Daisy Expósito-Ulla – ‘2002 Award of Excellence’ From The International Center In New York.

Daisy Expósito-Ulla, Chairman & CEO, The Bravo Group, was presented with the 2002 Award of Excellence from The International Center in New York .

Expósito-Ulla joins past recipients of this prestigious award, which honors distinguished foreign-born individuals who have made significant contributions to American life, including Elie Wiesel – Romania, Henry A. Kissinger – Germany, Liv Ullmann – Japan (Norwegian), Felix G. Rohatyn – Austria, Vartan Gregorian – Iran (Armenian), Peter A. Georgescu – Romania, Carolina Herrera – Venezuela, Lillian Vernon – Germany , Josie Cruz Natori – Philippines, Michel Roux – France , Rocky Aoki – Japan, Peter Jennings – Canada , Frank McCourt – Ireland, Ismail Merchant – India and Seiji Ozawa – China (Japanese), among others.

Aria Edry, Director of Development, The International Center in New York, noted that Expósito-Ulla was chosen based on her accomplishments in the world of business and her generosity in giving back to the community of immigrants, a group that the International Center also serves.

The award was presented to Expósito-Ulla by Edward N. Ney, Chairman Emeritus,Young & Rubicam Advertising,a businessman and former diplomat, with unique perspectives on global, political, economic and social issues. He is widely regarded as one of businesses’ leading advertising counselors and strategic marketers, having served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada from 1989 to 1992 and chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Young & Rubicam, Inc., the world’s largest independent advertising company.

During her acceptance speech, Expósito-Ulla recalled that day in 1963 when her family said goodbye to friends and relatives in Guines, in the province of Havana, Cuba and went into exile, a “transforming experience that led to the re-invention of my family, a re-invention that was defined by optimism, despair, exhilaration, hard work, faith and improvisation.” She said, “There is something magical about America. It is something that goes beyond its boundless generosity. It is, in my opinion, its broader acceptance of other energies, its openness to the riches that might come with each foreigner that sets foot on this land of opportunity and freedom.”

In her remarks, Expósito-Ulla pointed out that the International Center helps those new to America learn to read The New York Times and cook American food and noted “Who could have imagined that one day this immigrant would have The New York Times as a client – to be the Chairman of a company that gives advice to The New York Times – and to help the quintessential American fast-food company, McDonald’s, appeal to Hispanics.”

During his keynote address, dinner speaker Pete Hamill, author and journalist, noted that the immigrant community of America, rather than representing a melting pot, should be compared to a “metal alloy, a mixture stronger than any one metal.”