Eduardo Acuna
Chief Executive Officer · Regal
Eduardo Acuna on changing direction, building relationships, learning unfamiliar industries, and saying yes to the opportunities that reshape a career.
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Eduardo Acuna thought he would become an economist in Mexican public service. Instead, a career fair introduced him to consulting, a summer in rural India redirected him toward poverty reduction, and a friend's invitation brought him into the movie-theater business. Procurement became a way to understand an entire company; an unfamiliar assignment in Brazil became a decade of operating experience; and, after the pandemic, another unexpected opportunity led him to Regal. His story is a case for having direction without becoming trapped by the plan.
The moments that
shaped the path.
A plan revised by experience
A teacher inspired Acuna to study accounting, but the classes themselves revealed that economics suited him better. He deliberately earned a role at Mexico's central bank, then discovered that he wanted more collaboration and human interaction than the technical work provided. Consulting offered a new kind of education: learning unfamiliar subjects quickly and breaking complicated problems into solvable pieces.
Meaning, responsibility, and a surprising industry
Graduate study connected business and public policy. After internships in investment banking and poverty reduction, Acuna chose public service in Mexico despite the financial cost. Disillusionment with corruption—and growing responsibility to his family—eventually led him to accept a friend's offer in movie-theater procurement, a field he had never considered.
Learning before feeling ready
By treating procurement as a window into every department, Acuna prepared himself to launch the company's Brazilian operation despite not speaking Portuguese or having started a company before. Two decades of industry learning later, he accepted the challenge of leading Regal after its restructuring. Across each move, relationships, curiosity, and the confidence to ask opened the next door.
How the path unfolded.
The route becomes clearer in retrospect. These are the decisions, detours, and discoveries that moved the story forward.
- CollegeWaypoint
Accounting gives way to economics
He changed direction after discovering that the subject his father discouraged was the one he enjoyed most.
- Early careerWaypoint
Central Bank of Mexico
A professor connection and deliberate preparation helped him earn the role he had targeted.
- Next moveWaypoint
Joins McKinsey
Consulting introduced a repeatable approach to learning unfamiliar industries and solving open-ended problems.
- Graduate schoolWaypoint
Business and public policy
An MBA and Master in Public Policy let him investigate commercial leadership and public service together.
- Public serviceWaypoint
Works on poverty reduction
Experiences in rural India and Mexico became some of the most meaningful—and difficult—work of his career.
- CinemaWaypoint
Learns the business through procurement
A friend's offer brought him to Morelia and into an industry that would shape the next two decades.
- International growthWaypoint
Builds in Brazil
He moved with his family, learned a new language and market, and helped create an operation from the ground up.
- TodayWaypoint
Leads Regal
He accepted a high-stakes post-restructuring challenge to lead one of the world's largest cinema businesses.
Five ideas worth keeping.
- 01
Have a direction, but stay flexible enough to recognize a better opportunity.
- 02
You do not need every answer before beginning; break the problem down and learn as you go.
- 03
Relationships grow when you show genuine interest, ask thoughtful questions, and listen closely.
- 04
Rejection closes one possibility; never asking closes it for you.
- 05
A role that looks unglamorous can become an unusually powerful place to learn the whole business.
