Read the Conversation
Meeting Highlights:
- Customer Centricity: Under its global slogan "Essential to Care," Cardinal Health focuses on identifying critical healthcare needs and delivering locally relevant innovation, leveraging 50 years in the U.S. and 10 years in Mexico.
- Key Portfolio in Mexico: Strong presence in thromboembolism prevention, nutrition delivery systems, and surgical products like powder-free gloves, all focusing on patient safety.
- Public & Private Market Strategy: Collaborates closely with AMID and healthcare stakeholders to understand evolving needs and build tailored solutions for public and private sectors.
- Digital Transformation: Cardinal Health leverages digital tools to enhance engagement with healthcare professionals and KOLs, using specific training to bridge generational gaps within the sales force. Internally, digital solutions help streamline distributor communications.
- Vision for Mexico: Cardinal Health aspires to remain a trusted expert partner for hospitals, strengthen market leadership, and start exporting Mexican talent as part of its long-term growth strategy.
- 10 Years of Growth: Cardinal Health has earned loyalty and trust in Mexico's healthcare ecosystem in a decade and sees strong future opportunities for capability building and expansion.
EF: What is Cardinal Health's biggest value contribution?
MM: Since joining Cardinal Health, what's impressed me most is how patient-centric the company truly is — we live our motto, "Essential to Care"- It's all about understanding market needs and delivering meaningful solutions.
Being a primarily U.S.-based company, expanding globally brings its challenges. Cardinal Health celebrated 50 years globally last year, and this July marks our 10th anniversary locally, so we are still growing our presence in the region.
What sets us apart is our focus on purposeful innovation. It is not about following trends but understanding each market, whether in Europe, Latin America, or Asia and adapting our portfolio to meet local healthcare needs.
EF: What is your growth strategy for Mexico, and what are your focus areas?
MM: Cardinal Health's primary focus globally is on venous thromboembolism prevention therapy, which offers a system to prevent the formation of clots in the legs, which can occur during surgery or while a patient is hospitalized with limited mobility. In Mexico, we focus on increasing prevention awareness, conducting risk assessments for each patient, and acting accordingly— especially in Latin America, where there's often more focus on managing risks after they arise rather than investing upfront.
Our second key therapy is nutritional delivery. While we do not supply nutrition, we provide medical devices that help deliver it. In fact, we introduced Mexico's first nutrition pump, offering specialized tools that truly elevate patient care.
Our third focus area is on preventing complications in the operating room. For example, we introduced powder-free gloves in Mexico, educating surgical teams on the risks associated with powdered gloves, which are still commonly used despite their proximity to the U.S.
Beyond that, our portfolio is broad, covering 16 product franchises — from electrodes and surgical gloves to drapes, gowns, and urology catheters and drain bags. This variety means we often work with multiple stakeholders rather than a single specialist. Still, our strongest presence remains in the operating room and ICU — where our products and therapies make the greatest impact.
EF: How is Cardinal Health partnering with hospitals, clinics, and doctors to ensure innovative products reach patients? And how do you balance these alliances in Mexico?
MM: Healthcare access in Mexico varies greatly between the public and private sectors. Public systems are highly cost-driven, so we focus on providing fast, practical solutions. In contrast, private hospitals are more open to innovation, allowing us to collaborate more directly — testing products, working with medical committees and adapting to their processes.
The public sector is more complex, with strict regulations and compliance requirements. That is why we partner with organizations like AMID in Mexico to help bridge communication with public institutions and align on shared goals. It is never about expecting them to adjust to us — we adapt to their needs, ensuring our products meet both regulatory requirements and local content rules.
Speed is critical. In Mexico, a tender can open Monday, pricing submitted Tuesday, approved Wednesday, and the product delivered by Friday. There is no room for rigid processes or minimum order requirements. Flexibility and strong relationships with decision-makers — across both public and private sectors — are essential to making an impact.
EF: How is Cardinal Health, including Mexico, improving operations and supply chains and preparing for the future using digital tools?
MM: Digital tools are transforming how we connect with key opinion leaders. Doctors no longer want sales reps showing up with paper brochures — they expect faster, more interactive ways to learn about products. That means we need to adapt to technology that's both practical and engaging. But it is not always easy. Our sales team spans every generation — from people in their 20s to those nearing 60 — so a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work.
Some team members are natural with tech, running seamless iPad presentations. Others may still hesitate to reply to an email on the same device. So, we focus first on training, making sure everyone feels comfortable. At the same time, we are mindful of the doctor's experience — the fanciest digital tool does not help if the doctor is uncomfortable using it. It is about flexibility, knowing your audience, and being ready to adapt on the spot.
All commercial teams use tablets as digital tools to present and promote our devices. Now, we use the ShowPad platform to share information with healthcare professionals during our visits, and the idea is to get better tools to improve that.
Internally, we have had to speed up our own systems to keep pace with new technologies. A big focus has been improving product traceability — tracking every step from production to warehouse, into Mexico, through distributors, and ultimately to hospitals. We are streamlining that process to respond faster to market demands. Today, everyone expects instant solutions — like checking a restaurant menu online before you arrive. Healthcare is no different. We must ensure our tools help doctors, distributors, and teams quickly and efficiently get what they need.
EF: What are your long-term goals and strategy for Cardinal Health in Mexico? And what role do you see Mexico playing in global healthcare over the next decade?
MM: Our goal is to be a trusted partner for hospitals and doctors — not by telling them how to treat patients, but by being the experts on our products. We want them to feel confident turning to us for solutions that support their work.
Every company says they want to be the first choice, but for us, that means leading in the therapies we specialize in — like thrombosis prevention, where we're proud to be number one in Mexico. And we plan to stay ahead by continuously improving and innovating.
Predicting the next 10 years isn't easy, especially for a company still growing in Mexico. But our vision is clear: we want to become a key player in the public sector. We're working hard to get there while continuing to expand in the private sector and strengthening our position in the therapies we know best.
Globally, Cardinal's portfolio includes pharma and distribution, but in Mexico, we're focused solely on medical devices for now. Personally, I'd love to see the pharma side of the business arrive here one day — that's a big dream of mine.
EF: As you enter your 7th year at Cardinal Health, what makes the company so special that it attracts top talent across Mexico?
MM: Cardinal Mexico is unique because we are a small, agile team backed by a global powerhouse. Locally, we operate like a startup — flexible, fast, and hands-on — but with the structure and resources of a big company behind us. When I joined seven years ago, there were fewer than 15 of us. Today, we are close to 60. The growth has been incredible, but we had to build the brand from scratch. Early on, people used our products without even knowing they were from Cardinal. So, raising brand awareness was key.
What draws talent to Cardinal is not just competitive compensation and benefits, but also a strong sense of ownership. Everyone who joins leaves their mark — shaping the company's future, whether they stay or move on.
We've seen a lot of internal growth, and one of my personal goals is to see Mexican talent represented at the corporate level. We don't have anyone from Mexico at Cardinal's global headquarters yet, but I'm confident it's only a matter of time. The talent here is strong — it just needs to be seen.
EF: When you celebrate Cardinal Health's tenth anniversary in Mexico this July, what would be your message to your employees?
MM: We're really excited to celebrate this milestone on July 3rd with a town hall for all our employees, followed by events with our distributors in the weeks after. For me, it's a moment to pause and reflect — because, in the day-to-day push for growth, it's easy to overlook how far we've come.
We have grown and evolved over these years and built relationships of trust with our business partners — they know we'll always follow through. That consistency has created loyalty and lasting partnerships.
But what makes this anniversary truly special is knowing that everything Cardinal Mexico is today, was built by our people. That's what we'll be celebrating most. And, of course — it wouldn't be a tenth anniversary in Mexico without a little tequila to mark the occasion!
EF: What is your final message to the sector from Cardinal Health's perspective?
MM: First and foremost, we need to believe in Mexico. This country continues to show its potential — not just for Cardinal Health, but for the entire healthcare industry. The first step is having confidence in what Mexico can offer. The second is building the right capabilities to meet the market's needs and evolve alongside it. And third — perhaps most importantly — is believing in our people. Engaging, supporting, and ensuring they feel part of the journey.
I always remind my team: Cardinal Health isn't just a name — it's us. If the company is strong, it's because the people behind it are strong.
That's the mindset we bring to the market. Mexico has a key role to play in Cardinal's global story. We're part of a large multinational company, but the local teams drive real impact. Things can change overnight — new leaders, regulations, challenges — but that's exactly why we're here. Not just to manage the day-to-day, but to face those challenges head-on. That's what makes the work meaningful — and fun.
Disclaimer: The statements expressed here cannot be considered an official position of Cardinal Health.
