza, Tiendas Coppel and Universidad Tecmilenio.

Heather Henyon, MBA ’03 was awarded the 2023 Cañizares Annual Award for Distinguished Alumni in International Business and Emerging Markets.

A Cornell MBA graduate and a seasoned expert in finance, technology, and strategy, has dedicated her career to a noble and impactful cause: empowering women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. From receiving the prestigious 2023 Cañizares Award to founding Mindshift Capital, Henyon’s story is one of determination, vision, and unwavering commitment to social change. Join us as we celebrate her achievements and explore how her efforts are reshaping the world of business and investment. Read more about Heather.

Paul Kavuma, MBA ’93, Founder & CEO at Catalyst Principal Partners, was awarded the inaugural Cañizares Annual Award for Distinguished Alumni in International Business and Emerging Markets.

Paul has over 25 years of management consulting, entrepreneurial, investment banking, private equity and social impact experience, with a depth and diversity of international and Africa-focused operational, strategic, governance, impact, mentorship and leadership credentials. Read more about Paul and the award here.