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Corporate and Policy Leaders Gather for the 2016 Council of the Americas Symposium and 22nd BRAVO Business Awards

The October 28 events will bring together over 400 leaders to discuss critical issues affecting the Western Hemisphere.

Hosted for the first time by COA, the event in Miami is one of the most important forums on the Americas.

Miami, October 4, 2016—Council of the Americas (COA) will host the Symposium and 22nd BRAVO Business Awards on October 28 in Miami at the Four Seasons Hotel. The one-day conference will gather more than 400 leaders from business, government, multilateral institutions, and nongovernmental organizations to discuss critical issues such as energy, the economic landscape, innovation, entrepreneurship, gender equality, and social impact in the Western Hemisphere.

“We are thrilled this year’s innovative program will gather top representatives from the public and private sectors to exchange ideas and create solutions to the region’s most pressing issues,” said Susan Segal, CEO and President of Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA). “This prestigious event deepens our commitment to the Miami community and our engagement with the leaders shaping the Americas.”

The innovative program will be anchored by keynote conversations with some of the most influential leaders in the Americas, including Mexico’s Secretary of Finance and Public Credit José Antonio Meade, Mayor of Medellín Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga, Miami Dade College President Dr. Eduardo Padrón, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen. Panel discussions will focus on energy, the economic landscape, and innovation in the region.

Energy in the Americas

The opening panel discussion is set to address the changing landscape of the energy sector in the Americas, where shifts in global energy demand and production are creating new competition in international markets. Panelists include: Jack Broodo, Business President, Feedstocks & Energy, The Dow Chemical Company; Miguel Ángel Gutiérrez, President, YPF; Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company; Hamilton Moss de Souza, Vice President, Energy, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America; and Leo Rodríguez, President, Emerson Latin America. Andrés Gluski, President & CEO of the AES Corporation and AS/COA Chairman, will chair the panel.

Moving beyond Borders: New Markets in an Uncertain Economic Landscape

In this panel, CEOs from major Latin American companies will discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by a global economy where the Latin America economy is expected to remain stagnant while other emerging markets such as Asia and Africa, are expected to grow above six and four percent respectively in 2016. Panelists will include Francisco Garza Egloff, CEO, Arca Continental; Fernando Iraola, Managing Director, Head of Latin America Corporate Banking and Global Transaction Services, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Thilo Mannhardt, CEO, Ultrapar. Jorge Becerra, Senior Partner & Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group, will chair the panel.

“Going Digital” Latin America’s Innovation Challenge

In this session, leading executives from top global companies and organizations will discuss digital strategy as a means of strengthening business operations, efficiency, and sustainable growth. Panelists will include César Cernuda, President, Microsoft Latin America; Claudio Muruzábal, President, SAP Latin America & The Caribbean; Laxman Narasimhan, CEO, Latin America, PepsiCo; Luiz Ros, Special Advisor for Innovation, Digital Economy, IDB; and Blanca Treviño, President & CEO, Softtek. Xavier Serbiá, host of CNN Dinero, will chair the panel.

The daytime Symposium will close with afternoon concurrent sessions focused on gender equality, social impact, and entrepreneurship in the Americas.

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

Following the Symposium, leaders from the private and public sectors will be honored at the 22nd BRAVO Business Awards. For more than two decades the BRAVO Business Awards have recognized excellence and leadership in the Americas, and in 2016 we will honor the following innovative leaders who are impacting business and policy in the region:

  • Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Former President, Brazil, BRAVO Legacy Award
  • José Antonio Meade, Mexico’s Secretary of Finance and Public Credit, Innovative Leader of the Year
  • Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Company, Lifetime Achievement
  • Marcos Galperín, Founder, President and CEO, MercadoLibre, Inc., Visionary CEO of the Year
  • Francisco Garza Egloff, CEO, Arca Continental, CEO of the Year
  • City of MedellínTransformational City of the Year, accepted by Federico Gutiérrez Zuluaga, Mayor of Medellín
  • Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College, Civic Leader of the Year
  • Patricia Villela Marino, President, Humanitas360 Institute, Humanitarian of the Year

Sponsors of the Council of the Americas Symposium and 22nd BRAVO Business Awards include: HSBC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Burson-Marsteller, AES, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, The Boston Consulting Group, Bombardier, Chubb, Emerson, Microsoft, and Softtek. Partners include CNN, the Financial Times, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and ProMéxico.

For more information on the BRAVO Symposium and Awards, please visit bravobusiness.com and follow the conversation via #BRAVObiz.

Press inquiries:
Victoria Peris | victoria.peris@bm.com | 1-305-347-4343.
AS/COA Media Relations | mediarelations@as-coa.org | 1-212-277-8384 or 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.