Panama City, October 9, 2025. The American Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Panama (AmCham Panamá) announced the holding of the 2025 Sustainable Leadership Recognition (RLS) Ceremony, an event that has established itself as the leading business platform for giving visibility to and recognizing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

This year, the RLS continues to reinforce its role as a catalyst for corporate sustainability in the country by bringing together companies that, with creativity and vision, have developed programs with a positive impact on their communities, their environment and their value chains. Since it was created in 2010, the RLS has received submissions for more than 190 programs from more than 80 member companies, building a bank of good practices that today serves as a national and international benchmark.

At the opening of the ceremony, Niurka Montero, president of AmCham Panamá, said: “Sustainability is no longer an add-on; it has become a strategic axis for companies in Panama. At AmCham Panamá we believe that incorporating ESG criteria into corporate management is key to strengthening competitiveness, attracting investment and generating a positive impact in our communities. The Sustainable Leadership Recognition gives visibility to these efforts and celebrates the companies that are charting the course toward responsible and inclusive development.”

Key figures for 2025

In this edition, the RLS received a record number of 25 submissions across the three evaluation categories:

• Environment: initiatives for the protection of natural resources, water management and energy efficiency.
• Social: projects with community impact, inclusion, health and education.
• Governance: models of transparency, business ethics and good corporate practices.

In addition to recognizing companies, the ceremony reaffirms AmCham Panamá’s vision of creating a space for learning and exchanging experiences, where organizations share their achievements and challenges in the area of sustainability.

A platform for the future

The RLS not only recognizes companies that lead in sustainability, it also inspires other organizations to take on the ESG challenge with concrete, measurable actions. In doing so, AmCham Panamá contributes to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to promoting a more resilient, inclusive and competitive business model for the country.

In this edition, the Sustainable Leadership Recognition went to the following companies:

• Environment category: the recognized program was “Tu Papel Cuenta”, presented by Tetra Pak
• Social category: the recognized program was “Programa Becario de Formación de Técnicos (a) Electricistas ENSA” presented by ENSA (Elektra Noreste, S.A.)
• Governance category: the recognized program was: “Gobernanza Responsable: Alineación ASG en Banco Nacional de Panamá” presented by Banco Nacional de Panamá.
  

The companies that received honorable mentions were:

• Environment category: the program “RecuperaEPS: De Residuo a Energía”, presented by J. Cain y Cía.
• Social category: the recognized program was “Programa de Educación Financiera de Caja de Ahorros” presented by Caja de Ahorros.
  

This year, the international jury was made up of six national and international professionals specializing in sustainability and in environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. They are:

Pedro Pazmiño, Advisor, 3PV Transforma, Panama; Oscar Sosa, Sustainability Director, Fundación Terpel Panamá; Edgar López, Director, EXPOKNews, Mexico; Vilma Barría, Vice President of the Executive Committee, Instituto de Gobierno Corporativo, Panama; Carla Chizmar, ESG Director at Corporación Interamericana para el Financiamiento de Infraestructura, S.A. (CIFI), Panama; José Ramón Padilla, Director of the Center for Sustainability and Responsible Leadership, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA), Panama. The process of selecting the recognized programs was overseen and duly certified by auditors from KMPG, and the results were endorsed by the Notary Public of the Sixth Notary Office, who attested to the transparency of the process.

The keynote address was delivered by Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs 2014-2019 and IFRS Trustee, on the topic “From Commitment to Action: How Panama and the World Are Moving Toward Sustainability with Purpose.

An important part of AmCham Panamá’s objectives is to promote and support the development of the ESG pillars within its member companies, as well as to foster relationships and collaboration with organizations that run community-focused initiatives.