VenAmCham’s Frank Amador Award Three years enhancing the journalistic activity. Gallery of Pictures

 

This award was born in 2005 bearing the name of “Frank Amador” to pay tribute to VenAmCham’s former executive director from 1969 to 1985. A pioneer in promoting the improvement of relationships between the US and Latin America, starting in 1936 when he carried out a good will tour to Mexico for US business executives and students.

Some of the main goals of VenAmCham’s Frank Amador Award are to disseminate and promote the advantages of the relations between Venezuela and the United States as well as to support and reward the work of Venezuelan journalists in order to encourage them to publish papers on business, economic or commercial binational relations and about Corporate Social Responsibility of American companies in Venezuela and vice versa.

The prize is supported by the Chamber’s Executive Board, VenAmCham’s Media Committee and the Embassy of the United States in Venezuela.

Renowned Experience

In this third edition, Graciela Beltrán Carías from Unión Radio and Lourdes Rojas from Notitarde were awarded the prize after the articles in contest were subject to voting by an accredited jury made up by Adolfo Herrera, Director of UCV’s School of Social Communications; Alda Da Silva, Director of Monteávila University’s School of Social Communications; Robert Bottome, Veneconomía’s Editor and VenAmCham’s Media Committee Member; Antonio Serfaty, Vice-president of Unión Radio and VenAmCham’s Media Committee Member; Ramón Sosa, Communications Manager, Petrobras; Robin Holzhauer, Press Representative from the Embassy of the United States in Venezuela; Carlos Henrique Blohm, Chamber’s Executive Board Member; Carlos Tejera, General Manager of VenAmCham; and Margarita Montero, Director of VenAmCham’s Social Alliance.

VenAmCham’s Frank Amador Award was sponsored by Seguros Caracas of Liberty Mutual, Banco Mercantil, Continental Airlines, Organización Cisneros, Procter&Gamble, Globovisión, Chevron, Empresas Polar, Notitarde, Unión Radio, El Nacional, El Impulso, and Business Venezuela.

Thanks to the Embassy of the United Status in Venezuela the journalists will make a tour in the United States. The Embassy supports this initiative by providing journalists with access to visit policymakers, very important economic and social institutions as well as some of the most outstanding US media outlets.

A prize with a woman’s face
In two years in a row, the feminine essence has been the star of Frank Amador Award. Again, women journalists receive the prize that VenAmCham grants to Venezuelan Journalism. This time the recipients of the award are Graciela Beltrán Carías and Lourdes Rojas. In a very warm act, Carlos Tejera, general manager of VenAmCham, welcomed the attendees and pointed out the importance of the work journalists carry out every day, and especially by informing about trade and economic relations between Venezuela and the United States and about what companies are doing in relation to corporate social responsibility, their commitment and responsibility towards their communities.

- Lourdes Rojas: A committed journalist - Graciela Beltrán Carías: A socially responsible journalist

 

In detail

Lourdes A. Rojas Ávila Link: “Inversiones venezolanas en piso seguro" She receives 2007Frank Amador Award, in the modality of Economic Relations between US and Venezuela, for her work “Inversiones venezolanas en piso seguro” (Venezuelan investments on a safe floor) published in Notitarde on July 9, 2007. She is a reporter of the economic desk of Notitarde newspaper in Carabobo and El Tiempo newspaper in Puerto La Cruz. Since 2005 she has cooperated with magazines such as Business Venezuela, Producto, Construcción, and Fedecámaras Carabobo.

She earned her degree in Social Communications in 1996 from the UCV.

Her journalistic activity has been recognized by Conindustria and Favenpa – Venezuelan Manufacturers of Automotive Parts - in 2006 and by the Venezuelan Chamber of Construction in 2004.

Graciela Beltrán Carías Link: “McDonald’s en Venezuela" She receives the 2007Frank Amador Award, in the modality of Social Responsibility for her work about “McDonald’s Venezuela” CSR, broadcast on May 9, 2007 through Circuito Onda 107.9 FM La Super Estación of Unión Radio Group. She is the producer and presenter of a radio program on Onda 107.9 FM La Super Estación in Unión Radio from 1p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Her voice is also heard in different commercial spots for important firms.

She is also a TV producer and journalist in Venezuela and in the US. She leads “De la mano contigo”, a program for the 24-hour news channel Canal I, soon to be released on screen. A program devoted to praising the activities of foundations, associations and NGOs as well as corporate social responsibility activities of companies in Venezuela.

Se graduated in 1983 from UCV with a major in Print Journalism.

Her journalistic activity in the area of CSR has been recognized after her being recently appointed as “Embajadora de Refréscate Leyendo” a CSR program promoting the pleasure of reading, led in the country by Coca Cola.