Council of the Americas Announces Final Group of Honorees of the 23rd BRAVO Business Awards

The prestigious hemispheric awards will celebrate in Miami seven stories of vision and success.

Miami, September 21, 2017—Council of the Americas (COA) released the complete group of honorees who will be recognized at the 23rd Annual BRAVO Business Awards taking place on November 3 in Miami. María Fernanda Mejía, senior vice president of Kellogg Company and president of Kellogg Latin America, joins José Ángel Gurría, Horst Paulmann, Fernando González, Ed Bastian, Andrés Conesa, and Jorge Pérez as the final member of this group of deserving honorees from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.

“For more than two decades the BRAVO Business Awards have recognized the greatest achievements in business in Latin America’s dynamic environment,” said Americas Society/Council of the Americas President and CEO Susan Segal. “We are extremely proud to spotlight this year’s winners for their extraordinary accomplishments.”

María Fernanda Mejía, the final awardee to be announced, will be honored with the Dynamic CEO of the Year Award. The senior vice president of Kellogg Company and president of Kellogg Latin America will be recognized for leading one of the most successful food manufacturing companies in Latin America. She recently led Kellogg’s acquisition of Ritmo Investimentos – Parati Group, which represents the biggest acquisition by the company in the region, and will significantly increase Kellogg’s presence and scale in Brazil, the largest market in Latin America. She has also championed Kellogg’s efforts in sustainability in the region, which have significantly reduced the company’s environmental footprint in Latin America.

The list of leaders who will be honored at the 2017 BRAVO Awards also includes:

• José Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Legacy Award. Gurría will be honored for his indelible mark on the Latin American and global economy.
• Horst Paulmann, Founder and Chairman of Cencosud, Lifetime Achievement Award. Paulmann will be honored for his impact on Latin America’s retail industry.
• Fernando González, CEO of CEMEX, CEO of the Year Award. González will be recognized for leading the company’s impressive financial and operational performance.
• Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, and Andrés Conesa, CEO of Aeromexico, Visionary CEO Leadership Award. Bastian and Conesa will be jointly awarded for their strategic vision, leading to the groundbreaking Delta-Aeromexico partnership.
• Jorge Pérez, Chairman and CEO of Related Group, Transformational Leader Award. Pérez will be recognized for promoting economic, social, and cultural development in Miami.

This year marks the second time the BRAVO Awards will be hosted by Council of the Americas. Preceding the BRAVO Business Awards, the Council of the Americas Symposium gathers 400 influential business and policy leaders for a one-day conference that is considered one of the most important forums on economic and social development in the region. For more information on the Council of the Americas Symposium and BRAVO Business Awards, please visit bravobusiness.com and follow the conversation via #BRAVObiz.

Sponsors of the Council of the Americas Symposium and 23rd BRAVO Business Awards include: HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LLORENTE & CUENCA, The AES Corporation, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, IBM, The Boston Consulting Group, Bombardier, Chubb, Emerson, Florida International University, Microsoft, and SAP. Media partners: CNN and Financial Times. Supporting organization: Enterprise Florida.

The Symposium is organized in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank.

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

Council of the Americas 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.