Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced 12 U.S. CEOs who will serve in the U.S. Section of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum for the 2023-26 term.

The CEOs will coordinate and organize the activities of the U.S. Section in preparation for the first in-person forum meeting under the Biden-Harris administration, according to a March 1 news release. The CEO Forum brings together U.S. and Brazilian business leaders to provide joint recommendations to their respective governments on how to strengthen bilateral economic and commercial ties.

“The U.S.- Brazil CEO Forum is a critical vehicle in deepening our trade and investment relationship with Brazil, and I am proud to appoint these 12 United States CEOs from a cross-section of vital industries. Their unmatched business knowledge and experience will be essential to advancing the objectives of the Forum,” Raimondo said in the release.

Mauro Gregorio, CEO of Dow Silicones Corporation, has been appointed as the U.S. Section Private Sector Co-chair to organize members of the U.S. Section and coordinate with his Brazilian counterpart on forum activities, according to the release. 

The forum leverages the private sector’s influence on global economic affairs and commercial policy, providing a unique mechanism to improve U.S.-Brazilian engagement on issues of specific interest to the business community. Forum members provide input and joint recommendations directly to the four government co-chairs, according to the release.

The U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum is an important cooperative mechanism launched in 2007, bringing together up to 12 U.S. and 12 Brazilian business leaders to strengthen economic and commercial ties between the two countries, the release reported. The forum provides a platform for the private sector to collaborate and make recommendations to the government co-chairs on issues affecting the business community. The newly-appointed members of the U.S. Section will play a vital role in organizing and planning forum activities for the upcoming term.