2025 COA Symposium and 30th BRAVO Business Awards

October 16, 2025

Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove

3300 SW 27th Ave

Miami

Live broadcast

Overview

The 2025 Council of the Americas Symposium will bring together over 500 regional corporate leaders who are shaping the future of Latin America’s business landscape. This one-day conference will feature CEOs, presidents of Latin American companies, and industry pioneers from across diverse sectors and geographies, offering a unique opportunity to hear directly from the key players driving the region’s transformation and development.

In celebration of three decades of excellence, the 30th BRAVO Business Awards will honor a select group of companies and individuals who embody the visionary leadership and transformative impact that define progress in the Americas. The prestigious awards will be celebrated at a black-tie gala at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove Hotel in Miami, Florida.

2025 BRAVO Business Awards Honorees

BRAVO Company of a Generation Award: Mercado Libre (Accepted by: Ariel Szarfsztejn, President of Commerce, Mercado Libre)

BRAVO Transformational Leader of the Year: Francisco Gomes Neto, President & CEO, Embraer

BRAVO Dynamic Leader of the Year: Luiz R. Vasconcelos, President, FedEx Latin America & Caribbean

BRAVO Corporate Legacy Award: Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) (Accepted by: Juan José Gutiérrez, Chairman, CMI Foods & Felipe Bosch, Chairman, CMI Capital)

Join the discussion on Twitter: #BRAVObiz | @ASCOA

Registration Support: Natalia Posada at nposada@as-coa.org

Special Group Access Packages: bravoprogram@as-coa.org

Sponsorship opportunities: Cyndi Balladares at cballadares@as-coa.org

Engagement and Thought Leadership: Luciana Sabillon at lsabillon@as-coa.org

Press inquiries: mediarelations@as-coa.org

Accommodation: Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove Hotel room block (limited rooms available at a special rate)

Agenda

BRAVO C-Suite

7:00-8:45 am BRAVO Private Roundtables:

BRAVO CEO Roundtable: Navigating Latin American Business in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape*

BRAVO Circle of LatAm Chief Sustainability Officers Roundtable*

*By invitation only. Participant criteria and seniority required.

Main Stage Programming

9:00–9:10 am Welcome Remarks

Maria Lourdes Teran, Vice President, AS/COA Miami Office

9:10–9:50 am BRAVO Dialogues: Latin America’s Opportunity in Today’s Evolving Geopolitical Context

9:50–10:30 am BRAVO Dialogues: Legacy and Leadership – A Century of Latin American Excellence

10:30–10:55 am BRAVO Leadership Spotlight: Vision, Values, and Growth – Inside the CMI Multilatina Journey

10:55–11:15 am BRAVO Talk: Artificial Intelligence – A Once-in-a-Generation Economic Opportunity

11:15–11:35 am BRAVO Leadership Conversation: Shaping the Future of Finance through Innovation

11:35–11:55 am BRAVO Leadership Conversation: Embraer – Re-defining the Future of Air Mobility

11:55 am–12:35 pm BRAVO Dialogues: Beyond Latin America’s Fintech Frontier

12:35– 1:00 pm BRAVO Leadership Conversation: 25 Years of Innovation, Inclusion, and Impact with Mercado Libre

Lunch & Networking

1:15–2:15 pm Lunch Keynote: TBD

1:15–2:15 pm BlackRock Lunch – By-invitation Only

Afternoon Session

2:30–4:00 pm Session #1: Central America

2:30–4:00 pm Session #2: The Rise of AI and Data Centers in Latin America

30th BRAVO Business Awards

7:00–8:00 pm Cocktail Reception

8:00–11:00 pm Dinner & Awards Ceremony

Speakers

Ariel Szarfsztejn

President of Commerce, Mercado Libre

Ariel Szarfsztejn is the current president of Commerce at Mercado Libre. In this role, he is responsible for the e-commerce business across Latin America, which includes Marketplace (third-party sellers), Retail, Ads, Logistics and Fulfillment services. Ariel joined Mercado Libre...

Francisco Gomes Neto

President and CEO, Embraer

Francisco Gomes Neto has been president and CEO of Embraer since May 2019, leading a global team responsible for the company’s recent turnaround and delivering sustainable growth with market value for the business.

He brings 30 years of CEO experience leading companies in the...

Luiz R. Vasconcelos

President of LAC, FedEx

As President of LAC for FedEx, Luiz R. Vasconcelos maintains overall responsibility for the region, which includes approximately 23,000 team members in more than 50 countries and territories. Vasconcelos’ primary focus is the broader strategic direction of LAC as well as...

Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga

Chairman of CMI Foods

Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga is chairman of CMI Foods, a CMI (Corporación Multi Inversiones) business group, a multi-Latin family corporation founded in Guatemala in 1920 by his grandfather, Juan Bautista Gutiérrez. CMI has more than 54,000 employees in 15 countries, generating...

Felipe Bosch

President Chairman, CMI Capital

Felipe Bosch is president chairman of CMI Capital, a business group of CMI (Corporación Multi Inversiones), a multi-Latin family corporation founded in Guatemala in 1920 by his grandfather, Juan Bautista Gutiérrez. CMI has more than 54,000 employees in 15 countries, generating...