BCIU Hosts Reception in Miami for U.S. Ambassadors

On Wednesday, May 1, BCIU along with Amazon Web Services, LLYC, Newmont, Rapiscan Systems, and the Television Association of Programmers (TAP), hosted a highly successful sixth annual reception in Miami for U.S. Chiefs of Mission serving in the Western Hemisphere. The attending U.S. Ambassadors and senior executives with interests in the region carried on a lively conversation throughout the night, discussing market trends, emerging business opportunities, and barriers to business operations across the public/private divide. Over 200 attendees from the energy, consumer, defense, law, financial, healthcare, and logistics sectors filled the room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Doral. Participating companies included Citi, FedEx, Intel, Salesforce, Starbucks, United Airlines, and Visa, among other BCIU members.

BCIU President & CEO Peter Tichansky opened the evening by thanking the U.S. government officials present. “It is a privilege to have such a long-standing and tireless partner in the U.S. State Department,” commented Tichansky. “For over 40 years, we at BCIU have hosted recognitions like these with U.S. Ambassadors to showcase their work, meet with companies to receive timely updates, and thank them for being the best of America around the world.”

The evening’s featured speaker was The Honorable Brian Nichols, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs who gave the audience a warm welcome and recognized the importance of BCIU’s partnership with the State Department. “We have representatives from pole to pole in our hemisphere present tonight and they are here to work with you and support all of you in the private sector to get deals done,” shared Nichols. “So think of us as a resource. We are here to help, and we want to be engaged. It’s a core part of our mission.”

Nichols also emphasized the significance of public and private collaboration and thanked BCIU for providing a platform to support it. He mentioned his excitement to participate in BCIU’s upcoming Global U.S. Chiefs of Mission receptions happening in June in Washington, DC.

The program recognized numerous distinguished guests for their contributions to fostering international cooperation, including key figures such as The Honorable Jose Fernandez, Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the State Department, who Nichols acknowledged for his dedication to economic development and regional engagement, and General Laura Richardson, Commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The reception was followed by an off-the-record dinner roundtable with Dan Erikson, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the White House National Security Council, where participants delved deeper into specific aspects of security in the Western Hemisphere.