More than 300 participants attended the second edition of the sustainability forum Race to the Top, held on October 21, 2025, at the Guayaquil Convention Center during AquaExpo International.
Under the theme “Transform. Inspire. Lead.”, the event, organized 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. They shared strategies, insights, and success stories that are advancing sustainability in the shrimp industry and across other productive sectors.
The program was structured around four key themes: governance, economy, social responsibility, and environment, positioning sustainability as a discipline of high performance and transformative leadership essential for the sector’s continued growth. Among the speakers were 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 for defining the future of shrimp aquaculture by learning from outstanding experts in their fields and sharing that vision with others across the industry. Here, we analyze 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.
Meanwhile, José Antonio Camposano, executive president of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), emphasized: “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.”
The event was sponsored by Cargill, Conexión Consultores, Duragas Abastible, Huawei, LarvIA, and Vitapro, and concluded with a message that captures its essence: Staying at the top requires continuous innovation, collaboration, and leadership with purpose. It’s no longer just about producing the best shrimp in the world, but about producing the best shrimp for the world.
