Odebrecht appoints an institutional relations director
São Paulo, February 07, 2019
 

Valor Econômico - Odebrecht Engineering and Construction (OEC) has appointed lawyer, Alexandre Tostes, as the company’s institutional and government relations director. Almost always in private initiative, the executive has worked in the legal area at Vale (for ten years), and institutional and government relations at Rede D'or São Luiz and Souza Cruz, among other companies.

"We are going to reactivate the Brasília office at some point. Reopening it is not a priority but logistically it is difficult being in Brasília and not having a support base. Also all the issues involving the Legislative branch and pertinent agendas in the sector and the company are handled there," confirmed Fabio Januário, OEC's CEO.

Asked if he foresaw any difficulties in re-establishing a relationship channel on account of Operation Lava-Jato (Car Wash), Tostes said this is the great motivator behind him going to OEC due to the work done in the last three years at the company and the government promoted anti-corruption mechanisms. "It is a timely and favorable environment. We do not think there are any difficulties with these conversations. We want to give visibility to everything that has been done and show we have turned the page," he confirmed.

If a politician or public administrator still sees room for malpractice with the company, Tostes said the internal compliance channels will handle the subject as a complaint. However, for Januário, "transformation is so profound at the company that obviously we do not expect to receive this type of approach". If there is, he confirmed, and depending on the level of the approach, we may also need to advise the control bodies and relevant authorities.

Read the entire article here.