Fernández holds a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from the Universidad Anáhuac and completed the executive management AD-2 program at the Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa, IPADE. He also studied a course in beer production at the University of California at Davis. He has taken numerous other courses and seminars in finances, research and development, marketing, business administration, and labor relations. In 2006 he sponsored the research and publication of a book entitled México 2025: el futuro se construye hoy, by the Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo, AC, for which he wrote the prologue. Prior to heading Finaccess, and during more than 15 years, Fernández ran Grupo Modelo, serving as CEO since 1997 and as Chairman of the Board since 2005. During the time he was head of Grupo Modelo the company became the seventh largest brewing group in the world, with exports to more than 180 countries. Fernández participated in developing, building and operating the Grupo Modelo breweries in the Mexican states of Zacatecas, Coahuila and Oaxaca. Grupo Modelo also established partnerships for importing and distributing the brewery’s products he expanded the company's portfolio which at the time included 14 brands, among which Corona, Modelo Especial, Victoria and Pacífico. Fernández also currently sits on several Boards and is a member of different organizations in both Mexico and abroad, including Banco Santander and Grupo Modelo. He founded the Academia Mexicana de la Comunicación, Fundación Carolina and Fundación Beca, and he presided over the Consejo Consultivo del Agua and the Consejo de la Comunicación.
Awards and recognition
In 2000, he was recognized as one of the “global leaders for tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum; in 2002, he received the award for the best international strategist granted by Latin American Business Awards; in 2004, for the role he has played as CEO of Grupo Modelo he received the “World 2004” prize offered by the Mexican business publication Mundo Ejecutivo; in 2005 he was named executive of the year by the food industry, and in 2008, the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce granted him the “Good Neighbor Award” in Washington, DC.
