José Antonio Camposano, executive president of the CNA; Fabricio Vargas, CEO of Vitapro; Marcelo Vélez, export manager at Edpacif; and Sandro Coglitore, general manager of Omarsa, participated in the session “Leading from the Top: Perspectives on Innovation, Resilience and Market Leadership” © SSP
More than 300 participants attended the second edition of the Race to the Top sustainability forum on 21 October, at the Guayaquil Convention Center during AquaExpo International. The forum positioned sustainability as an essential discipline for the continued growth of the global shrimp sector.
Under the theme “Transform. Inspire. Lead.”, the event – organised by the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) – brought together 35 national and international speakers from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, the United States, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark and Italy. Speakers shared strategies, insights, and success stories advancing sustainability in the shrimp industry and other productive sectors.
The programme was structured around four key themes: governance, economy, social responsibility and environment, highlighting sustainability as a measure of high performance and transformative leadership. Speakers included representatives from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), former NASA executives, and leading figures from shrimp production, banking, food innovation, and corporate sustainability.
“Race to the Top is a space where we seek to demonstrate – through the example and experience of leaders – that sustainability is a decision that needs to be practiced every day. It is a platform to define the future of shrimp aquaculture by learning from outstanding experts in their fields and transferring that vision to others across the industry. Here, we analyse where sustainability is heading, what is being done, and how we have reached this point — to inspire more actors to keep innovating with purpose,” said Pamela Nath, director of the SSP, in a press release.
José Antonio Camposano, executive president of the CNA, emphasised Ecaudor’s leadership in the field.
“Ecuador’s shrimp industry has long been defined by continuous innovation and investment – factors that have made us the world’s leading shrimp exporter. Equally important, however, has been doing so with sustainability as an inherent part of our strategy. At Race to the Top, we aim to share this mindset and show how Ecuadorian producers and value-chain actors are already leading in this area – and how this model can be replicated across the global aquaculture industry and in other sectors as well,” said Camposano.
The event was sponsored by Cargill, Conexión Consultores, Duragas Abastible, Huawei, LarvIA, and Vitapro. The forum concluded with a message underscoring its central theme: Staying at the top requires continuous innovation, collaboration, and leadership with purpose. It is no longer just about producing the best shrimp in the world – but about producing the best shrimp for the world.
