P.R. to become epicenter for LatAm business Aug. 13-14
CEAL International President Ingo Plöger
Latin America and international commerce will be the topic of the upcoming meeting of the Business Council of Latin America, slated for Aug. 13-14. The event seeks to promote a commitment to Puerto Rico from businesses throughout the continent, as well as generate productive dialogue around the most promising commercial opportunities, organizers said.
Intense debate about the road the region must take to take commerce to new heights is expected from this meeting of the most prominent Latin American business leaders and local government representatives, including Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla and Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce Alberto Bacó.
CEAL, as the group is known in Spanish, is a network of Latin American entrepreneurs founded 26 years ago with the mission to stimulate the participation of the private sector in the socioeconomic development of participating countries and, particularly, regional integration and education to promote social cohesion.
CEAL International President Ingo Plöger and local president Efrén Pagán coincided that the scenario that will play out next month will be more than a relevant concentration of business leaders; it will be the start-up of a binding commitment to an economic development plan for the region, supported by the efforts of “a CEAL without borders, the organization’s reason for being since its inception.”
The list of panelists slated to speak at the event includes: Raúl Herrera, partner at Arnold & Porter; Reuben Smith-Vaughan, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce Latin America; Elmar Lutter, CEO of Lufthansa; Agustín Arellano, CEO of Aerostar Airport Holdings; Efrén Ocampo, CEO of Grupo Neolpharma; Maurilio Biagi, CEO of Maubisa; Cristian Roberts, CEO of Prime; Camilo Atala, CEO of Grupo Ficohsa and president of CEAL Honduras; and Mark McGuiness, CEO of Industrias H24 and president of CEAL Mexico.
In the context of expanding Latin America’s role in international commerce, the event will deal with topics such as the new U.S. scenario, the current state of global entrepreneurship, internationalization and new business opportunities with Puerto Rico and Cuba.
CEAL’s membership comprises more than 600 business leaders in 21 countries that get together to promote commercial exchanges among its members. Participating countries currently include: Argentina, Spain, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
