Council of the Americas 23rd Annual BRAVO Business Awards Winners Announced

Miami, July 20, 2017—Council of the Americas (COA) announced today six honorees who will receive the 23rd BRAVO Business Awards at a special gala ceremony on November 3 in Miami. The BRAVO Awards recipients are business and policy leaders from Chile, Mexico, and the United States.

This is the second year COA has hosted the Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards. This annual event and preceding one-day Symposium aim to recognize excellence and leadership in business, policy, and social development in the Americas.

“We are privileged to have an outstanding group of honorees whose accomplishments have left a lasting impact on the region,” said Americas Society/Council of the Americas President and CEO Susan Segal. “Their success embodies not just the present but the future of the hemisphere’s potential.”

José Ángel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will be honored with the Legacy Award for his indelible mark on the Latin American and global economies. From diverse roles including secretary of foreign affairs and secretary of finance and public credit, Gurría was the architect of Mexico’s economic stabilization in the 1990s. In his current role, Gurría has led the OECD in becoming a vital instrument for the development of middle-income countries in Latin America and around the world.

Horst Paulmann, founder and chairman of Cencosud, will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his impact on Latin America’s retail industry. Paulmann built the firm as the largest retail company in Chile and the third largest in Latin America, starting with one supermarket in Chile and growing to the more than 1,000 retail outlets Cencosud currently operates in several countries in Latin America. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to the region for more than four decades.

Fernando González, CEO of CEMEX, will be recognized as CEO of the Year for leading the company’s impressive 2016 financial and operational performance. A recent highlight includes a tenfold rise in net profit for the first quarter of 2017 to $336 million, in comparison to the same period last year. In addition to this, González has propelled CEMEX to a position of worldwide leadership in sustainable construction by deepening the company’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which have already fallen 20 percent over the past two decades.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, and Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeromexico, will be jointly awarded the Visionary CEO Leadership recognition for their strategic vision, which led to the groundbreaking partnership between the two aviation giants in 2017 and established the largest trans-border alliance between Mexico and the United States. They will also be recognized for their individual achievements at the helm of global airlines. Bastian, during his 19-year career at Delta, has played a central role steering the company to its current position as an international market leader. Conesa will be recognized for his role positioning Aeromexico as a global player by focusing on innovation and customer service excellence. This marks the first time in its two-decade history that the BRAVO Awards organizers present a joint CEO recognition.

Jorge Pérez, Chairman and CEO of Related Group, will be recognized as Transformational Leader of the Year for promoting economic, social, and cultural development in Miami, an important hub for business and culture in the Americas, and for his visionary real estate investments, which have led to the creation of Miami’s most iconic neighborhoods. Pérez has revolutionized Miami’s skyline, while also spearheading pedestrian-friendly designs and transit-oriented development, while promoting equitable growth through affordable housing, thus creating a model for urban transformation worldwide.

Sponsors: HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LLORENTE & CUENCA, The AES Corporation, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, The Boston Consulting Group, Bombardier, Chubb, Emerson, Florida International University, and Microsoft. Media partners: CNN and Financial Times.

Symposium Partner: Inter-American Development Bank.

For more information, please visit: bravobusiness.com

Press inquiries:
Yndira Marin | ymarin@llorenteycuenca.com | 1-646-386-6523
AS/COA Media Relations | mediarelations@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8384 | 1-212-277-8333

Council of the Americas (COA) is the premier international business 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. Its sister organization, Americas Society (AS), is the premier forum dedicated to education, debate, and dialogue in the Americas. Its mission is to foster an understanding of the contemporary political, social, and economic issues confronting Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultural heritage of the Americas and the importance of the inter-American relationship.