BRAVO Symposium 2025: Latin America's Opportunity in Today's Evolving Geopolitical Context

Speakers:

• Luiz Vasconcelos, President, FedEx Latin America & Caribbean
• Blanca Treviño, President & CEO, Softtek
• Andres Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and former Minister of Finance of Chile
• Shu Nyatta, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Bicycle Capital
• Andres Gluski, President & CEO, The AES Corporation (Moderator)
• Maria Lourdes Teran, Vice President, AS/COA Miami Office (Opening Remarks)

"Latin America benefits when the world economy is integrating. Latin American countries suffer when the world is disintegrating," said Andres Velasco of LSE during the opening panel of the 2025 Council of the Americas Symposium. Under the theme of "Latin America’s Opportunity in Today’s Evolving Geopolitical Context," Velasco and leaders from top companies discussed the challenges—and major opportunities—for the region in the current moment.

“Relatively speaking, Latin America is in an extraordinary position because of the confluence of geopolitics and AI,” said Shu Nyatta of Bicycle Capital. The region, he said, is well placed to see major growth if it acts upon opportunities for modernization and fintech expansion, which will require a marshaling of capital. Blanca Treviño of Softtek added that the region's reliability and trust has made it a valued partner and destination for global companies. Still, she said that the region needs to up-skill and re-skill existing talent to thrive.

How else can Latin America improve its competitiveness and capitalize on emerging markets and technology? Luiz Vasconcelos of FedEx spoke of the need for regional integration and a modernization of customs processes. He further emphasized the need to find political will to execute needed reforms. Vasconcelos is being honored at the 30th BRAVO Business Awards as the BRAVO Dynamic Leader of the Year.

In her welcome remarks before the panel, AS/COA's Maria Lourdes Teran gave a call to action for the day's programming: "While Latin America’s potential is vast, it is not guaranteed [...] We must match optimism with action, investment with reform, and partnerships with accountability."