Miguel Marti highlights Mexico as the Cardinal Health’s top market in Latin America, representing 25 percent of regional operations. Key priorities include thrombosis prevention, enteral nutrition, and surgical gloves. With a strong focus on public-private sector balance, compliance, and innovation, Marti underscores Cardinal Health’s commitment to tailored healthcare solutions, local talent development, and expanding access to advanced medical technologies through both direct and partner-led models.
Could you elaborate on Mexico’s strategic significance within Cardinal Health’s global operations and the distinctive value proposition the country offers for long-term organisational growth?
Mexico occupies a fundamentally strategic position within Cardinal Health’s regional architecture. Our operational framework has been deliberately structured to enable dual pathways to market – both direct engagement and strategic distribution partnerships – which provides us with the agility necessary to respond rapidly to local market dynamics. This hybrid model allows us to function with the nimbleness and responsiveness of an entrepreneurial venture whilst leveraging the comprehensive infrastructure and global reach of an established multinational corporation. This structural advantage enables us to deliver genuinely high-impact solutions that address the specific requirements of the Mexican healthcare ecosystem.
In terms of regional significance, how does Mexico’s market position compare with other major Latin American territories such as Colombia and Brazil?
When evaluated on a country-by-country basis, Mexico unequivocally represents our premier market within the region. Whilst certain aggregated territories – specifically the Southern Cone nations and the Central American-Caribbean corridor – collectively generate larger revenues when considered as unified commercial zones, Mexico as a singular national market commands the leading position. The country accounts for approximately 25 percent of our total regional operations, underscoring its pivotal role in our Latin American strategy.
How is the “Essential to Care” philosophy applied specifically in Mexico, considering the contrast between the public and private healthcare sectors?
“Essential to Care” transcends mere corporate messaging for our organisation – it represents a fundamental operational ethos that has permeated every aspect of our work since my tenure began. Our product development and solution architecture are invariably designed with patient outcomes as the primary consideration. Our objective is to meaningfully improve health system performance across each market in which we operate.
Our organisational flexibility and sophisticated understanding of market nuances enable us to respond with considerable speed, supported by the credibility and resources of the Cardinal Health brand. Regarding the public-private sector distinction you reference, our approach is deliberately differentiated. Within government procurement channels, our focus centres on delivering cost-effective solutions that ensure comprehensive patient access to essential medical technologies. Conversely, in the private hospital segment, we emphasise innovation-driven products that advance clinical capabilities.
This is not necessarily a matter of offering entirely different product portfolios, but rather understanding that the value proposition must be articulated differently depending on the institutional context and procurement priorities of each sector.
Within your extensive product portfolio, which categories represent your flagship offerings in the Mexican market?
Mexico’s commercial landscape is anchored by three principal product categories. Our leading portfolio consists of thrombosis prevention solutions – specifically our DVT prophylaxis systems – which constitute our number one product line. The second major category encompasses enteral nutrition delivery systems. It is important to note that we do not manufacture the nutritional formulae themselves; rather, we specialise in the sophisticated delivery mechanisms that ensure safe and effective nutritional administration. We introduced Mexico’s first dedicated nutritional pump specifically engineered for enteral nutrition, along with the comprehensive accessory systems required for optimal clinical outcomes.
Our third cornerstone category is surgical gloves, where we established a significant market precedent by introducing Mexico’s first powder-free surgical latex gloves – a meaningful advancement in reducing surgical site infection risks.
Beyond these three principal categories, our Mexican operations encompass 16 distinct product lines, including surgical drapes and gowns, fluid management systems, electrocardiogram electrodes. The unifying characteristic across our portfolio is a predominant focus on operating theatre and intensive care unit applications, where product quality and reliability have the most profound impact on patient outcomes.
What criteria guide your decisions on which products to localise and prioritise in Mexico over the next three years?
Our strategic priorities remain centred precisely on these three foundational categories – they constitute what we might characterise as the “crown jewels” of Cardinal Health’s medical technology portfolio. Mexico represents what we consider a fertile market for innovation introduction. Our organisation possesses a strong institutional commitment to bringing differentiated products to market – solutions that fundamentally improve clinical protocols or mitigate procedural risks.
The unifying thread across our product selection criteria is patient safety and preventive care. When one examines our three primary product families, a clear pattern emerges: each is fundamentally designed to prevent adverse clinical events. Powder-free surgical gloves reduce infection risks, DVT prophylaxis prevents potentially fatal thrombotic complications, and our nutritional delivery systems ensure accurate and safe enteral feeding. Prevention and risk mitigation serve as our primary decision-making filters for portfolio expansion.
Regarding prevention specifically, how do you identify the right patient populations for your preventive technologies, and how do you ensure those patients gain access to them?
The clinical scenarios our products address predominantly occur within surgical and intensive care environments. Our primary mechanism for knowledge dissemination and appropriate product utilisation operates through direct engagement with healthcare professionals. We maintain robust relationships with clinicians, providing comprehensive education and training that enables them to make informed clinical decisions. Based on their professional expertise and patient assessment, healthcare providers determine which patients represent appropriate candidates for our technologies.
One distinguishing characteristic of Cardinal Health’s approach – and something I have come to appreciate profoundly during my seven years with the organisation – is our commitment to nursing education. Whilst physicians certainly determine treatment protocols, nurses represent the crucial implementation partners who ultimately determine treatment success. They are the professionals administering these interventions at the bedside, and their competency with our technologies directly correlates with patient outcomes. Therefore, nursing education receives equal priority to physician engagement in our training initiatives.
Given the dominance of public procurement in Mexico, how do you balance growth in the public sector with expansion in the private hospital market?
Government procurement does indeed represent approximately 80 percent of volume. Our public sector strategy emphasises practical, cost-effective solutions delivered with operational agility. We employ both direct market engagement and distribution partnerships strategically, depending on the specific procurement context. Government tenders often demand rapid response capabilities, and our distribution partners represent essential components of the value chain in these scenarios.
For the private hospital market, our approach pivots toward innovation delivery and personalised institutional engagement. We invest considerable time understanding each hospital’s specific clinical needs and operational challenges, then architect tailored solutions that address those requirements. This consultative approach differentiates our private sector engagement significantly from the more transactional nature of public procurement.
How is Cardinal Health working with regulatory bodies and hospitals in Mexico to improve supply chain practices and speed up market access?
We maintain exceptionally close working relationships with regulatory authorities, including regular monthly consultations designed to ensure we thoroughly understand evolving market requirements and governmental priorities. Once we comprehend these needs, we architect appropriate solutions. Regulatory bodies often facilitate introductions to relevant government institutions, effectively opening doors for constructive industry dialogue.
What contemporary healthcare systems increasingly demand – both public and private – are bespoke solutions rather than standardised offerings. To employ a restaurant analogy, clients no longer accept a prix fixe menu; they want to select specific elements that precisely address their requirements. This represents, in my assessment, a key differentiator for Cardinal Health relative to competitors: our willingness to engage in genuine partnership, understand nuanced institutional needs, and deliver comprehensive, customised solutions.
How do you manage operational risk in Mexico’s often volatile public sector environment?
Our approach rests upon two fundamental pillars. First and foremost, unwavering commitment to ethics and compliance. Cardinal Health maintains the highest standards of ethical conduct as a core organisational principle – this is non-negotiable. Second, rigorous business analysis coupled with market intelligence. Ultimately, calculated risk-taking represents an inherent element of commercial leadership. The key lies in ensuring those risks are thoroughly analysed, ethically grounded, and strategically justified.
How is Cardinal Health Mexico adapting global supply chain resilience initiatives – like traceability and sourcing diversification – to the Mexican market, and how do you manage challenges like tariffs or trade shifts?
Cardinal Health Mexico approaches these evolving dynamics with strategic operational discipline. We have tailored global resiliency initiatives to the specific context of the Mexican commercial landscape, reinforcing our supply chain infrastructure through targeted technology investments and process optimisation. These initiatives enable our commercial partners to meet increasingly stringent requirements with precision and reliability.
Cardinal Health has made substantial investments in technology platforms that provide comprehensive product intelligence – from manufacturing facility to hospital delivery – enabling complete traceability. This digital infrastructure allows us to respond to supply chain disruptions or regulatory requirements with remarkable speed and accuracy, providing our healthcare partners with the transparency and reliability contemporary medical practice demands.
How are you leveraging Mexico’s skilled medical device workforce, particularly its high female representation, and what are you doing to support inclusion and technical training?
Globally, approximately 45 percent of Cardinal Health’s workforce comprises women. In Mexico, our commercial team composition reaches approximately 70 percent female representation – a figure that reflects both market demographics and our commitment to inclusive talent acquisition.
We have been certified as a Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute for three consecutive years, recognition granted for excellence in human resources practices. This achievement stems directly from our organisational values and our commitment to creating an environment where talent can flourish regardless of gender.
Cardinal Health has substantially expanded our commercial presence during our decade of operations in Mexico – we are celebrating our tenth anniversary this year through events with hospital partners and distributors throughout the country. This growth has been driven by fostering a culture of ownership and innovation, supported by investments in comprehensive training programmes, digital enablement, and inclusive leadership development that empowers our entire team.
What measurable impact has your digital transformation, especially in training and engagement platforms, had on how you interact with hospitals and clinicians in Mexico?
Our most significant digital innovation has occurred within supply chain systems and direct market engagement infrastructure. Interestingly, we have observed that physicians and nurses continue to highly value personal interaction. Healthcare professionals consistently express preference for face-to-face engagement in their clinical environments. Consequently, we maintain a comprehensive field-based sales team that engages directly with doctors and nurses, providing hands-on product education.
We naturally utilise digital platforms – video conferencing technologies such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams – for certain training applications, particularly for broader educational initiatives. However, our strategic preference remains direct, in-person hospital engagement where we can provide practical, hands-on training to clinicians and nursing staff. This personal approach resonates particularly strongly within Latin American healthcare culture.
How is Mexico involved in Cardinal Health’s global AI initiatives, and what local use cases are you exploring in areas like forecasting, compliance, and stakeholder engagement?
We are actively investing across all these categories – demand forecasting, regulatory compliance optimisation, and stakeholder engagement enhancement. These AI initiatives are strategically directed from our global organisation, and our role in Mexico centres on effective local implementation and adaptation. The global organisation establishes the strategic framework and technological architecture, which we then deploy within the specific context of the Mexican market, ensuring these advanced capabilities translate into tangible operational improvements.
What insights would you offer our readership regarding medical technology industry trends in Mexico?
The most compelling message is that Mexico represents an exceptionally attractive market for investment in medical technology. We possess a workforce characterised by deep commitment and patient-centricity – professionals who consistently prioritise clinical outcomes in their decision-making. The medtech sector in Mexico carries profound importance, not merely commercially but from a public health perspective.
Mexico’s geographic position provides strategic advantages, certainly, but the true differentiator is our people. Mexican healthcare professionals possess sophisticated market understanding combined with genuine dedication to patient welfare. This combination of market knowledge and clinical commitment makes Mexico an extraordinary environment for medical technology innovation and deployment.
Looking ahead, what are your strategic priorities for Cardinal Health Mexico over the coming years, and how will you align the country operation with the company’s global medical technology ambitions?
Our priorities centre on continuing to deliver innovative solutions to healthcare institutions across both public and private sectors. We aim to expand our product portfolio in Mexico, introducing additional technologies that address unmet clinical needs. Ultimately, our ambition is to contribute meaningfully to building a more robust and effective healthcare system throughout Mexico.
Cardinal Health has achieved Top Employer certification for three consecutive years. What distinguishes Cardinal Health as an exceptional organisation for talented professionals?
I believe it stems from the patience and determination our people demonstrate in achieving meaningful outcomes – not merely commercial metrics, but genuine healthcare impact. There is profound professional satisfaction when you visit a hospital, either personally or with family members requiring care, and observe Cardinal Health branded products being utilised in treatment. In those moments, you recognise that these patients are receiving quality medical technologies – among the finest available in the market. That connection between our daily work and tangible patient benefit creates extraordinary professional meaning.
As we conclude, what final message would you wish to convey to our readership?
It is vitally important that healthcare leaders – not only in Mexico but throughout Latin America – recognise Cardinal Health’s commitment to offering differentiated solutions that genuinely improve health system performance. We encourage openness to emerging technologies and innovation. Embracing new medical technologies represents a critical pathway toward reducing clinical risks and preventing adverse patient outcomes. The healthcare landscape continues to evolve rapidly, and institutional willingness to adopt evidence-based innovations will ultimately determine how effectively we serve patient populations.
On a personal level, what personally motivates you as a leader, and how do you inspire your team during difficult times?
My fundamental motivation centres on team development and organisational growth. We must remember that our employees do not exist in isolation – they represent families who depend upon our organisation’s success and stability. When we grow as an enterprise, our team members grow professionally, and consequently, their families benefit economically and socially. That broader responsibility to the families we support provides profound motivation, particularly during difficult periods. It reminds us that our work extends far beyond quarterly financial results – we are building careers, supporting families, and contributing to community prosperity.
