The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce announced Wes Edens as the American recipient of the 2024 Person of the Year Awards.
For 52 years, the Chamber has honored as “Person of the Year” two prominent leaders, one Brazilian and one American, who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties and enhancing the relationship between Brazil and the United States. The Brazilian Person of the Year for 2024 is Alexandre Birman, CEO & CCO of Arezzo&Co.
Wes Edens is Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Fortress Investment Group, a highly diversified global investment management firm that promotes transportation and infrastructure projects; Founder & CEO of New Fortress Energy, a global natural gas supply and infrastructure company; and Co-Owner of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, among numerous other positions.
Mr. Edens earned his B.S. in Finance from Oregon State University and began his career in 1987 at Lehman Brothers, serving as Partner & Managing Director until 1993. He then served as Partner & Managing Director at BlackRock’s private equity division, BlackRock Asset Investors, where he remained until 1997.
In 1998, Mr. Edens participated as one of the five founding partners of Fortress Investment Group, which manages approximately $46.2 billion in assets on behalf of more than 1,900 institutional clients and private investors worldwide, across a variety of credit and real estate investment strategies, private equity, and permanent capital. In 2014, he founded New Fortress Energy, leading the company’s rapid growth to become a fully integrated global energy leader that improves the lives of millions through its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, power generation facilities, and logistics assets. The company’s mission is centered on sustainability, emissions reduction, and increasing access to energy worldwide. New Fortress Energy has expanded its operations in Brazil, consolidating its position as the leading LNG-to-power company in the largest economy in Latin America.
Mr. Edens has also been a catalyst for the development of Brightline, the first privately owned, operated, and maintained passenger rail system in the United States, connecting Florida cities from Miami to Orlando and providing a second corridor between Southern California and Las Vegas.
Mr. Edens served as the Inaugural Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the Brown School of Public Health. He and his family also established The Edens Family Fund for Climate Change Research at Princeton University and endowed the Edens Professorship in Global Health at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, along with a research fund focused on solving international infectious diseases and environmental health risks.
Mr. Edens’ nomination as Person of the Year 2024 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 operating in both countries.
The Board’s selection of Mr. Edens recognizes his commitment to improving health, education, food security, gender equality, livelihoods, and poverty levels through investments in communities and providing access to cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy worldwide, factors that align with the values promoted by the Chamber.
Mr. Edens will be honored at the 2024 Person of the Year Awards Gala, which will take place at The Glasshouse in New York City on Wednesday, May 15. Over 1,000 leaders from the international business, financial, and diplomatic communities gather annually in New York City at this traditional gala to pay tribute to the honorees.