Brazil
Jorge Gerdau
- Chairman, Gerdau Advisory Council; former CEO, Grupo Gerdau (Steel)
Born Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1936. Bachelors, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (1958).
“[A]side from my management vision in the steel industry, the public sector, I also give my attention to issues of social responsibility. In a country like Brazil, no leader can avoid worrying about social development.”
Summary
Jorge Gerdau describes his family's experience in the steel sector over five generations. Over time, the family business grew into a multinational corporation that is now the largest steel producer in the Americas. He discusses his related experiences advising the Lula da Silva and Rousseff governments, thereby enhancing public-private partnerships and instituting corporate management policies in public sector ministries. Mr. Gerdau explains his company's somewhat unique decision not to diversify, instead choosing to focus entirely on becoming one of the most well-respected steel producers. He also explains how Gerdau has established and adapted its corporate culture in a variety of countries, including India and the U.S.
Video Clips by Topic
Corporate Culture
Jorge Gerdau explains that the secret to his Brazilian steel company’s longevity, which has lasted five generations, was the continuity in the firm’s values.
Corporate Culture
Jorge Gerdau, Chair of Brazil-based Grupo Gerdau, which is one of the largest steel producers in Latin America, explains the importance of open communication among the different branches of his firm and the value of having respect for workers regardless of their position.
Leadership
Jorge Gerdau, former head of Brazilian-based Grupo Gerdeau, a steel-producing company, describes the period of great growth known as the "Brazilian miracle" during the military dictatorship beginning in 1965, and the subsequent period in the1980s of high inflation.
Keywords:
Brazil, Leadership
Additional Resources
- Gerdau (A) [HBS Case]
- Interview with Philip Casey at AmeriSteel, Video
- Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter, “A importância do capital de risco para a livre iniciativa,” in Movimento Nacional pela Livre Iniciativa: Uma contibuição da publicidade à democracia brasileira, edited by Roberto Corrêa. Instituto Cultural ESPM, 2008.
- Histórias de sucessos: Empresários que venceram no Rio Grande do Sul, edited by Carlos Alberto Gianotti. Associação dos Jovens Empresários, 1998
- http://video.hbs.edu/videotools/play?clip=tgmp_ameristeel_1
- http://video.hbs.edu/videotools/play?clip=tgmp_ameristeel_2
- http://video.hbs.edu/videotools/play?clip=tgmp_ameristeel_3
- “From Brazil, An Emerging Steel Giant; A Family Company Shops Abroad for Acquisitions,” New York Times, August 30, 2001
- “Gerdau Chief Outlines his Plans to Hand over the Reins,” Financial Times, September 3, 2004
- “Ninth Annual Gala, Jorge Gerdau Speech,” YouTube, Uploaded July 3, 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBD7eR81Xmw
- “Poder e Política: Jorge Gerdau,” YouTube, Uploaded January 13, 2014: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGswcU6Q1FQ
- Video file of this interview available at Baker Library Historical Collections, histcollref+hbs.edu. Harvard ID holders can access the full-length video above.
Interview Citation Format
"Interview with Jorge Gerdau, interviewed by Aldo Musacchio, Porto Alegre, Brazil, July 2, 2013, Creating Emerging Markets Project, Baker Library Historical Collections, Harvard Business School, http://www.hbs.edu/creating-emerging-markets/."