Ambipar has just hired Roberto Azevêdo — the former Director-General of the World Trade Organization — as the global president of operations, a newly created position that will focus on the company’s international expansion.
The diplomat started in this role earlier this month, reporting directly to CEO and founder Tércio Borlenghi Júnior.
“I will help Ambipar find partnerships, opportunities, and markets that are interested in advancing the sustainability agenda,” Azevêdo told Brazil Journal.
Part of the work also includes engaging with governments and understanding the regulatory environment, “as the climate and environment sector is highly influenced by public policies.”
According to Azevêdo, the search for opportunities should begin in major markets such as the United States and Europe, “where these activities are already well developed and there is a strong appetite for these services. But Asia and Latin America are also important markets.”
With a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Brasília and in international relations from the Rio Branco Institute, Azevêdo spent over 30 years in the diplomatic career, always focused on economic and commercial areas.
He served in Washington, working on economic and financial matters; in Montevideo, where he assisted in the launch of Mercosur; and later moved to Geneva, at the WTO.
He then became Brazil’s litigator in WTO panels, then a negotiator and chief negotiator, before returning to Geneva as ambassador.
In 2013, he was elected Director-General of the WTO, a position he held until mid-2020.
“When I left the WTO, I made a very clear decision to continue working in some way with matters related to sustainability, as I saw at the WTO that the climate and environmental agenda had extraordinary strength,” he said.
“It is an under-invested sector because it is unknown to people. It has few human resources and few experts. There are environmentalists and entrepreneurs, but entrepreneurs with knowledge of the climate agenda are rare.”
After the WTO, his first job was at PepsiCo, where Azevêdo spent three years as the global vice president of corporate affairs, leading the multinational’s ESG agenda.
He left the company last year to become a partner at YVY, the fund founded by Paulo Guedes and Gustavo Montezano to invest in companies working towards a green economy transition. At the same time, he founded his consulting firm, 9G (the name is a tribute to the 9 women in his life: his wife, two daughters, and six granddaughters).
Azevêdo said he will continue as a partner at YVY and working with his consulting firm, but most of his dedication will be focused on Ambipar.
Azevêdo’s relationship with Ambipar is recent. The ambassador met Tércio two months ago at a mutual friend’s birthday party, where the two spent hours talking about climate issues.
“It was very curious because in that conversation we quickly realized that we had a similar vision of the sector and the transition to a green economy,” Azevêdo said.
A month after that meeting, Tércio called Azevêdo for a new conversation and made the offer.
Source
Arwen Volkov, A graduate of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in International Finance, Arwen specializes in sustainable finance and green investments. She began her career at an investment bank in London, where she developed financing models for environmentally friendly projects. Known for her analytical and strategic thinking skills, Arwen is a sought-after financial consultant. In her spare time, she mentors fintech startups, contributing to their growth strategies. She is also a nature enthusiast and an amateur photographer.
