COA to present Vice President De Saint Malo Bravo Innovative Leader of the Year Award

 

MIAMI, September 10, 2018 – Council of the Americas (COA) is pleased to announce that Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Panama’s vice president and minister of foreign affairs, will receive the Innovative Leader of the Year Award at the twenty-fourth edition of the BRAVO Business Awards, on November 2 in Miami. The vice president and minister of foreign affairs will join COA’s group of winners which this year includes business leaders from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States.

The vice president and minister of foreign affairs will be honored for the significant role she has played to promote public policies that have improved government efficiency and the lives of millions of Panamanians. De Saint Malo de Alvarado was instrumental to develop Bill 56 in 2017, mandating the inclusion of at least 30 percent of women on the boards of all public institutions, thereby positioning Panama as leader in the goal of achieving gender equality in the public and private sectors. Additionally, she promoted the creation of the National Council on Gender Parity and the implementation of the Gender Equality Seal for all companies operating in Panama.

As minister of foreign affairs, de Saint Malo de Alvarado has worked to attract foreign investment, strengthen bilateral relations, and increase the exchange of knowledge with strategic partners. In June 2017, she made history with the opening of the Panamanian Embassy in China, establishing important ties with the Asian giant.

“For more than two decades, the BRAVO awards have recognized the leadership and excellence of political, business, and social leaders committed to the transformation of the Americas,” said Americas Society/Council of the Americas President and CEO Susan Segal. “Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado has greatly contributed to the renewal of the public sector in her country and is a point of reference in the search for gender equality and female empowerment throughout Latin America.”

The leaders who will be honored at the 2018 BRAVO Business Awards also include:

• Fabio Schvartsman, CEO of Vale, CEO of the Year. Schvartsman will be recognized for his work at the helm of one of the most successful multinational companies in the world, positioning Vale as a leader in the Brazilian stock market after almost doubling its value during his first year at the company.
• Eduardo Tricio Haro, Chairman of Grupo Lala, Transformational Leader of the Year. Tricio Haro will be recognized for his impact in business and society, as demonstrated by the group's internationalization strategy along with the contributions of the Lala Foundation to provide quality education while battling hunger and poverty.
• Eugenio Von Chrismar, CEO of Banco de Crédito e Inversiones (BCI), Financier of the Year. Von Chrismar will be honored for the impressive completion of BCI's internationalization strategy, which positioned the financial institution as a benchmark for innovation in the region.
• Carlos Mario Giraldo Moreno, CEO of Grupo Éxito, Dynamic CEO of the Year.  Giraldo will be honored for his outstanding performance in leading the group's extensive portfolio of brands in several countries. Under his leadership, the company has expanded in Latin America, opening more than 1,500 stores and increasing by almost 10 percent net revenues compared to 2016.
• Patricia Menéndez-Cambó, Vice President of Greenberg Traurig, Visionary Leader of the Year. Menéndez-Cambó will be recognized for her contributions to the growth and expansion of the private sector, as well as for the promotion of diversity in the Americas, where she serves as a mentor for the next generation of women leaders in the Americas.

Prior to the BRAVO Business Awards, the Council of the Americas Symposium will bring together more than 400 business, political, and social leaders for one of the leading gatherings for business and exchange of ideas in the hemisphere.

Sponsors: HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, LLORENTE & CUENCA, The AES Corporation, The Boston Consulting Group, Bombardier, Emerson, Florida International University, IBM, Microsoft and SAP.

Media Partners: CNN and Financial Times.

Partner of the Symposium: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

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

Follow the discussion on Twitter: #BRAVObiz | @ASCOA

Press Contact:

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.