The Leadership for the Americas Awards Gala celebrates individuals and organizations committed to advancing democratic governance, social equity, and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. The annual event brings together top world leaders whose exceptional contributions have been instrumental in addressing the most pressing challenges facing our region. Previous honorees or program participants include Nobel Laureate and President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, former President of the Government of Spain Felipe González, former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso, BMW Group, President of CAF-Development Bank of Latin America Enrique García, US Senator Tim Kaine, President of the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno, Salvadoran entrepreneur Roberto Murray Meza, Guatemalan creator of CAPTCHA and Duolingo Luis von Ahn, journalist Lydia Cacho, and former World Bank President Robert Zoellick. More than 300 dignitaries attend each year. 

HONOREES 

Mr. Daniel Servitje 

Distinguished Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility 
Chairman and CEO, Grupo Bimbo

Ms. Esperanza Cueto

Distinguished Leadership Award for Women’s Rights and Empowerment
Co-Founder, ComunidadMujer
President, Fundación Colunga

Mr. Richard Blanco

Distinguished Leadership Award for Outstanding Cultural Contributions
Poet

Honorees

The Leadership for the Americas Awards honor individuals who have dedicated their life-long service to the Dialogue’s core mission – advancing democratic governance, social equity, and prosperity in our hemisphere.

Daniel Servitje, Chairman and CEO, Grupo Bimbo

Distinguished Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility

Daniel Servitje will be recognized with the Distinguished Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility for his groundbreaking efforts towards sustainable growth and reducing the environmental footprint of Grupo Bimbo. Most recently, the group announced that, by 2020, it will be the first baking company in the US to use 100 percent renewable energy. Bimbo signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) to match consumption with 100 megawatts of wind energy to reach 75% renewable energy at a worldwide level, with overall CO2 emissions reductions of 440,000 tons every year globally. With its success in maintaining its corporate social responsibility objectives while expanding internationally, Bimbo has become an inspiration for many growing industries throughout the region.

Esperanza Cueto, Co-Founder, ComunidadMujer and President, Fundación Colunga

Distinguished Leadership Award for Women’s Rights and Empowerment

Esperanza Cueto, the founding president of ComunidadMujer, will be honored for her exceptional work promoting the equal participation of women at the highest levels of private and public sector leadership in Chile. She has effectively advocated for public policies that foster equality in education, the labor market and politics, and implemented leadership mentoring programs for women. ComunidadMujer has helped develop progressive gender policies in the public and private sectors in Chile. Cueto is also president of Fundación Colunga, a not-for-profit that strives to promote other NGOs that work to overcome poverty and promote access to education.

Richard Blanco, Poet

Distinguished Leadership Award for Outstanding Cultural Contributions

Richard Blanco was selected by President Obama as the fifth inaugural poet in U.S. history, the youngest and the first Latino, immigrant and gay person to serve in such role. The negotiation of cultural identity characterizes his three collections of poetry, City of a Hundred Fires, Directions to the Beach of the Dead and Looking for the Gulf Motel. Blanco has also authored the memoirs For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey and The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood. He has received numerous awards including the Agnes Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press, the Beyond Margins Award from the PEN American Center, and the Paterson Poetry Prize.

Presenters

Carlos M. Gutierrez, Co-Chair, Albright Stonebridge Group & Former US Secretary of Commerce

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez will present the Distinguished Leadership Award for Corporate Social Responsibility to Daniel Servitje, Chairman & CEO of Grupo Bimbo.

Carolina Barco, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs & Former Ambassador of Colombia to the United States

Ambassador Carolina Barco will present to Esperanza Cueto, President of Fundación Colunga and founder of ComunidadMujer with the Distinguished Leadership Award for Women’s Rights and Empowerment.

Pati Jinich, Chef, TV Personality & Author

Pati Jinich will present the Distinguished Leadership Award for Outstanding Cultural Contributions to Richard Blanco, author and poet.

DIAMOND

PLATINUM

	J. Bronwyn Bateman, M.D.

GOLD

	Rob Lovelace & Alicia Miñana
Peter Hakim & Virginia Schofield

SILVER

	Pierre Pettigrew
	Brian O’Neill

BRONZE

BENEFACTORS

Co-Chairs

Carla A. Hills
Ernesto Zedillo
Pierre Pettigrew

Honorary Co-Chairs

Fernando Henrique Cardodo
Ricardo Lagos
Enrique Iglesias
Robert Zoellick

Members

Bronwyn Bateman
Enrique García
José Gonzales
Jonathan Hamilton
Roberto Murray Meza
Salvador Paiz
Elena Viyella de Paliza
Roberto Russell
Arturo Sarukhan
Maria Fernanda Teixeira
Adrean Schied
Maria Alexandra Velez

Highlights

Connecting the Americas to the World

Patricia Janiot & Michael Shifter

Carla Hills

Carlos M. Gutierrez & Daniel Servitje

Carolina Barco & Esperanza Cueto

Richard Blanco & Pati Jinich