COA Announces the Honorees of the 29th BRAVO Business Awards

MIAMI, June 24, 2024—Council of the Americas (COA) is pleased to announce the honorees of the 29th BRAVO Business Awards, which will be held at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel on October 30, 2024. Multinational and multilatina company executives, government leaders, entrepreneurs, and global investors will come together to celebrate and recognize excellence and leadership in business and policy throughout Latin America.

“This year’s award winners reflect the many ways multilatinas and leaders from our region have been transcending borders,” said Susan Segal, president and CEO of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA). “These leaders are propelling the region forward and stepping onto the global stage. We’re in a big moment for Latin America.”

The 2024 honorees include:

• Paula Santilli, CEO of PepsiCo Latin America, will be honored with the BRAVO Visionary Leadership Award for her exceptional leadership at the forefront of PepsiCo’s food and beverage business in Latin America and her focus on building a sustainable food system that benefits the communities in the region.
• Globant will be recognized with the BRAVO Company of the Decade Award for its remarkable growth and transformative efforts to reinvent the professional services industry. The company’s innovative technology solutions have transformed industries in Latin America and globally, fostering entrepreneurship and community impact. Martin Migoya, co-founder and CEO, will accept the award on behalf of the company.
• Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital, will be honored with the BRAVO Investor of the Year Award for his influential role in the global technology investing industry and his commitment to nurturing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Latin America. His investments in and business building contributions to Latin American companies like Globant, VTEX, Dock, Technisys, and Omie, among several others, have led Riverwood and its portfolio to global success and lasting impact since the firm’s founding in 2008.
• João Vitor Menin, CEO of Inter&Co, will receive the BRAVO Innovative CEO of the Year Award for his visionary leadership in revolutionizing digital banking in Brazil and driving its strategic expansion to the U.S. market. Under his guidance, Inter&Co has become a leading financial institution that offers a one-stop-shop super app for financial services, including investments, insurance, loans, ecommerce, and even food delivery.

“Our 2024 honorees represent some of the most visionary minds from Latin America,” said Maria Lourdes Teran, vice president of AS/COA Miami and chair of the BRAVO Business Awards. “Their groundbreaking work and international presence are catalyzing growth and transformation for the entire region.”

On the morning of the BRAVO Business Awards, the Council of the Americas Symposium will convene an exclusive community of C-level leaders who are shaping Latin America’s business landscape. As Latin America’s premier business engagement and dialogue platform, the Symposium’s content tracks will feature the most relevant topics impacting the global business agenda and with a focus on Latin America. This year, topics include key imperatives for the region’s clean energy transition, digital inclusion for economic growth, the impact of artificial intelligence on the consumer experience, and Latin America’s investment landscape.

2024 BRAVO Honoree Profiles

Paula Santilli, CEO of PepsiCo Latin America, will receive the BRAVO Visionary Leadership Award.

The CEO of PepsiCo Latin America and a member of PepsiCo’s Executive Committee since May 2019, Paula Santilli has leveraged her position to pioneer support for sustainability, job creation, and female leadership. Under her management, PepsiCo made significant strides in gender equality and sustainable practices. PepsiCo’s business in the region earned $11.7 billion in annual net revenue in 2023 and supported over 80,000 direct jobs across 34 markets. Santilli is committed to generating inclusive growth in Latin America and contributing to the well-being of the communities in which PepsiCo operates. A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, she has co-authored three books on women’s empowerment and the importance of closing the gender gap in leadership positions.

Globant will receive the BRAVO Company of the Decade Award, accepted by co-founder and CEO Martin Migoya.

Globant’s remarkable growth has positioned it to become a major player in the landscape of IT services, pioneering a new era for innovation and business transformation. A digitally native company, Globant helps top organizations reinvent themselves through technology and agility to create a way forward and unleash their potential. Martin Migoya, the company’s CEO and co-founder and 2011 BRAVO Emerging CEO of the Year Award-winner, has led Globant since it was a startup. In 2014, Migoya led Globant in becoming the first Latin American software company to have an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. Today, Globant is a global player with more than 28,000 employees across more than 33 countries around the world. Moreover, the company’s commitment to IT education has become a source of positive community impact, reaching more than 62,000 individuals.

Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital, will receive the BRAVO Investor of the Year Award.

Riverwood Capital is one of the leading investment firms solely dedicated to technology growth and scalability. Founded in 2008, Riverwood manages over $6 billion and makes investments in high-growth technology businesses globally. Riverwood is an active partner to founders and management teams, helping scale companies from the $10s of millions to the $100s of millions in revenues and more. Francisco Alvarez-Demalde co-heads the firm and has built the Riverwood Capital franchise since its inception. He has been involved in the scalability journey of several of the Riverwood portfolio companies, including supporting their expansion plans across multiple geographies and products, scale-up of operations, talent development, acquisitions, multi-billion exits, and IPOs. Companies in Riverwood’s portfolio include Globant, VTEX, 99, Technisys, Nutanix, Billtrust, Forgerock, Greenhouse, and GoPro, among many other success stories.

A pioneer Latin American business leader who has built a successful top global investment firm, Alvarez-Demalde has been one of the most influential technology investors and business builders in Latin America and beyond during the past 15 years. In addition to his business acumen, he has shown a strong commitment to highlighting Latin America’s growth opportunities on the global stage and to building trust within the investment and entrepreneurial community in Latin America. Among other things, he founded the Latam Tech Forum (LTF), a prestigious private community of CEOs and founders of some of the largest and leading tech companies in the region.

João Vitor Menin, CEO of Inter&Co, will receive the BRAVO Innovative CEO of the Year Award.

João Vitor Menin’s leadership has transformed Inter&Co into a comprehensive digital banking platform, driving financial inclusion and innovation in Brazil and beyond. With extensive experience in the financial and capital markets, he has led the institution's digital transformation for the last 16 years. Menin joined Inter&Co subsidiary Banco Inter in 2004, became Inter&Co’s executive director in 2008, and began serving as CEO in 2015. Known as the father of digital banking, Menin led the bank’s digitalization, positioning it as an all-encompassing “super app” with goals that go beyond traditional banking. Inter&Co is the first 100% digital bank in Brazil and the only one to offer completely free checking accounts. More recently, Menin’s leadership took Inter&Co to its 2022 Nasdaq listing, followed by a strategic expansion to the U.S. market. Today, it offers a complete suite of financial and non-financial solutions to over 30 million clients.

Sponsors: The AES Corporation, Amazon Web Services, CHUBB Latin America, Inter&Co, LLYC, Atlas Renewable Energy, Bank of America, Grupo Mariposa, Grupo Promerica, Salesforce, SAP, and FedEx

Media Partners: Americas Quarterly, Bloomberg Línea, CNN en Español

Symposium in partnership with: Inter-American Development Bank

For more information visit: www.as-coa.org/bravo2024 

Press Contacts:

Yndira Marín | yndira.marin@llyc.global
Luciana Sabillon | lsabillon@as-coa.org

About Council of the Americas

Council of the Americas (COA) is the leading international trade organization whose members share a common commitment to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Council’s membership consists of leading international companies representing a broad spectrum of sectors, including banking and finance, consulting services, consumer products, energy and mining, manufacturing, media, technology and transportation.