Mexico is a key country in Central and Latin America, for the development of the region as well as for the development of IPMA.

Officially located in Northern America, bordered by the Unites States of America in the North and by Guatemala and Belize in the South-East, it is – due to its history – more related with Central and Latin America than the USA and Canada in the North (). More than 100 Million people live in Mexico, about 20 million more in the USA and other countries. Different Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya and Aztec shaped the country before first contact with the Spanish Empire, conquering the country in 1521. Three hundred years later Mexico gained independence from Spain.

Mexico´s economy is growing 3 to 4 percent per year after the recession period of 2008 and 2009. The economy builds mainly on manufacturing (e.g. automotive, aerospace, telecommunication equipment), energy (e.g. petroleum, solar and gas) as well as a wide range of agricultural products. There are many large projects or programmes in the country undertaken. One of the largest and most important project in Mexico is the construction of a new airport in the north of Mexico City. The project, currently in the planning stage, is expected to cost some US$4bn. The plan is to build a new airport on federal land adjacent to the existing Mexico City international airport. Another large project is the construction of a second container terminal in the Pacific coast port of Lázaro Cárdenas. The container terminal is being built by Hague-based port operator APM Terminals and Mexican company ICA at a cost of US$900mn. A third project to be mentioned is the México-Toluca passenger train, expected to cost some US$2.9bn. The project is already in the implementation phase. Furthermore, highway construction projects fall into the category of large project, e.g. the Atizapán-Atlacomulco and Tuxpan highway concessions on a 30 year concession basis for the Atizapán-Atlacomulco highway with a bid of 5.9bn pesos (US$452mn), while the Tuxpan-Tampico highway, valued at US$400mn, is underway. In general, Latin American countries spend on average 17% of GDP on infrastructure, the lowest of all global regions. In order to bridge the region’s current infrastructure gap, most countries in Latin America need to increase their infrastructure investment by 250% within 5 years, including Mexico. Large infrastructure and transformational projects are underway in the sector of water and power provision as well as security technology.

IPMA is since 2009 present in Mexico. The 200 individual and corporate member span all kinds of industries and sectors across the country. The association is closely connected to major universities in the countries, one of which is the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education. The sixth national PM conference took this year place at the campus of ITESM in Mexico-City. More than 200 people attended, including a 1 ½ day workshop for the Young Crew. IPMA Mexico is also part of the LATNET, which spans over 15 countries in Latin America. Several Special Interest Groups foster the experience exchange in Mexico, e.g. in the area of education, water and energy provision projects as well as projects in the agricultural sector. There is still a lot of potential in a dynamic country, but all people I met are passionate to move the profession in Mexico forward. There is a huge need for further development in the country to overcome the big gap between the rich and the poor people, projects could help to overcome that situation.