The Diplomat
The president of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI), Núria Vilanova, presented the business organisation to public and private sector leaders in Miami on Thursday, with the aim of strengthening relations with the US Hispanic business sector.
Vilanova announced to her interlocutors the celebration of the 5th CEAPI Ibero-American Congress, which will take place on 1 and 2 June 2022 in the Dominican Republic, and for the first time in an American country.
The meeting, with authorities and entrepreneurs, took place at the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, and was attended by Javier Cárdenas, president of RHINO; Marcell Felipe, president of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora; Carlos Díez de Rosillo, director of the Adam Smith Center; Jose “Pepe” Díaz, chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County; and Josh Liebman, south Miami commissioner, who reflected on the theme ‘Miami and Ibero-America: innovation, solutions and opportunities’.
“I have the honour of being a member of the CEAPI, which is a very important council, where those who can make decisions always meet to take a clear north towards where companies should go and where we can all grow, in a positive way, impacting society,” said Javier Cárdenas.
For Vilanova, “Madrid, Miami and Latin America can form a virtuous triangle for the region”. And she pointed out that “in times of uncertainty, the business world has the opportunity to make a difference in Ibero-America. Technology allows a great transformation process, the creation of new companies and great opportunities, and environmental commitment is already a reality that changes the value of sustainable companies”.
“Today we are in the USA, she said, at a time when there is a great capacity for investment, and where entrepreneurs of Latin American origin are examples of success. We know entrepreneurs who want to invest with purpose and for them the development of their countries is one of their key objectives. Latin America has important fundamentals, its raw materials, its agricultural and livestock capacity, its water reserves and, above all, its people. In CEAPI we want to make Ibero-America, making more Ibero-American companies, creating opportunities always based on commitment. ESG is today the only valid option for creating companies and having an impact”.
For his part, Jose “Pepe” Diaz argued that “the relationship between Miami and Latin America goes far beyond geography. “Geography, unquestionably, is the seed of this relationship because of its strategic location, not only as the gateway to Europe, the Caribbean, South America and Central America, but also because of our cultural proximity,” he said.
He added: “Miami is not only a strategic geographic point but also a point of people who speak the main language of Ibero-America and who, little by little, have generated the infrastructure, the laws and the rule of law necessary to position us as that key place, which attracts investors”.
Núria Vilanova also explained to those attending the meeting that the 5th Ibero-American Congress for company presidents and business families, which will take place in Punta Cana, will address “digitalisation, through public-private collaboration and all economic and social agents on an international level”, something she considered key to relaunching economic growth, reducing inequality and contributing to increasing a country’s productivity. “Governments, businesses and citizens must be committed to moving together towards a more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous digital future,” she said.
