The Caribbean has just announced the first names of an award that says a lot about the current moment of the region's ocean economy. The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx), a non-profit organisation that brings together press, governments, the tourism industry and communities around sustainable development, has released the first group of laureates of the 2026 CMEx Leadership Awards.
The award recognises leaders whose contributions have benefited tourism, media, sustainability and community development in the Caribbean and beyond. And the weight the sea carries in this list is striking.
"This year's honorees represent the leadership, vision and spirit of service that continue to move the Caribbean forward."
Bevan Springer, President of CMEx
The first seven laureates
The announced group brings together journalists, public managers and sustainability executives:
- Anne Kalosh, freelance journalist, editor of Seatrade Cruise News and senior associate editor of Seatrade Cruise Review
- Carmen Portela, Justice and Equity Coordinator at GreenLatinos, in Puerto Rico
- Gercine Carter, journalist at The Nation Publishing Co. Limited, in Barbados
- Giora Israel, president of Giora Israel LLC and strategic adviser on global cruise tourism, port development and the blue economy
- Jake Kheel, Vice-President of Sustainability at Grupo Puntacana, in the Dominican Republic
- Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism of Jamaica
- Josef Forstmayr, Managing Director of Round Hill Hotel and Villas, in Jamaica
The organisation said a second group of honourees will be announced later in August.
Why this list matters to the marine sector
Looking at the names, it becomes clear that the award does not treat the sea as scenery, but as economy. There is an editor specialised in cruises, an adviser working precisely at the frontier between cruise tourism, port development and the blue economy, and an executive dedicated to sustainability within one of the largest tourism groups in the Caribbean.
It is the practical translation of an idea the sector has been defending worldwide: nautical tourism, ports, specialised media and sustainability are part of the same chain. Recognising those who work on these fronts is a way of giving visibility to an economy that often does not appear in official statistics.
A parallel with Brazil
The Caribbean and Brazil share the same challenge and the same opportunity: an extensive coastline, strong tourist appeal and the need to turn that into development that stays in the community. The discussion about measuring and valuing the ocean economy, which is advancing in Brazil with the construction of the Ocean GDP methodology, is the same one that drives initiatives such as CMEx's.
Rewarding leadership in tourism, cruises and sustainability is, ultimately, a way of saying that the blue economy needs prepared people as much as it needs infrastructure.
When and where
The awards will be presented on Sunday, 6 December 2026, from 11:30 to 14:30, at the Loews Coral Gables Hotel, in the Miami area, United States. The gathering also serves as a fundraiser for the organisation's activities.
By: Redação Mundo Mar
Photo: Divulgação / CMEx
