The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce announced Alexandre Birman as the Brazilian honoree of the 2024 Person of the Year Awards.
For 52 years, the Chamber has honored two prominent leaders, one Brazilian and one American, as “Person of the Year” who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties and enhancing the relationship between Brazil and the United States. The American honoree has yet to be announced.
Alexandre Birman is the CEO and CCO of Arezzo&Co, which leads the largest house of fashion brands in Brazil, including Arezzo, Schutz, Anacapri, Alexandre Birman, Alme, Reserva, Carol Bassi, Vans, Oficina Reserva, Reserva Go, Simples, Reversa, Reserva INK, Reserva Mini, BAW Clothing, TROC, Vicenza, Paris Texas, and the marketplace ZZMALL.
Mr. Birman led the launch of the digital platform ZZMALL; the creation of the ZZ APP; and the formation of ZZ Ventures, the corporate venture capital of the group. In consolidating growth, he led the merger with Reserva in 2020; the creation of AR&CO, the company’s lifestyle division; and the acquisition of the Italian brand Paris Texas in 2023. Also in 2023, Arezzo&Co launched Arezzo in the United States, greatly strengthening its international growth and presence.
Throughout his career, Mr. Birman has received national and international awards. He was named one of the “Top 10 Designers” by Footwear News in 2012 and “Designer of the Year” by the Fashion Footwear Association of New York in 2017 – and in 2009, he won the “Vivian Infantino Emerging Talent Award.” He was honored among the “Executives of Value” by Valor Econômico and included among the most influential people in Latin America (Bloomberg Línea, 2022) and in the fashion world (Business of Fashion, since 2017).
A native of Belo Horizonte (MG), Mr. Birman graduated in Business Administration from FUMEC University. He participated in the Owner / President Management Program at Harvard Business School and has been a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) since 2013.
Mr. Birman’s nomination as the 2024 Person of the Year was widely proposed by Chamber members and unanimously approved by our Board of Directors. The Board is composed of a broad spectrum of leading Brazilian and American companies active in both countries.
“The selection of Mr. Birman by the Board recognizes his commitment to producing high-quality and sustainable products and experiences on a global platform and his prominent and influential role in strengthening Arezzo&Co’s international growth, factors that align with the values promoted by the Chamber,” emphasizes the Chamber.
Mr. Birman will be honored at the 2024 Person of the Year Awards Dinner Gala, which will take place at The Glasshouse in New York on Wednesday, May 15. Over 1,000 leaders from the international business, financial, and diplomatic communities gather annually in New York at this traditional gala to pay tribute to the honorees.