- CANAL RECEIVES “BEST COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY” AWARD FROM PODER MAGAZINE
- ALEMÁN RECOGNIZES PANAMANIAN PEOPLE AS THE TRUE MOVERS BEHIND CANAL EXPANSION
PANAMA CITY, Panama, April 23, 2007 – Panama Canal Authority (ACP) Administrator/CEO Alberto Alemán Zubieta was presented with the “Best Communications Strategy” award at the 5th Annual PODER-Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Business Awards held at the Miami Museum of Science and Planetarium in Miami, Florida on Friday, April 20, 2007.
“I am greatly humbled by this award and accept it on behalf of all Panamanians and the many hard-working employees of the Canal. The referendum voter education campaign was a participative process and a real exercise of democracy. It was a historic decision that will impact world commerce and will make Panama the most important logistics hub of the Americas,” said Mr. Alemán Zubieta.
Every year, PODER magazine and the Boston Consulting Group form a committee to select executives and companies who have demonstrated remarkable strategy, vision and execution in their respective businesses. Through both in-house consultations and interviews with senior executives, the committee recognizes those executives and companies for their leadership and foresight.
Prior to the award ceremony, the Canal’s Administrator/CEO attended a series of presentations, joined by other leaders from Latin America, under the PODER-New America Alliance Green Forum. This year the event brought together business, political and academic leaders from the Western Hemisphere and beyond to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: the environment. The forum included keynote addresses by Alvaro Uribe Vélez, President of Colombia and the former president of Chile, Ricardo Lagos who was also the recipient of the “Hemispheric Leadership Award.” The event also included presentations by other Latin American leaders such as the Mayor of Panama City, Juan Carlos Navarro who referred to the Canal as “a beautiful example of sustainability, since the Canal generates all the energy it needs to operate.”
“Protecting the environment is imperative for the Canal expansion project and for our daily operations. We are honored to have the opportunity to share ideas and exchange environmental best practices with business, political and academic leaders attending this remarkable forum,” added Mr. Alemán Zubieta. The ACP undertakes all of its construction programs in accordance with world-class environmental standards and principles, and is a signatory to the UN’s Global Compact.
In an historic move, Panamanians voted on October 22, 2006 to expand the Canal. Expansion will build a new lane of traffic along the Panama Canal through the construction of a new set of locks, which will double capacity and allow more traffic and wider ships.
During the months leading to the referendum, the ACP carried out a comprehensive education and communications campaign to ensure that every Panamanian was informed about the project. ACP representatives were adequately trained to educate various audiences of the population on the details of the proposal. The communications campaign included: online and interactive elements; television, radio and print ads; an informative hotline; information centers; illustrations; mobile exhibits, and personal presentations that covered all provinces, including the most remote areas of the country.
About the Panama Canal Authority
The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) is the autonomous agency of the Government of Panama in charge of managing, operating and maintaining the Panama Canal. The ACP is governed by its organic law and the regulations approved by its Board of Directors. For more information, please refer to the Panama Canal Authority’s Web site: www.pancanal.com.
