The honorees will be celebrated on November 19 in Miami for their outstanding business transformations.
MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, September 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Council of the Americas (COA) is pleased to unveil the winners of the 31st BRAVO Business Awards, set to be presented at a ceremony hosted at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel on November 19, 2026.
This year’s event will bring together executives from multinational and multilatina companies, entrepreneurs, and global investors to honor outstanding, forward-thinking leaders who have driven innovation, broadened opportunities, and boosted investment across the Americas.
“For more than three decades, the BRAVO Business Awards have celebrated leaders whose vision, resilience, and dedication have turned their companies into powerful engines of economic growth and sustainable progress,” said Susan Segal, president and CEO of Americas Society/Council of the Americas. “This year’s honorees exemplify the innovation and leadership that are strengthening industries, creating opportunities, and advancing prosperity in Latin America. We are proud to recognize their achievements and the lasting impact they are making throughout the region.”
The 2026 award recipients are:
– Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines, will receive the BRAVO CEO of the Year Award for his exceptional leadership in steering LATAM Airlines through one of the most challenging periods in aviation industry history, guiding the company through changes that bolstered its financial performance, sped up its digital evolution, and set it up for long-term growth.
– Banco do Brasil will receive the BRAVO Business Legacy Award, accepted by Tarciana Medeiros, CEO of Banco do Brasil. The oldest financial institution in Brazil and one of Latin America’s largest banks is recognized for its enduring contribution to the nation’s economic, social, and sustainable development.
– Rappi will receive the BRAVO Innovation Excellence Award, accepted by co-founder Felipe Villamarín. Originating in Colombia, Rappi helped advance the superapp model across Latin America, reshaping how millions access goods and services while giving businesses fresh avenues for expansion. Rappi has grown into one of the region’s most prominent tech companies and is part of a generation proving that category-defining innovation can emerge from Latin America.
– Carlos Barrera, founder and CEO of Atlas Renewable Energy, will receive the BRAVO Innovative CEO of the Year Award for turning the company he established in 2017 into Latin America’s largest independent renewable energy producer, helping accelerate the region’s shift toward a more sustainable future.
“Latin America is home to companies and leaders who are driving innovation, investment, and long-term economic opportunity,” said María Lourdes Teran, vice president of AS/COA Miami and chair of the BRAVO Business Awards. “We are proud to honor this year’s recipients for their companies’ transformation and impact, and to bring the region’s business community together in Miami for a timely conversation about Latin America’s future.”
On the morning of the BRAVO Business Awards, the Council of the Americas Symposium will convene an influential group of top executives and senior leaders shaping Latin America’s business landscape. As the leading platform for business engagement and dialogue in the region, the symposium’s key themes will tackle the most pressing issues on the global corporate agenda, with a focus on Latin America. This year’s topics include the AI economy and the region’s potential to draw investment in data centers and cloud infrastructure; how companies are leveraging AI to build strategic advantages; the expansion path some Latin American firms are pursuing in the United States; and business opportunities the region can seize, among other timely matters.
Profiles of the 2026 BRAVO Honorees
Roberto Alvo, CEO of LATAM Airlines, will receive the BRAVO CEO of the Year Award.
Since taking the helm as CEO of LATAM Airlines in March 2020, Roberto Alvo has guided one of Latin America’s largest carriers through one of the toughest periods in global aviation history. After the difficult choice to enter Chapter 11, Alvo steered LATAM through a comprehensive financial restructuring and positioned the company for sustained growth and resilience. Under his leadership, the airline emerged stronger, posted its best financial results to date, accelerated its digital transformation, and boosted operational efficiency. Throughout this time, Alvo prioritized people and supported the efforts of LATAM’s roughly 42,000 employees across the region, who worked together to rebuild a more robust company. His dedication to innovation, community, and sustainable aviation has cemented LATAM Airlines’ standing as a leading carrier in the Americas.
Banco do Brasil will receive the BRAVO Business Legacy Award, accepted by Tarciana Medeiros, CEO of Banco do Brasil.
As Brazil’s oldest financial institution and one of Latin America’s largest banks, Banco do Brasil has played a pivotal role in the country’s economic and social development for over two centuries. The bank has expanded access to financial services, backed strategic economic sectors, and created opportunities for individuals, businesses, and communities nationwide. Since becoming the first woman to lead Banco do Brasil in January 2023, Medeiros has steered the institution through a period of major transformation, championing innovation, financial inclusion, sustainability, and responsible banking. Her leadership has reinforced the bank’s support for agribusiness, accelerated its digital overhaul, and strengthened its ability to navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape. Banco do Brasil has also deepened its commitment to sustainable finance, channeling resources toward environmental initiatives and promoting investments that support Brazil’s transition to a greener economy. The bank’s enduring legacy and Medeiros’s forward-looking leadership show how a major financial institution can blend innovation and purpose to deliver long-term value for clients, communities, and society.
Rappi will receive the BRAVO Innovation Excellence Award, accepted by co-founder Felipe Villamarín.
Launched in Colombia in 2015, Rappi has evolved from an on-demand delivery startup into one of Latin America’s most prominent tech platforms, helping drive the superapp model across the region. Over the past decade, Rappi has built technology connecting millions of consumers with restaurants, retailers, and services, while opening new digital growth channels for hundreds of thousands of businesses and independent entrepreneurs. Its platform has expanded well beyond food delivery into areas such as quick commerce, financial services, and strategic tech partnerships. Rappi has also reported positive EBITDA, a key milestone in its journey toward sustainable growth. At the same time, its influence extends beyond the platform itself: Rappi has helped show that a tech company founded in Latin America can achieve regional scale, attract global investment, cultivate world-class tech talent, and inspire a new wave of entrepreneurs across the ecosystem. Rappi is recognized not just for scaling a business, but for expanding what’s possible for tech ventures built in Latin America.
Carlos Barrera, founder and CEO of Atlas Renewable Energy, will receive the BRAVO Innovative CEO of the Year Award.
Since establishing Atlas Renewable Energy in February 2017, Carlos Barrera has driven the company’s growth into Latin America’s largest independent renewable energy producer, with a portfolio spanning Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay, supplying clean power to some of the region’s most energy-intensive industries and companies, including mining, metals, data centers, and chemicals. Recognizing early on that clean energy expansion required both reliable storage and new generation capacity, he championed investments in technologies that have helped reshape the region’s renewable energy landscape. Under his leadership, Atlas developed landmark projects like BESS del Desierto, the first and largest independent battery energy storage system in Latin America, along with a series of hybrid solar-plus-storage facilities that have set new benchmarks for renewable infrastructure. The company’s continued growth and financial strength were again demonstrated in 2025 through a $3 billion corporate-level portfolio refinancing, the largest transaction of its kind in Latin America’s renewable energy sector, reflecting strong confidence from global financial institutions in Atlas’s long-term strategy. Beyond commercial achievements, Barrera has embedded sustainability, responsible environmental management, and community engagement into the company’s business model, proving that large-scale infrastructure development can deliver lasting economic, social, and environmental value.
Sponsors: Amazon, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Chubb Latin America, LLYC, Philip Morris International, Bank of America, Castillo Hermanos, Citi, Moody's, Salesforce, The AES Corporation, BlackRock, FedEx, Grupo Mariposa, SBA Communications.
Knowledge partner: McKinsey & Company
Media partners: Americas Quarterly, Bloomberg Línea, CNN en Español, El País, Exame
Claudia Torrens
COA
ctorrens@as-coa.org
