Each year, three committees of AIB Fellows are charged with selecting outstanding individuals to receive our association’s most prestigious prizes: The John Fayerweather Eminent Scholar Award, International Educator of the Year Award, and International Executive of the Year Award.

Due to the pandemic, the presentation of these awards was deferred in 2020. Finally, at AIB 2021 Online, these award winners will receive their long-awaited and much-deserved recognition. If you’ve already registered to attend our Annual Meeting, be sure to mark their award presentation sessions on your calendar:

  • AIB Fellows John Fayerweather Eminent Scholar Award Special Session (Session# 211530)
  • AIB Fellows International Executive of the Year Award Special Session (Session# 211532)
  • AIB Fellows International Educator of the Year Award Special Session (Session# 211531)

Please join us in congratulating our prize-winners and read on to learn more about their professional accomplishments.

Jay Barney: 2021 John Fayerweather Eminent Scholar

Jay BarneyThe John Fayerweather Eminent Scholar Award is among the most prestigious prizes a researcher can receive from AIB, intended to recognize an outstanding thinker whose scholarship has significantly influenced the international business field through new conceptualizations, theorizations, or empirical inquiries.

On behalf of the awards committee, our fellows, and the entire AIB community, we hope you will join us in congratulating Jay Barney, the scholar chosen to receive this award at our 2021 Annual Meeting. Currently serving as Presidential Professor of Strategic Management and Lassonde Chair of Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Utah, his work has been particularly instrumental to IB scholars seeking to explore how firms establish and sustain competitive advantages, a framework which has become widely known as the resource-based view of the firm.

Attendees at our 2021 Annual Meeting will have the opportunity to hear Dr. Barney speak in depth about his scholarship during a special award presentation session, a body of work which ranges from firms’ leveraging of costly-to-copy capabilities to the actions entrepreneurs take to create and exploit economic opportunities.

Dr. Barney’s academic career has spanned over 40 years, having earned his PhD from Yale University and served as the Chase Chair for Excellence in Corporate Strategy at the Ohio State University prior to joining the faculty at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.

The impact of Dr. Barney’s work can also be seen in a number of our field’s top journals. He is currently the Editor of the Academy of Management Review and has previously served as an associate editor at the Journal of Management, senior editor for Organization Science, and co-editor at the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. His work has been published in numerous leading scholarly outlets, including the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal and Management Science, among others.

His academic influence has been recognized by institutions worldwide, including the University of Lund (Sweden), the Copenhagen Business School, and Universidad Pontificia Comillas (Spain), which have all awarded him honorary doctorate degrees. His expertise has also earned him honorary visiting professor positions in New Zealand, the U.K. and China.

“Jay is the consummate theoretician whose work has had a major impact in multiple disciplines. The number of citations to his published research is among the highest of top scholars across several sister disciplines, even more than some Nobel prize recipients,” said Michael Hitt, chair of the Eminent Scholar Award selection committee. “His work on the importance and value of resources for gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage has special relevance for the conduct of international business. As such, his work has served as a base for and catalyst to a significant amount of international business research.”

Ignacio de la Vega: 2021 International Educator of the Year

Ignacio de la VegaEach year, the International Educator of the Year Award recognizes academic leaders who have fostered outstanding international business programs through personal initiative, faculty support and educational innovation.

We are proud to announce that the individual chosen to receive this award at our 2021 Annual Meeting is Ignacio de la Vega, Associate Provost of Academic Affairs, Faculty & Internationalization at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Dr. de la Vega will be presented with this award during a special conference session where attendees will also be able to hear him present on his unique approach to IB education.

Dr. de la Vega and his team have implemented a bold internationalization strategy to increase the global reach, recognition, and development of Tecnológico de Monterrey’s business schools. This includes the university’s first-ever undergraduate degree program to be taught fully in English, a bachelor’s in global business; along with three master’s-level programs; the launch of a global admissions campaign; the recruitment of 25 international research professors; and the expansion of international joint-degree offerings with partner institutions on five continents.

Dr. de la Vega’s career as an educator spans over three decades, extending across both the public and private sectors. Prior to taking on his current position, he served as Dean of Tecnológico de Monterrey’s undergraduate and graduate business schools, Chief Learning Officer for the global bank BBVA, and Chair of IE Business School’s International Center for Entrepreneurship and Ventures Development, which he founded in 1998.

“Ignacio de la Vega exemplifies the kind of leader we would like to have in our schools,” said Robert Grosse, chair of the Educator of the Year Award Selection Committee.  “At Monterrey Tec he has actively advanced international business in the curriculum, provides opportunities for students and faculty to get international experience, and himself personifies the international leader with his background in Spain and his experience in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.”

Eduardo del Riego: 2021 International Executive of the Year

Eduardo del RiegoAt each of AIB’s Annual Meetings, the opening plenary session features a keynote address by an outstanding business leader who has helped their firm reach new heights in reputation and performance on an international stage. This speaker is, in turn, honored with the International Executive of the Year Award.

On behalf of this year’s selection committee and all of our AIB Fellows, we are pleased to announce that PayCargo Chief Executive Officer Eduardo del Riego has been chosen to receive this award at AIB 2021 Online.

As CEO of PayCargo, a logistics payment platform, Mr. del Riego has helped transform the company into a global Fintech powerhouse. Based in Miami, PayCargo has a network of payers and vendors featuring top companies in the industry, including Kuehne + Nagel, FedEx, and DHL. His team has also built partnerships with trade associations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in order to create a more efficient payment settlement system.

Since starting his career in vessel operations at Crowley Maritime more than 35 years ago, Mr. del Riego has established himself as a serial entrepreneur in the logistics industry with a focus on digital technology development. He has used his expertise in enhancing logistics technology to establish three companies worth more than $100 million, including The DiGregorio Group and Active Freight & Logistics.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mr. del Riego is known throughout Miami’s business community for his dedication to public service. He currently serves as a board member for the Beauty of Sight Foundation, a local organization that helps to fund research into curing blindness and preventing vision loss. He is also an advisor to the board for Cinco Palabras, an NGO that provides funding for charities promoting literacy and women’s rights through music and arts projects.