2022 Report: COA Symposium & BRAVO Business Awards

2022 Council of the Americas Symposium

BRAVO Main Stage

University of Miami

2022 Council of the Americas Symposium

Despite a series of geopolitical crises playing out across the globe – a plummeting stock market, looming recession, U.S./China trade wars, and continued fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the outlook for Latin America remains positive, particularly given the region’s expertise at resilience in the face of political and economic instability. This cautious optimism was a constant theme expressed by speakers at the COA Symposium in Miami on October 28th, the first full-fledged gathering of the signature COA event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With nine panel discussions led by expert speakers on a variety of pressing topics – including ESG

integration, climate change, tech ecosystem development, and the Future of Work – the 350+ business leaders at the University of Miami campus learned about new initiatives and ongoing strategies that Latin American businesses – multinationals, multilatinas, tech startups, and others – are using to help the region adapt and thrive.

Webcast live on AS/COA’s digital platforms, including Twitter, YouTube and www.as-coa.org

+450,000 VIEWS

To watch the full conference, click here.

LATIN AMERICA’S BUSINESS OUTLOOK

BRAVO Dialogues – Business Continuity & Evolution in a World of Economic and Political Disruptions

The opening panel of the Symposium, moderated by AS/COA Chairman and AES Corporation President and CEO, Andres Gluski, focused on two primary challenges Latin America faces today: climate change and the digital revolution. The regional leaders described how their companies are overcoming these challenges, such as investing in technology, focusing on the consumer experience and increasing sustainability efforts.

BRAVO Leadership Conversation – Global Trends Driving Opportunities for Latin America

The conversation explored how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep gaps in the global supply chain, but also demonstrated humans’ ability to adapt quickly and implement new technologies. While 50 percent of companies view supply chain improvements as a top priority, the key to this transition lies in how companies connect the various technologies available to them to create a networked approach.

Fernando Iraola

Cristina Palmaka

If there is a region that can manage through this cycle, it is Latin America.

Latin America is known not just for having ideas but for the power to make them happen.

Gaston Bottazzini, Falabella; Fernando Iraola, Bank of America; Andrew Martin, Pfizer; Andres Gluski, The AES Corporation

Cecilia Tornaghi, Americas Quarterly & Cristina Palmaka, SAP

THE ROAD AHEAD FOR LATIN AMERICA’S TECH ECOSYSTEM

BRAVO Dialogues – Fueling Latin America’s Tech Ecosystem in Times of Crisis

With every crisis comes opportunity. Globally markets are down, inflation is up, and investments have stalled - making it tough for founders to maintain momentum, or even stay alive. Yet, venture capitalists and founders of Latin American tech unicorns provided an optimistic perspective and experience on scaling their businesses in the current market cycle.

BRAVO Leadership Spotlights

Kaszek’s Vision for LatAm Tech

Hernan Kazah and Nicolas Szekasy helped create and grow Mercado Libre into one of Latin America’s most successful tech startups – “the first garage to Nasdaq company in Latin America,” according to Szekasy –and in 2011 they teamed up again to form Kaszek, a venture capital firm focused on Latin American startups. The Kaszek partners shared their outlook and vision on Latin America’s start-up ecosystem.

Conversation with Pierpaolo Barbieri, Founder & CEO, Ualá

Pierpaolo Barbieri, states inclusion is what is most needed for Latin America to move forward. He believes, involving people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels in Latin America is how to best democratize the financial services industry.

Pierpaolo Barbieri

Inclusion can be a great business. Technology has the power to drastically cut the costs of access, and that allows us to make a better product, for more people.

Adolfo Babatz

If you can solve a problem in Latin America, you can solve it anywhere in the world.

Hernan Kazah and Nicolas Szekasy, Kaszek; Jorge Becerra, BCG

Francisco Aldaya, BloombergLínea; Adolfo Babatz, Clip; Hernan Kazah, Kaszek; Brynne McNulty Rojas, Habi

DRIVING LATIN AMERICA’S ESG AGENDA

BRAVO Dialogues – The Private Sector: A Champion for Climate Action

Top leaders explain how global businesses are faced with the task of implementing ESG strategies in order to continue to function in the face of growing threats from climate change. This is certainly the case in Latin America, who’s abundant natural resources are deployed around the globe. But the region’s competitiveness is at risk of falling behind others if more actionable ESG policies are not put in place soon.

The products we produce are essential to society. We need to continue to build houses, hospitals, roads…. but there are ways for us to eliminate CO2 production.

BRAVO Dialogues – Leveraging Technology and Business for Social Impact

High-impact leaders explained how the private sector plays a critical role in the societies they operate in, and how technology is a key enabler for development. While tech infrastructure in Latin America is well developed, the biggest challenge, and opportunity, is talent.

In order for companies to grow, we must put purpose and people first.

Eduardo della Maggiora

We as leaders in the tech industry need to do a lot or work to increase education efforts so we can train people to meet demand.

CEMEX

Fernando Gonzalez

Adriana Noreña

Fernando Gonzalez, CEMEX; Eric Loeb, Salesforce; Juan Carlos Mora, Bancolombia; Amy Barnes, Marsh; Brian Burlingame, CEO, JeffreyGroup

Adriana Noreña, Google; Eduardo della Maggiora, Betterfly; Marcos Gunn, Chubb; Gabriela Frias, CNN en Español

THE FUTURE OF WORK

BRAVO Dialogues – Latin America’s Talent Imperative Technology and COVID-19 fueled more changes in the workplace over the past three years than any other period in modern times. What that means long-term for both employers and employers in the private and public sectors is still being determined, especially in Latin America. Talent-focused leaders shared their perspective on how Latin America’s workforce has the keys for making impactful change.

PRIVATE SECTOR ALLIANCES FOR DEVELOPMENT

BRAVO Leadership Conversation – The Partnership for Central America: What Comes Next?

Since The Partnership for Central America (PCA) was created by the Biden Administration in 2021, 40 companies have committed over $3 billion to the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Private sector leaders discuss the power of this public-private partnership to drive financial inclusion in the region.

The Future of Work is already in the past. It happened yesterday. The Knowledge Economy is a great thing for Latin America to drive value to our people….it helps our own continent. It produces happiness and really dignifies people’s lives.

Salesforce

The formal sector is the most important driver of growth in the region, but for small business owners, it is hard to gain access and grow. We saw an opportunity for the tiendas to grow with technology so that they can provide not only products, but also services to the community.

Globant

Alejandro Anderlic

Nicolas Kaplun

Alejandro Anderlic, Salesforce; Nicolas Kaplun, Globant; Gina Márquez, Arch Staffing & Consulting; Karim Mitre, Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP); Pablo Claver, BCG

Darren Ware, Mastercard; Juan Pablo Mata, Grupo Mariposa; Enrique Bolaños, INCAE Business School

Grupo Mariposa

Juan Pablo Mata

BRAVO C-Suite

Private Roundtables

University of Miami

The BRAVO C-SUITE: Private Roundtables

For more than 15 years, the BRAVO Leadership Forums have established regional communities for CEOs and CFOs excelling in their space.

Given the increasingly important role sustainability and people management play in the corporate agenda, in 2022 we launched two new BRAVO C-Suite communities:

• Circle of LatAm Chief People Officers (CPO)

• Circle of LatAm Chief Sustainability Officers (CSO)

Each circle convened over 20 Founding Members during the inaugural sessions, further consolidating the BRAVO C-Suite community.

The forums provided a space for leaders to discuss the most pressing issues in business and leadership, network with peers, and find opportunities to collaborate among industries and countries.

Annual CEO Roundtable

Circle of Chief People Officers Inaugural Session

Circle of Chief Sustainability Officers Inaugural Session

Photos

Credits: Gort Productions

LEADING WITH PURPOSE

During its annual CEO Roundtable, COA gathered a select community of more than 50 Latin American CEOs and corporate presidents of multinationals and multilatinas to discuss how today’s leaders are navigating an evolving business environment.

Your mission is what keeps you up at night, your purpose is what gets you up in the morning.

Ashley Grice

CEO & Managing Director

BCG BrightHouse

Keynote speaker Ashley Grice, CEO & Managing Director of BCG BrightHouse, delivered an impactful presentation: “Leading with a Purpose-driven Lens”.

The roundtable, led by Susan Segal, President & CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas, concluded with an engaging dialogue where participating CEOs discussed how corporate purpose has become a transversal topic for companies - from people management and digital transformation to sustainable operations.

Cristina Palmaka, SAP

Fernando Iraola, Bank of America

Gaston Bottazzini, Falabella

Juan Pablo Mata, Grupo Mariposa

Alvaro Cardenas, Diageo

Flavio Cardoso, American Tower Corporation

Juan Pablo Mata, Grupo Mariposa; Marcos Gunn, Chubb; Fernando Iraola, Bank of America

Yosbel Ibarra, GreenbergTraurig; Andrew Martin, Pfizer

Susan Segal, AS/COA; Adriana Noreña, Google

José Miguel Torrebiarte, Cementos Progreso; Enrique Bolaños, INCAE Business School; Fernando Gonzalez, CEMEX

Ragnhild Melzi, AS/COA; Daniel Rachmanis, The Estée Lauder Companies

Adriana Noreña, Google; Jorge Becerra, BCG; Ashley Grice, BCG BrightHouse; Jorge Gonzalez, City National Bank

EXPANDING THE BRAVO LATAM C-SUITE COMMUNITY

Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Inaugural Roundtable

The CSO Roundtable gathered leaders across various industries and sectors to discuss the intersection of corporate policies and sustainable actions. The honest, value-added discussion aimed to address the way corporate leaders think about implementing sustainability within their corporate structures.

PARTICIPANTS

Pedro Pereira, Chief Sustainability Officer, SAP Latin America and Caribbean, chaired the inaugural session, and also featured a data-driven presentation on climate action by BloombergNEF’s Nathaniel Bullard.

SAP Latin America and Caribbean

Chief Sustainability Officer

Pedro Pereira

While it is easy to come up with ambitions, it is hard to come up with actions.

David Moreno, Arca Continental

Amy Barnes, Marsh

Circle of Chief Sustainability Officers Founding Members

Maria Jose Cortes, Atlas Renewable Energy; Cipriano Lopez, Bancolombia; Nathaniel Bullard, BloombergNEF

Daniela de Fiori, Diageo

Vicente Saiso, CEMEX

Chief People Officer (CPO) Inaugural Roundtable

The CPO Roundtable convened corporate leaders and peoplemanagement experts to discuss Latin America’s talent imperative. The dialogue ignited an enriching debate on how companies are addressing the talent shortage, up/re-skilling their workforce, and meeting the evolving employee expectations.

Pablo Claver, BCG and Jorge Becerra, BCG chaired the inaugural session and provided a forward-looking presentation on the war for talent and changing employee trends and demands.

Pablo

Managing Director & Partner BCG

Pablo Claver, BCG

Patricia Prospero, Diageo; Katia Bulgarelli, Mastercard

Marcelo Fumasoni, Microsoft

Esperanza Lopez, FedEx Express

Susy Bobenrieth, Millicom

CPO FOUNDING MEMBERS & FEATURED COMMENTATORS

Claver

The war for talent, the obsolescence and rapid evolution of skills, as well as the changing preferences of new generations, is becoming a critical concern for CEOs and putting unprecedented pressure on the people function.

SNAPSHOT OF PARTICIPATING COMPANIES

Multinational Corporations

Multilatinas

Latin American Tech Unicorns & Venture Capitalists

Media, NGOs & Academia

27th BRAVO Business Awards

2022 Council of the Americas Symposium & 27 th BRAVO Business Awards

Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM)

On October 28th, 2022, the Council of the Americas hosted the 27th annual BRAVO Business Awards at the Pérez Art Museum Miami. The 2022 honorees individually represented vision, excellence, and

commitment to Latin America. Collectively, they demonstrated that business leaders are playing a critical role in the region’s development and in creating opportunities for new generations.

A select group of Latin American executives were honored for their contributions to business and social impact throughout the region at the 27th BRAVO Business Awards.

Maria Lourdes Teran & Susan Segal, AS/COA, Hernan Kazah & Nicolas Szekasy, Kaszek; Adriana Noreña, Google; Pierpaolo Barbieri, Ualá; Gaston Bottazzini, Falabella; Andres Gluski, The AES Corporation

CEO of the Year Digital Transformation of the Year

Recognized for his leadership in establishing a complete financial ecosystem with Ualá, which has propelled a more open, inclusive, and competitive financial ecosystem in Latin America. Since founding Ualá in 2017, Barbieri has led the company’s impressive growth: reaching a $2.45 billion valuation in less than five years, after raising a $350 million series D round, the largest private raise ever by an Argentinian company.

Falabella was recognized for its continued growth and evolution while operating for more than 120 years as a leader in the Latin American business landscape. In the wake of regional and global economic disruptions due to the pandemic, Falabella proved resilient and came out stronger thanks to its strategic vision. The company successfully adapted its business model, which now leverages both its physical and digital advantages to create an ecosystem that serves its purpose: to simplify and make life more enjoyable.

The most important thing that we can do for our region is to make sure that everyone has access to the possibility of creating their own path in life, so that we can have social mobility in a continent not known for it. And the ties between the United States and Latin America are essential for that.

Falabella is the first company to receive this recognition. The award was accepted by its CEO, Gaston Bottazzini.

We are committed to simplifying and improving people’s lives in Latin America [...] We used to call ourselves a tailor shop and now we call ourselves an ecosystem, but our real focus is to provide commerce and banking, be it physical or be it digital, to as many people as possible.

Founder & CEO Ualá

Omnichannel Ecosystem

Pierpaolo Barbieri Falabella

Visionary

Co-Founder & Managing Partner KASZEK

Co-Founder & Managing Partner KASZEK Vice President, Spanish Speaking Latin America Google

Recognized for their leadership as founders of Kaszek, the largest Latin American early-stage venture capital firm. Raising more than $2 billion since 2011, Kaszek’s initial investments in more than 100 companies in diverse sectors have been instrumental to building Latin America’s tech ecosystem. Their leadership trajectory in “building unicorns” is a testament to their vision and ability to select and nurture the best entrepreneurial talent in the region, specifically supporting companies that were created to address challenges and opportunities like promoting financial inclusion, advancing digitalization, and fostering e-commerce.

When you take the long-term perspective, we continue to be extremely bullish on the outlook for the region and it is amazing to see the degree to which the tech ecosystem has evolved and developed and that is driven by entrepreneurs that are changing the culture in the continent and by patient capital.

We hope to find many of those extraordinary entrepreneurs in the next decade to build an amazing generation of transformational companies in Latin America, which is what will level-up the region.

Recognized for her leadership in promoting equality and empowerment by leveraging the transformational power of technology. In the 16 years since she has joined Google, she has played an instrumental role implementing global initiatives in the region, aimed at promoting the empowerment of women both within the company and in the societies where it operates. In a region full of potential for innovation and transformation, Noreña’s leadership has and will continue to shape a fertile technological ecosystem.

My why in life is, why not? [...] Why not apply to work in one of the most exciting companies in the world? Why not take advantage of the privilege I have to be in one of these companies to do good for all of Latin America?

Nicolas Szekasy Hernan Kazah Adriana Noreña

Visionary Investors of the Decade Social Impact Leader of the Year

The BRAVO Business Awards

allow us to celebrate the dedication, the vision, and innovation of true leaders from around the region.

Tonight’s honorees are drivers of change, social impact, and business success and continue to demonstrate resilience within their industries, even as the world faces unprecedented economic, political, and social change.

Susan Segal

CEO & President AS/COA

“

For over 26 years, the BRAVO Business Awards have sought to shine a light on the stories of extraordinary leadership in business, policy, and social development.

María Lourdes Teran

Vice President & Head of Miami Office AS/COA

Adriana Noreña, Google; Andres Gluski, The AES Corporation María Lourdes Teran, AS/COA; Gaston Bottazzini, Falabella; Gaston Bottazzini, Falabella; Fernando Iraola, Bank of America

Yndira Marin, AS/COA; Hernan Kazah & Nicolas Szekasy, Kaszek; Susan Segal, AS/COA

VIP Guests

Juan Carlos Mora, Bancolombia; Gema Sacristán, IDB Invest; Cristina Palmaka, SAP Latin America & Caribbean; Mariajose Quiceno, Bancolombia

Fernando Iraola, Bank of America; Gaston Botazzini, Falabella; Juan Pablo Jimenez, Mambu Americas

Pierpaolo Barbieri, Ualá; Carlo Enrico, MasterCard & Spouse

Enrique Bolaños, INCAE Business School; Ronald Bolaños, Liberty Mutual; Ramiro Ortiz, Grupo Promerica

Madelka McCalla, Andres Gluski, The AES Corporation

David Moreno, Arca Continental; Alexei Remizov, HSBC; Mercedes Fernandez, AS/COA; Vicente Saiso, CEMEX

Marcos Gunn, CHUBB Latin America; Hernan Kazah, Kaszek; Andrew Martin, Pfizer

Falabella team

Nicolas Szekasy, Kaszek & Spouse; Adolfo Babatz, Clip & Spouse; Marcos Gunn, CHUBB Latin America; Hernan Kazah, Kaszek

Rosa Maria de Frade, Grupo Mariposa; Mercedes Fernandez, AS/COA; Maria Jose Villanueva Guillen, Grupo Mariposa; Miguel Saldivar, Softtek; and Paula Barifouse, CHUBB Latin America

Ramiro Ortiz, Grupo Promerica; Andres Gluski, The AES Corporation

Yosbel Ibarra, Greenberg Traurig; Juan Pablo Jimenez, Mambu Americas; Cristina Palmaka, SAP Latin America & Caribbean; Antonio Peña, Greenberg Traurig

Diego Yarur, Banco de Crédito e Inversiones; Moises Vidal, Bank of America & Spouse

Juan Pablo Jimenez, Mambu Americas; Pablo Rodriguez, Mambu Americas; Ari Gonzalez, Mambu Americas; Alejandra de Carli, Mambu Americas

Henry Roque, Greenberg Traurig; Antonio Peña, Greenberg Traurig; Susan Segal, AS/COA; Yosbel Ibarra, Greenberg Traurig

Atlas Renewable Energy team

Ricardo & Kelly Mora, Goldman Sachs; Ragnhild Melzi, AS/COA; Walter Cohen, Salesforce & Spouse

Globant team

Maria Laura Bello, Pfizer; Alejandro Anderlic, Salesforce & Spouse; Andrew Martin, Pfizer

Yndira Marin, AS/COA, Kelsey Flitter, Rubi Group, Cyndi Balladares, AS/COA, Luciana Sabillon, AS/COA

Ramiro Ortiz, Grupo Promerica; José Miguel Torrebiarte, Cementos Progreso; John Keith, Portafolio Inmobiliario & Spouse

Sponsorships & Strategic Partnerships

2022 Council of the Americas Symposium & 27 th BRAVO Business Awards

Sponsorships & Strategic Partnerships

Align your brand with influential business and government leaders, industry pioneers, and visionaries with your sponsorship. Invest in brand exposure for the next year, where your company’s logo/brand will appear on high-impact promotional campaigns in various platforms. Sponsors will have premier access to the upcoming 2023 BRAVO Leadership Series’ public and private forums (including COA Symposium & BRAVO Business Awards). They will gain global insights from top international speakers on challenges and opportunities facing Latin America’s business landscape, as well as have the opportunity to engage with top regional and global leaders.

A special thank you to our 2022 Sponsors & Partners:

Platinum Sponsor

For more information:

María Lourdes Teran Vice President & Head Miami Office, AS/COA

mteran@as-coa.org

+1 305-793-6537

Yndira Marin Director

AS/COA Miami & Co-Chair, BRAVO Business Awards

ymarin@as-coa.org

+1 646-386-6523

Mercedes Fernandez Director

AS/COA Miami, BRAVO Leadership Forums

mfernandez@as-coa.org

+1 786-333-4848

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors Supporting