Source: http://worldcityweb.com/home/MIA/publications/magazine/1/616/

WorldCity People

by Mary Dempsey

Foyo joins Blue Cross

After putting the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce back on solid ground, George Foyo has left its presidency to take a newly created position at Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Florida. As the Miami-based market president at Blue Cross, Foyo will be responsible for the health insurance giant’s operations in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe and St. Lucie and Martin counties.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” Foyo says. “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is a great company. They’ve had 18 years of consecutive positive performance. And South Florida is very important because it represents about 40 percent of the market in the state.

“I feel honored and privileged that they asked me to take on the job,” he adds.

When Foyo took over as CEO of the chamber in 2004, the organization was reeling from a scandal in which two employees were accused in the disappearance of $1.5 million. Membership was plummeting. Under Foyo’s direction, the chamber instituted financial controls, invested some $250,000 in new technology, outsourced its information technology to Telefnica and boosted membership rolls by 25 percent. The chamber unveiled a new Web site in June.

“Despite the fact we invested heavily in new technology, we had a very good cash position left at the end of the year. We had almost $900,000 in the bank,” Foyo says.

Foyo had been retired from the corporate world for nearly two years when he was recruited to the lead the chamber. His most recent job had been as president of DirecTVLatin America. Prior to 2000, when he joined DirecTV, he worked 30 years at AT&T. He laughs about his short-lived retirement. “I got myself back in stress mode and I seem to thrive there.”

Khoury retires from B/E Aerospace

Robert Khoury, president and CEO of B/Aerospace in Wellington, announced his retirement from the company. The retirement took effect Dec. 31 but Khoury will remain on the board of directors and as a part-time consultant with the manufacturer of aircraft cabin interior products for passenger aircraft. “As co-founder of the company, Bob has contributed significantly over the last 18 years in developing B/E Aerospace into the industry leader in cabin interior products. The entire board and management team express sincere gratitude for Bob’s successful efforts and contributions,” says Chairman Amin Khoury, who will take over as CEO. Robert Khoury says he will use his retirement to spend more time with his wife and family.

The company’s presidency will be filled by Michael Baughan, who had been senior vice president and general manager of the company’s commercial aircraft segment. Baughan joined the company in 1994 as vice president of sales and marketing for B/E’s seating products group, and was promoted to seating division vice president and general manager in May 1999. In July 2002, Baughan was promoted became general manager of the commercial aircraft segment

Caffin changes duties at Bureau Veritas

Jean-Michel Caffin has been moved to a new position at Bureau Veritas, assuming direct responsibility for three key business lines of the company. Effective Dec.1, Caffin began directing the certification, quality assurance and transport/logistics divisions for the company’s North American operations. Previously he served as global vice president and head of the international trade division at the company. Bureau Veritas, headquartered in France, is a global inspection and certification company that serves as a third party to verify, inspect and certify products and assets across a range of industries. Caffin will work out of the company’s Plantation office. He says he plans to remain active in several South Florida initiatives, including the Florida FTAA and the Beacon Council.

**Dream Works consultant joins MTV Networks

MTV Networks Latin America has named Carol Snell to head its new trade marketing department, which was set up to develop strategic advertising partnerships for the television network. Snell will be responsible for implementing initiatives related to all the company’s brands in Latin America, including MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon. Before joining MTV Networks Latin America, Snell worked as a consultant for DreamWorks. Prior to that, she was associate director of promotions and special events marketing for the Walt Disney Co., in charge of strategic planning, budgets and the implementation of pan-regional and local promotions for Fox Kids and the Disney Channel in Latin America. Snell is based at the company’s Miami headquarters and will report directly to Melisa Quioy*,* senior vice president of ad sales & international marketing partnerships for MTV Networks Latin America.

Landy to chair global association

Burton Landy, a shareholder in the Miami office of law firm Akerman

Senterfitt, will serve as chair-elect of the World Services Group, a membership association for business service providers. Landy, who is also the chairman emeritus of Akerman Senterfitt’s international practice group, will work to expand World Services Group’s membership, create business opportunities for the organization and assist members in their global expansion plans. After a year-long term as chair-elect, Landy will become World Services Group’s chairman in 2007. He is a founding member of the Beacon Council, honorary consul general of the Republic of Korea for Florida, and a member of the board of the Florida Free Trade Area of the Americas. At Akerman Senterfitt, he focuses on international arbitration and mediation.

In an unrelated development, Akerman Senterfitt has opened a new office with seven lawyers in midtown Manhattan. The office will provide Akerman’s Florida clients with expanded service, assist New York clients with interests in Florida and Latin America and serve the New York market. “New York is a natural market for the firm,” says Akerman Senterfitt CEO Tom Cardwell. “Our lawyers and our clients have many connections with New York. It is logical for the largest law firm in Florida to have a presence in the nation’s financial and business center.”

BitDefender expands to Canada

**BitDefender, the provider of antivirus software and e-mail and data security, is opening an office in Canada. John Herrington has been named as channel development manager for the office in Toronto. Prior to joining BitDefender, Herrington was general manager of Gentek in Canada and president and a founder of FastCAT, a manufacturer representation firm. He was also previously SonicWALL country manager for Canada, director of sales and marketing at D-Link Networks and a senior manager at TechData Canada. “We have already begun strategic discussions with resellers, retailers and ISPs throughout Canada that I anticipate will result in the launch of a national distributor for Canada within the first quarter of 2006,” Herrington says. BitDefender is based in Romania with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Germany and Spain.