In the spotlight: ANDA Chile’s Fernando Mora

I was born and raised in… Santiago de Chile and I grew up in a very traditional family. My father was a doctor with a deep dedication to helping people, and together with my mother taught me and my two brothers the value of family.

I have been married for more than thirty years to my wife Loreto and have formed a beautiful family with our three sons.

I studied… Business and Economics at the renowned Catholic University of Chile.

I have always been interested in the commercial side of business. I started in the cosmetics industry, having worked for brands including Revlon and Pond’s and several perfume brands. I continued my marketing career in the consumer goods sector. I worked in Nestlé for nine years, having held different managerial roles on the brand, marketing and sales side of the company. At the end of the nineties, I joined the CCU group, a leading Chilean producer of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and held various positions including Marketing Director for Non-Alcoholic Products, Commercial Manager for Beers, and General Manager of the Bottled Water Division.

I spent 19 years at CCU, where I had the opportunity to work directly with international brands such as Heineken, Pepsico, Cadbury Schweppes and Nestlé Waters.

In 2017, I assumed the executive chairmanship of ANDA Chile after more than thirty years in the marketing and sales function within consumer goods companies.

When I started in the marketing industry… the companies I worked for were very market oriented and brand building was a priority.

In the last few decades, we have seen many changes in the world of marketing and advertising. Chile’s economic development in the last thirty years has significantly influenced the advertising industry, with increasing levels of consumption of the various products and services available in the market. Marketing has undoubtedly played a very important role in Chilean companies that have managed to evolve.

Despite the phenomena of the increasing sophistication of the consumer, the growth of supermarkets, etc., technological change and digital are generating a true revolution within the industry in ways we have never seen before.

My proudest career achievement is… having led high-performance teams within companies in terms of innovation and brand development. To see that we have greatly contributed to the consolidation of many national and international brands in Chile has given me great satisfaction.

Our priorities are… four things:

• Work to change and improve the image of advertising in Chilean society and enhance the industry’s role on the economic, social and cultural development of our country;

• Develop self-regulation as a fundamental tool for ethical and responsible marketing;

• Further expand the number of companies in ANDA membership through enriching the contribution of ANDA to the industry and its members;

• Contribute to the development of digital marketing and a more professional, transparent and ethical industry.

I took on the responsibility of leading ANDA with the objective of modernising the management of our association and making it increasingly influential and people-facing to the entire advertising industry.

A very specific challenge in the marketing industry in my country is… maintaining ethical principles and transparency in a time when such profound changes are happening in Chile and around the world. Technological change and digital have generated permanent and accelerated changes where our role as an advertiser association should be to help our members in leading the discussion around key industry issues brought about by these changes.

If I could change one thing about the industry today, it would be… putting people first. In the face of any commercial or marketing decision, companies should always put consumers front and centre. There is no room for growth if we don’t put people first.

What most people don’t know about me… traveling and sports are my hobbies. I believe most people who know me cannot imagine that outdoor life is something I really enjoy. My profession is without a doubt a very important part of my life, but I consider having moments of tranquillity and contact with nature a priority.

Three things about my country... Chile is a charming country, with unimaginable beauty and wonderful places of untouched nature.

Want to know more about Fernando and ANDA Chile? Get in touch with him here.

This is part of a series of monthly interviews with heads of national advertiser associations in WFA membership.