Eleventh Annual Miami Herald Americas Conference to Address the Competitiveness Landscape in Latin America

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An internationally distinguished group of government officials and business leaders will gather at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables on September 20^th- 21^st, 2007 for the eleventh annual Miami Herald Americas Conference, a two-day summit covering economic, political and public policy issues facing the region.

The acclaimed forum, which is expected to draw more than 500 top executives and political leaders from the region, will kick off with a special address by David Landsberg, President and Publisher of The Miami Herald, followed by roundtable discussions that will focus on the region's competitive landscape and challenges.

The opening day will feature panels and discussions on important topics such as business opportunities between Latin America and Asia, Latin America’s technological advancements and challenges, the U.S. credit crisis and its effects on the region and the globalization of healthcare, among others. Keynote speaker for the opening day of the program will be Carlos Gutierrez, United States Secretary of Commerce. A special address by President Elías Antonio Saca of El Salvador will highlight the first day’s events.

The participation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in this year’s conference will contribute to the success of the conference while incorporating new ideas and viewpoints to the program. A special panel presented by the IDB and focusing on the possibilities of venture philanthropy in Latin America will feature Daniela Barone Soares, CEO of London-based Impetus Trust, and Michael Chu, Managing Director of Ignia Fund, Co-Founder of Pegasus Capital and Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

Other confirmed panelists include:

• Maurizio Angelone, Senior Vice President, Market and Operations, Nokia Latin America
• Roberto Aspiazu, President, Committee of Ecuadoran Businesses
• Alvio Barrios, President, Nortel Caribbean and Latin America
• Milica Z. Bookman, Author and Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics, St. Joseph’s University
• Dr. Claudia Borrero, MD, Specialist in Infertility Treatments, Co-Director of Unidad de Fertilidad del Country, Colombia
• Alejandro P. Bulgheroni, Chairman, Pan American Energy, Argentina
• Gustavo A. Cisneros, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cisneros Group of Companies
• R. Marcelo Claure, President, CEO and Chairman, Brightstar Corporation
• Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Brazilian Ambassador to the United States
• José Duarte, President, SAP Latin America
• Antonio Estevadeordal, Author and Manager of Integration and Regional Programs, Inter-American Development Bank
• Richard A. Ford DMD, CEO, Pana-Health Corp., Panama
• Maureen Kempston-Darkes, President, General Motors LAAM
• Paulo Leme, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
• Santiago Levy, Chief Economist, Inter-American Development Bank
• Sparrow Mahoney, Founder and CEO, medicaltourism.com
• Octavio Márquez, Vice President and General Manager, HP Enterprises Latin America
• Barun S. Mitra, Managing Trustee, Liberty Institute, India
• Luis Alberto Moreno, President, Inter-American Development Bank
• Mustafa Mohatarem, Chief Economist, General Motors
• Robin Murphy, VP for External Relations, World Resources Institute
• Andrés Oppenheimer, The Oppenheimer Report, The Miami Herald
• Alberto Federico Ravell, President, Globovision, Venezuela
• Manfred Reyes Villa, Governor, Cochabamba, Bolivia
• Roberto Rodrigues, InterAmerican Ethanol Commission, Brazil
• David Rothkopf, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and President and CEO of Garten Rothkopf
• Donna E. Shalala, President, University of Miami
• Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs
• Clifford M. Sobel, U.S. Ambassador to Brazil

About the Americas Conference

The Americas Conference, organized by The Miami Herald, is the region’s largest and most acclaimed annual forum of international executives and top government leaders, who gather for two days to discuss a wide spectrum of relevant business and political issues of crucial importance for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Miami Herald Americas Conference is presented by General Motors as Official Sponsor; Inter-American Development Bank as a programming partner; Nokia Latin America, Greenberg Traurig and SAP as Corporate Sponsors; Hewlett Packard, American Airlines and Burson-Marsteller as Associate Sponsors. Media Partners include: Latin Trade, Radio Caracol, América Economía, Revista Competencia and World City.

For more information about the Americas Conference 2007, please visit our website at www.americasconference.com.

For more information, and media inquiries please contact: Sonia Diaz at 305-347-4396, or write to AmericasConference@bm.com.