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, and 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*

Keynote Speaker: Andres Velasco, Dean of the School of Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science and former Minister of Finance of Chile
Co-Chair: Susan Segal, President & CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

BRAVO Circle of LatAm Chief Sustainability Officers Roundtable*

Speakers To Be Announced

*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

Luiz Vasconcelos, SVP & President, FedEx Latin America & Caribbean
Blanca Treviño, President & CEO, Softtek
Moderator: Andres Gluski, President & CEO, The AES Corporation

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

Roberto Lara, CEO, Castillo Hermanos
João Schmidt, CEO, Votorantim
Moderator: Tracy Francis, Senior Partner, and Managing Partner, Latin America, McKinsey & Company

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

Felipe Bosch, Chairman, CMI Capital
Juan José Gutiérrez, Chairman, CMI Foods
Moderator: Jorge Becerra, Emeritus Senior Partner & Senior Advisor, BCG

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

Speaker To Be Announced

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

Cristina Junqueira, Co-Founder, Nubank

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

Francisco Gomes Neto, President & CEO, Embraer

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

Antonio Silveira, Vice President for Private Sector, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean

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

Ariel Szarfsztejn, Commerce President, Mercado Libre 
Moderator: Susan Segal, President & CEO, AS/COA

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

More Speakers To Be Announced

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...

Andrés Gluski

President and CEO, The AES Corporation and Chairman, AS/COA

Andrés Gluski was appointed chairman of Americas Society/Council of the Americas in October 2015. He was named President and CEO of the AES Corporation in 2011.

Under his leadership, AES has become one of the leading renewables and clean technologies companies in the world...

Jorge Becerra

Emeritus Senior Partner & Senior Advisor, Boston Consulting Group

Jorge Becerra is emeritus senior partner & senior advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his 30+ year BCG career he led the firm’s Financial Institutions Practice in South America since he opened BCG’s first office in the region in 1995. He previously opened and led BCG...

Roberto Lara

CEO, Castillo Hermanos

Roberto Lara is the CEO of Castillo Hermanos, an international business group with more than 139 years of constant evolution. Its purpose of: “Combining innovation and passion to share and celebrate every moment of your life generating wellness and sustainable development”, has...

Andrés Velasco

Dean of the School of Public Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science; Former Minister of Finance of Chile

Andrés Velasco is the sean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In 2017-18, he was a member of the G20 Eminent Persons Group. During 2015-16, he co-chaired the Global Panel on the Future of the Multilateral Lending Institutions...

Blanca Treviño

President and CEO, Softtek

Blanca Treviño is the president, CEO, and cofounder of Softtek, a company that helps organizations thrive through digital and AI technology. Under her leadership, Softtek has expanded beyond its Latin American roots, establishing a presence across the Americas, Europe, and Asia...

Antonio Silveira

Vice President for Private Sector

Antonio H. Pinheiro Silveira is the vice president of Private Sector, at CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Mr Silveira holds a PhD in Economics which he obtained from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He formerly held positions as the deputy chief...

João Schmidt

CEO, Votorantim S.A.

João H. Schmidt is the chief executive officer of Votorantim S.A., a position he has held since 2020. He also serves as chairman of the Board of Auren Energia and Motiva (formerly CCR), as well as board member of Hypera Pharma, Banco BV and 23S Capital. Mr. Schmidt joined...

Susan Segal

President and CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

Susan Segal was elected president and CEO of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas in August 2003 after working in the private sector with Latin America and other emerging markets for over 30 years. A passionate supporter of Latin America, she joined the organizations...

Cristina Junqueira

Co-Founder, Nubank

Cristina Junqueira is the co-founder and chief growth officer of NuBank since August 2022. Before founding NuBank in 2013, she worked for several years at Itaú Unibanco S.A. with consumer credit, card products and marketing. She was recently featured in the Financial Times' 25...