The Person of the Year Awards has been organized annually since 1970 by The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. The ceremony honors two outstanding leaders who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties between Brazil and the United States. Over 1,000 leaders from the international business, financial, and diplomatic communities convene in New York City each year at this traditional gala to pay tribute to the honorees. The ceremony took place at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. It was a memorable evening honoring Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 38^th President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, as the Brazilian awardee; and Michael Richard Pompeo, United States Secretary of State, as the American awardee. Over 70 companies sponsored the event, securing funds to support the Person of the Year Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Program is conducted in partnership with Ling Institute and Lemann Foundation, and since 2011 has sponsored 95 students.

 The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce has also created two new awards that were conferred at the 2019 Person of the Year Awards – the Social Responsibility Award, granted to Instituto Brasil Solidário, and the Digital Innovation Award, conferred to Neoway. The awards were created to recognize Brazilian companies that stand out in the area of sustainability, with a business strategy that takes into account the environment, social governance, and long-term value creation to shareholders, employees, clients, society, and other stakeholders.