The Diplomat
The Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI) has awarded Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, president of Grupo Carso, the IX edition of the Enrique V. Iglesias Award for the Development of the Ibero-American Business Space for his contribution “to the economic and social development of the Ibero-American Community and to the strengthening of ties between the countries that form it”.
According to CEAPI, Carlos Slim has been chosen by unanimous decision of the jury, which has highlighted his contribution to economic and business growth, job creation and the rapprochement of relations between the countries of Ibero-America, “all this always putting in value to people”.
In this same sense, the president of CEAPI, Núria Vilanova, highlighted “the great social work carried out by the Carlos Slim Foundation with its employment, training, health, environment, sports and culture programs, among other areas, which for more than three decades have improved the quality of life of millions of people in Mexico and throughout Latin America”.
The Enrique V. Iglesias Award ceremony will take place on October 25 in Madrid. The ceremony will culminate with a luncheon tribute to the businessman, which will be attended by high-level institutional and business representatives from Ibero-America.
This award recognizes, since 2014, business figures of the Ibero-American Community who stand out for their relevant and extraordinary contribution to the development of the countries of the region and to the promotion of ties between the nations of the Community through economic activity, investment and trade promotion, as well as to the forging of a more socially inclusive and sustainable region.
The award is also a recognition and tribute to Enrique V. Iglesias, honorary president of CEAPI and defender of the Ibero-American cause during his long career, first as president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and later as the first Ibero-American Secretary General (SEGIB).
Mexican businessman Valentín Díez Morodo was the first to receive this distinction, which in subsequent editions recognized the Colombian banker, builder and philanthropist Luis Carlos Sarmiento; the Spanish-Mexican and now deceased founder of Grupo VIPS, Plácido Arango; the president of Pan-America Energy Group, the Argentine Alejandro Bulgheroni; the former president of CAF Enrique García and the president of Copa Holdings, the Panamanian Stanley Motta. In the last two editions, the executive president of Grupo Santander, Ana Botín, the first woman to receive the award, and the president of the Colombian business and banking conglomerate Grupo Gilinski, Jaime Gilinski, were recognized with the award.
Carlos Slim is one of the greatest businessmen in Latin America and Mexico. From an early age, Slim showed business skills and began investing in small businesses and real estate. His success is largely due to his ability to identify opportunities and his work is mainly focused on sectors such as telecommunications, construction, food industry, banking and energy.
In 1990, Carlos Slim acquired Telmex, Mexico’s largest telecommunications company, and subsequently became the owner of América Móvil, one of Latin America’s leading telecommunications service providers. Slim also owns Grupo Carso, a business conglomerate that spans a wide range of industries, from construction to mining.
In Spain, Carlos Slim is the main shareholder of the construction company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC), a company he joined as an investor in 2014, and owns 75% of the capital of the real estate developer Realia, among other assets in our country. In addition to his business success, Slim is known for his philanthropy. He founded the Carlos Slim Foundation in 1986, which focuses on areas such as health, education and social development in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
