Hamdi Ulukaya honored as Social Impact CEO of the Year

On November 12, 2021, Chobani CEO and Tent Founder Hamdi Ulukaya received the Social Impact CEO of the Year Award at Council of the Americas’ 26th BRAVO Business Awards in Miami. The award recognizes Ulukaya’s leadership in galvanizing the business community to meaningfully address the refugee crisis in the Americas, through both Chobani and the Tent Partnership for Refugees. 

Widely regarded as the “Oscars of Latin American business,” the BRAVO Business Awards are the only regional platform to highlight socially motivated business and policy leaders who are making a positive impact in the Americas. Previous honorees include: former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández; former president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno; and top executives from Chevron, Delta Airlines, and Telefónica among others.

Upon receiving the award, Ulukaya said, “Some believe that the refugee crisis is a problem for governments and nonprofits, but I believe that there is much that we, as business leaders, can do to help. I hope that we can work together to inspire more businesses to confront this common challenge.” 

At Chobani, Ulukaya has proven that integrating refugees is not only good for society, but also good for business. Ulukaya’s positive experience with hiring refugees, who account for 20-30% of Chobani’s plant workforce, led to the creation of Tent. Tent now works with over 200 large companies across the globe and provides guidance on how they can engage refugees as potential employees, entrepreneurs, and consumers. 

Active in the region since 2019, Ulukaya also took the opportunity to address “the challenges that Latin America still faces with the Venezuelan crisis”, highlighting that Tent remains committed to working with the Latin American business community to help Venezuelan refugees to integrate into their new communities. Among Tent’s newest initiatives to support the integration of Venezuelan refugees is UNSTUCK – a consumer-facing initiative which asks brands to work with suppliers in Colombia that have committed to hiring Venezuelans, therefore ensuring jobs for refugees along their supply chain.

To learn more about the 2021 BRAVO Business Awards read the press release here, and view press coverage of the awards here.