Ines Calderon Honored with 2025 International Hall of Fame Award

A Lifetime of Building Miami’s Global Trade and Arbitration Infrastructure

On December 4, 2025, at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, the World Trade Center Miami inducted Ines Calderon—Executive Director of the Miami International Arbitration Society (MIAS) and President of Calderon & Associates—into its International Hall of Fame, recognizing a lifetime of leadership advancing international trade, institutional development, and Miami’s global standing.

The honor was presented during the World Trade Center Miami’s Annual General Membership Meeting and International Achievement & Hall of Fame Awards, an evening that brought together South Florida’s international business community to reflect on the region’s role across the Americas and beyond.

(From Left) Manuel Gomez, Harout Samra, Ines Calderon and Robert Becerra

The International Hall of Fame Award recognizes individuals whose careers have produced sustained, structural impact. Ines Calderon’s work exemplifies that standard. Across decades, her leadership has consistently focused on building the frameworks that allow international commerce to function: strong institutions, trusted processes, and meaningful collaboration between public and private sectors.

Her contributions trace back to Miami’s FTAA bid era, where she played a key role in hosting official trade negotiations and supporting regional trade initiatives. Over time, her work extended across numerous trade organizations and public-private partnerships, reinforcing Miami’s credibility as a hemispheric business center grounded in openness, professionalism, and global engagement.

At MIAS, Ines’s leadership has been central to the growth of Miami’s arbitration ecosystem. Through her efforts, MIAS emerged as part of the city’s legal and commercial infrastructure—helping position Miami as a trusted venue for cross-border dispute resolution and, in turn, supporting international investment and trade. Within this framework, Miami Arbitration Week has evolved into a globally recognized convening platform, drawing arbitrators, counsel, institutions, and business leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States.

In parallel, her leadership at Calderon & Associates and her service on the World Trade Center Miami Board of Directors further advanced initiatives aimed at strengthening Miami’s role as a gateway city for global business.

The International Hall of Fame Award recognizes a career defined not by visibility, but by durability—by the careful, long-term work of institution-building that often operates behind the scenes, yet shapes outcomes for decades.

In her acceptance remarks, Ms. Calderon reflected on both the institutional and personal dimensions of the honor:

“This is indeed a special night for me. I want to thank the World Trade Center Miami, and I also want to recognize MIAS for giving me the opportunity to take part in making Miami a well-recognized arbitration center. For this, we have Burt Landy to thank. He is truly the father of arbitration and the soul of what today is Miami as an international hub for business.”

She also spoke to the deeper meaning of the moment:

“This award takes on a special meaning that I could not have imagined forty-five years ago, when my family moved to Florida from Colombia. Your presence here today speaks volumes about the kind of community we are—and the kind of community that gave me the opportunity to achieve my goals.”

MIAS is proud to celebrate this well-earned recognition and the legacy of leadership it reflects.