COA Announces the Honorees of the 30th BRAVO Business Awards

MIAMI, July 7, 2025 — Council of the Americas (COA) is pleased to announce the honorees for its 2025 BRAVO Business Awards honorees, who will be celebrated at Miami’s Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove Hotel on October 16 during the 30th edition of the BRAVO Business Awards Gala and COA Symposium. Bringing together multinational and multilatina leaders, government figures, entrepreneurs, and investors, this year’s gala will celebrate a rich legacy of inspiring leadership in Latin America and spotlight the dynamic forces driving the region's boundless opportunities and future.

“As we mark three decades of the BRAVO Business Awards, our 2025 honorees truly embody the visionary leadership and transformative impact that define progress in Latin America,” said Susan Segal, president and CEO of Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA). “Driven by innovation and unwavering determination, their remarkable achievements not only reflect the rich legacy of this region, but also illuminate the path forward for its continued growth, prosperity, and rising global impact. We are immensely proud to celebrate these companies and individuals who are shaping the future of the Americas and making significant contributions to the U.S. and global markets through investment, job creation, and innovation.”

The 2025 honorees are as follows:

• Mercado Libre will be honored with the BRAVO Company of a Generation Award. This recognizes the 25 years of breakthrough innovation, impactful leadership, and long-term value creation that have made Mercado Libre a symbol of Latin American entrepreneurship and the region’s most valuable company. The award will be accepted by Ariel Szarfsztejn, president of commerce.
• Francisco Gomes Neto, president and CEO of Embraer, will be honored with the BRAVO Transformational Leader of the Year Award for his exceptional leadership in guiding Embraer through a period of profound transformation and global expansion. He has successfully positioned the Brazilian aerospace company at the forefront of sustainable aviation and advanced mobility technologies.
• Luiz R. Vasconcelos, president of FedEx Latin America & Caribbean, will be honored with the BRAVO Dynamic Leader of the Year Award for his role in driving innovation, improving regional connectivity, and strengthening the impact FedEx has on trade, logistics, and economic development across the Americas.
• Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) will receive the BRAVO Corporate Legacy Award, accepted by Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga, chairman of CMI Foods, and Felipe Bosch Gutiérrez, chairman of CMI Capital. The award recognizes the multigenerational enterprise for expanding across 15 countries while advancing its food business, clean energy projects, and sustainable development throughout Latin America and the United States.

Since 1995, the BRAVO Business Awards have stood as the premier recognition of excellence and leadership across Latin America and the Caribbean. For three decades, these prestigious awards have honored the groundbreaking companies and individuals supercharging the region’s economic and social development through innovation, inclusive growth, and sustainable progress. Including the 2025 honorees, the BRAVO Business Awards have recognized over 200 leading executives and companies that reflect an unparalleled commitment to advancing the Americas.

“Our 2025 honorees represent the values and forward-thinking spirit that have established the BRAVO Business Awards as Latin America’s leading platform for influential achievement,” said Maria Lourdes Terán, vice president of AS/COA Miami and chair of the BRAVO Business Awards. “These exceptional companies and leaders are not only setting new benchmarks for excellence in the private sector but are also paving the way for a future of greater prosperity and impactful change across the Americas. It is a profound honor to recognize their transformative contributions on such a special year for us.”

The Council of the Americas Symposium, held the morning of the BRAVO Business Awards, will bring together CEOs, senior executives, and thought leaders to discuss Latin America's role in the global agenda. Topics will include geopolitics, sustainability, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and investment opportunities across the region.

2025 BRAVO Honoree Profiles 

Mercado Libre will receive the BRAVO Company of a Generation Award, accepted by Ariel Szarfsztejn, president of commerce.

This new award category, created specifically to honor Mercado Libre’s exceptional leadership and long-term value creation, recognizes the company’s 25 years of breakthrough innovation, inclusive growth, and transformative impact in Latin America. On its 25th anniversary, Mercado Libre made history by closing as Latin America’s most valuable listed company, exemplifying its role as a powerful symbol of Latin American entrepreneurship, resilience, and impact. Through its comprehensive digital ecosystem, Mercado Libre has revolutionized commerce and finance by creating new income streams, empowering millions of entrepreneurs, and advancing financial inclusion across Latin America. The company's unwavering commitment to its founding principles—entrepreneurial spirit, constant innovation, and a clear vision rooted in empowering communities—has enabled it to scale to new heights while remaining a beacon of possibility and proving that Latin American talent and innovation can thrive and lead on the world stage.

Ariel Szarfsztejn joined Mercado Libre in 2017 and currently leads the e-commerce business across Latin America. He will transition into the role of CEO in January 2026, leading the company into its next chapter.

Francisco Gomes Neto, president and CEO of Embraer, will be honored with the BRAVO Transformational Leader of the Year Award.

Since taking office in 2019, Francisco Gomes Neto has demonstrated exceptional leadership in guiding Embraer through a period of profound transformation and global uncertainty. With a bold and forward-looking strategic vision, he has ushered in a new era of growth, delivering cutting-edge commercial and executive aircraft, expanding Embraer’s presence in the defense sector, and significantly strengthening its global footprint. His unwavering commitment to operational excellence and innovation has not only reinforced the Brazilian aerospace company's long-term competitiveness but also affirmed its standing as a truly global aerospace leader in one of the world’s most complex and high-tech industries. Embraer demonstrates its dedication to sustainability and to the future of air mobility through trailblazing efforts in electric vertical aircraft, sustainable aviation fuel, and next-generation technologies, further positioning the company to lead the aviation industry into its next chapter and showcasing the remarkable promise of Latin American ingenuity on a global stage.

Luiz R. Vasconcelos, president of FedEx Latin America & Caribbean (LAC), will be honored with the BRAVO Dynamic Leader of the Year Award.

Leading a team of approximately 23,000 people across more than 50 countries and territories, Luiz R. Vasconcelos has been instrumental in driving strategic initiatives that have significantly improved connectivity, boosted competitiveness, and strengthened trade throughout Latin America & the Caribbean. Under his leadership, FedEx LAC has solidified its position as a logistics leader, fostering economic development and contributing to the region’s economic output through strategic investments, infrastructure enhancements, and the introduction of advanced supply chain technologies. His vision has not only expanded the FedEx Air Network and freight capabilities across Latin America & the Caribbean but has also been critical in supporting the U.S. international business strategy, enhancing crucial trade corridors between the United States and Latin America, and seamlessly integrating the region into the FedEx vast global network.

Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) will receive the BRAVO Corporate Legacy Award, accepted by Juan José Gutiérrez Mayorga, chairman of CMI Foods, and Felipe Bosch Gutiérrez, chairman of CMI Capital.

Guided by visionary family leadership, CMI has evolved from its origins as a Guatemalan flour milling and poultry operation more than 100 years ago into a diversified multinational enterprise with over 50,000 employees across 15 countries in Latin America and the United States. Under Gutiérrez’s guidance, CMI Foods has become a key player in Latin America’s food industry known for household brands like Pollo Campero, Pollo Rey, Toledo and Pasta Ina. In addition, the corporation offers comprehensive solutions in animal nutrition and operates a dedicated pet food business line. Notably, it has expanded its presence outside the region and into the U.S. Hispanic food sector through the 2024 acquisition of Del Real Foods and the widespread growth of Pollo Campero’s over 130 restaurants across the United States. Concurrently, Bosch, leading CMI Capital, has spearheaded investments in sustainable solutions and renewable energy generation projects, establishing CMI as a regional leader in fostering development and positive societal impact across the Americas. The group’s commitment to tradition, innovation, and long-term value creation has cemented CMI’s position as a world-class family business and a catalyst for economic growth and social progress throughout the hemisphere.

Gutiérrez and Bosch also lead the Juan Bautista Gutiérrez Foundation. As a family-led corporate foundation, it serves as a platform to give back to society and drive meaningful change through high-impact social programs in the communities where CMI operates. In doing so, the foundation honors the family’s legacy and reinforces the organization’s core values.

In partnership with: CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean

Sponsors: Amazon, CHUBB Latin America, LLYC, Atlas Renewable Energy, Bank of America, Castillo Hermanos, Moody’s, Salesforce, The AES Corporation, BlackRock, FedEx, and Grupo Mariposa

Knowledge Partners: McKinsey & Company

Media Partners: Americas Quarterly, Bloomberg Línea, CNN en Español, El País, Estrategia & Negocios, and Exame

For more information, visit: www.as-coa.org/bravo2025

About Council of the Americas 

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. 

Contacts 

Patricia Martínez de Aragón | pmartinezdearagon@llyc.global 

Luciana Sabillon | lsabillon@as-coa.org 

AS/COA Media Relations | mediarelations@as-coa.org