Miami
MIAMI, March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- PODER Magazine, the premier publication for the business elite focusing on U.S. Hispanic and Latin American policymaking and corporate strategy, and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the world's leading management consultancies, today announced plans for honoring recipients of the fifth annual PODER-BCG Business Awards, which will be presented at a ceremony this coming Wednesday evening, March 12, in Miami. The Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated remarkable strategy, vision and execution in their respective businesses, and celebrate excellence in leadership in the Americas and throughout the world.
Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, will be the ceremony's keynote speaker. This year, PODER and BCG have joined forces to support Mr. Negroponte and his organization by making a symbolic donation of 100 computers per Award recipient -- 1,300 in total -- to encourage and improve children's education across Latin America. Attendees will be invited to participate in this effort by making donations of their own the night of the Awards ceremony.
John C. Clarkeson, BCG's chairman emeritus, who will participate in the ceremony, said, "We are proud to support these Awards and their mission of recognizing excellence in business leadership and innovation, and are particularly pleased that this year's Awardees are being honored for their philanthropic efforts."
With eleven-time Emmy winner Teresa Rodriguez, co-host of Univision's primetime program "Aqui y Ahora," serving as Master of Ceremonies, the event will conclude the 2008 PODER Philanthropy Forum, which aims to demystify the complex issues that hinder private and corporate philanthropy in Latin America. The Forum will gather together leaders from Latin America and the U.S., including Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus and Dr. Larry Brilliant, director of Google's philanthropic arm Google.org.
2008 Honorees
Recipients of this year's PODER-BCG Business Awards include Timothy Marquez, chairman and CEO of Venoco, Inc., honored with the "Innovation in Philanthropy Award"; Dr. Eduardo Padron, president of Miami Dade College, given the "Excellence in Education Award"; Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), awarded the "Freedom of Press Award"; Monica Lozano, publisher and CEO of La Opinion, the nation's largest Spanish language daily newspaper and senior vice president of impreMedia, given the "Excellence in Media Award"; Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo, of Univision Radio's leading Spanish-language radio program "Piolin por la Manana," awarded the "Community Enrichment Award"; Fabio Villegas, president of Avianca and German Efromovich, and president of Synergy Group, given the "Best Enterprise Transformation Award"; Enrique Norten, honored for "Excellence in Architecture and Design"; Carlos Ott, also honored for "Excellence in Architecture and Design"; Viviane Senna, president of Instituto Ayrton Senna, awarded the "Philanthropy Award"; Pedro Ibanez, board member of the Universidad Adolfo Ibanez (UAI), honored for the "Best Contribution to the Next Generation"; Monica Manzutto and Jose Kuri of the Galeria Kurimanzutto in Mexico City, for "Excellence in the Promotion of Art"; and Gustavo Santaolalla, two-time Academy Award-winning composer and producer, honored for "Artistic Achievement."
In addition, the PODER-BCG Business Awards will give special recognition to artist Fernando Botero for his philanthropy. Having achieved enormous worldwide success through his art, Mr. Botero has taken to donating select pieces to line parks and streets in cities such as Paris, Rome, and those in his native country of Colombia. Mr. Botero has also generously donated his personal art collection, which includes magnificent pieces by Picasso and Rodin, to the cities of Medellin and Bogota.
Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz also plans to give a special presentation on the role of philanthropy in Miami, which will recognize local philanthropists and their contributions.
"This year's Award winners are an exceptionally diverse and accomplished group of leaders," Isaac Lee, PODER Magazine's editor-in-chief said. "We commend them on the impact they have made in their fields and the inspiration they have given others around the world."
About PODER
The PODER Philanthropy Forum is one of a series of events organized by PODER magazine. PODER magazine is a monthly magazine that targets the business elite of the U.S. Hispanic market. PODER also has editions in Colombia, Mexico and Chile, with articles that contain unique and relevant business content. Under an exclusive content distribution agreement, PODER also publishes a selection of articles from The Economist, the world's leading weekly magazine. More information on the 2008 PODER Philanthropy Forum and the PODER-BCG Business Awards can be found at http://www.poder360.com/ .