Where Brazil Wants to Work Now

Operating in 20 states with exactly 2,126 stores, GPA is the largest private employer in the retail and distribution industry in Brazil. These are impressive figures for a company that began with a modest candy store back in 1948. If we combined all of its main brands’ points of sale, such as Pão de Açúcar, Extra, Assaí, Casas Bahia, and Ponto Frio, they would sum more than 20 Maracanã stadiums. Over and above this obvious strength is the level of care the company dedicates to its staff. Last year alone, for example, employees got 1.9 million hours of training. GPA is also currently trying to take more executive mothers to the top tiers of the company. Of the company’s current 140,000 employees, 48 percent are women, and 10,000 of them are mothers. 

One of the world's largest food companies, created from the merger between Sadia and Perdigão, BRF takes Brazil to tables in 120 countries. For example, it accounts for 15 percent of all the global poultry trade. In order to be able to deliver more than 1 million tonnes of food, the company hires 105,000 people at 35 industrial units in Brazil, in addition to 16 overseas plants, and 40 distribution centers. According to an internal survey, 90 percent of employees feel motivated to go beyond their regular responsibilities. A new company culture – rolled-out in 2014 and consolidated last year with the “Viva BRF” (Live BRF) campaign – is considered the major engine behind this more optimistic attitude. The result? Point anywhere on a map: Someone will likely be consuming a BRF product.

Ambev’s message is simple: Employees grow according to their talent and effort. This is an empire built, above all, with discipline. The meritocratic vein is visible even at the company’s high ranks: In addition to the company’s president, six of the 11 VPs joined the company through its trainee program as soon as they graduated from college. It is as if the company reminds its 52,000 employees around the world every day that everyone may one day rise to the same level as executive and investor Jorge Paulo Lemann, ranked the richest man in Brazil for the third consecutive year by Forbes. Another one of Ambev’s peculiar features is its vertical and horizontal promotion model. Any employee may work in any area: Managers evaluate talents and direct employees to the right jobs.

After being taken over by Japanese group Kirin in 2012, the old Schincariol outfit adopted a methodology imported directly from the Tokyo headquarters to optimize processes and increase efficiency. For example: About 30,000 products came off the production lines with some kind of defect every year, something that was resolved after the company found opportunities for improvements in the operation. Most importantly, the new Kirin Brazil inaugurated a system that gathers information on the 11,000 employees, providing data on performance evaluations and individual development plans. The idea is to assist the employees in their daily growth and professional development. It's worked. Who solved the 30,000 defective product issue? The employees themselves.

To TOTVS, the maker of software that helps companies manage their operating data, nothing is more important than pure and simple innovation. Whether in a steady economy or in times of crisis, 14 percent of the company’s annual net income is always invested in innovation. However, as explained by company founder Laércio Cosentino in an article posted on LinkedIn, this does not mean investing in processes. It means more autonomy for their 7000 employees. The current leader in the SMB market in Latin America, holding upwards of a 50 percent market share in Brazil, TOTVS has operations in 41 countries and in Brazil, with 15 branches, 52 franchises, 5000 distribution channels, and 10 development centers. Cosentino says this is all thanks to its innovative employees.

Present in Latin America since the 1990s, Whirlpool started its activities rather timidly, manufacturing only microwave ovens. Today, with the Brastemp, Consul, and KitchenAid brands, the conglomerate is a leader in the appliance market and has three plants, four technology centers, 23 laboratories, three distribution centers, in addition to 20,000 employees. The big secret is always being a step ahead. Last year, for example, Whirlpool conducted a major survey to understand how Brazilians were facing one of the worst water crises in history due to the lack of rain in most of the country. The understanding that was gained about the new habits has already been translated in the development of practical and innovative solutions for products to help consumers contribute to rational water use.

There is no shortage of figures to show the reach of Kroton Educacional. In elementary education, for example, the company provides education systems to about 290,000 students from 876 member schools in Brazil. In higher education, meanwhile, there are more than a million students enrolled. Not to mention, of course, the education and training of employees themselves — in 2015, the corporate university program started providing training to upwards of 27,000 employees. But, as Kroton president Rodrigo Galindo said, all these figures are still only the tip of a (complicated) Brazilian education iceberg: "A lot of people stop along the way,” he wrote on LinkedIn. Kroton hopes to use technology to change this scenario.

Despite being the world’s largest meat processor and the global leader in chicken production, JBS aims to become the Brazilian company leading the global food industry. In order to achieve that, the company bets on a dynamic work environment for its more than 238,000 employees scattered around world. This is the management model that Wesley Batista, the company’s global CEO, dubbed, simply, Frog (“From Goiás”): A way of saying that the corporation’s culture is based on simplicity and informality. At the more than 300 JBS production units, everyone is instructed not to be ashamed of their mistakes, rather to recognize them to constantly improve. 

Present in the country since 1905, this agribusiness giant needs to reinvent itself constantly in order to maintain its sustainable growth. This goes both for the business (last year the company took on the commitment to eliminate deforestation from its supply chain) and for hiring new employees too. Bunge is on the look out for applicants who feel comfortable in a highly dynamic, fast-changing environment, always focused on productivity and results. The goal is to put into the minds of all 17,000 employees that it is still possible to boost productivity.

Maurício Freeman Klabin left Posselva, a small Jewish community in Lithuania, in 1885. He crossed Poland and Germany, part on foot, part in wagons, boarded a ship in London, and arrived at the port of Santos four years later bringing nothing but a load of cigarette paper with him. And that was absolutely all he needed to start building the foundation of Klabin, today an empire with 16 factories, 16,000 employees, revenues adding up to 4 billion Reais per year, and 450,000 hectares of forest land, including planted and preserved. That is the fearless spirit that the company continues looking for and encouraging among its employees. After all, the century-old Klabin continues undertaking - last March, the company opened its new plant in Ortigueira, Paraná, the largest investment in its history, adding up to nearly 7 billion Reais.

With nearly 120 different product lines, Hypermarcas has always tried to be a kind of Brazilian Unilever. In recent months, however, the conglomerate started a redesign to focus its efforts on the pharmaceutical industry in an attempt to consolidate its position as Brazil's biggest health and well-being product company — if there is a model now, it would be American outfit Johnson & Johnson. In November, Hypermarcas divested its cosmetics area and sold the Bozzano, Monange, Passion, Cenoura & Bronze, Risqué, and Biocolor brands to French multinational Coty. Last February, meanwhile, it sold its condom and lubricant lines to English outfit Reckitt Benckiser. Such changes require employees to always be ready to play their role as protagonists — according to the company's HR department, versatility is one characteristic the group admires.

As one of the largest consulting firms, Accenture has over 370,000 employees the world over. To keep them motivated, the company focuses on continuous learning. Last year, Accenture spent $841 million in training, offering 15 million class hours, an average of upwards of 40 hours per employee. In Brazil, more than 3,500 employees secured some internal or external certification in various technologies, industries, and methodologies. And 2,226 studied English over the EF platform, which is 100 percent subsidized by the company. Accenture also dropped its traditional annual review, replacing it with more regular feedback. All of these changes enabled the company to develop highly specialized skills in scale and to meet the rapidly changing business requirements.

The offspring of the merger between the Shell and Cosan businesses in Brazil, this joint venture has 24 production units in the country. They account for the manufacturing of 4.1 million tonnes of sugar and 2.1 billion liters of ethanol from cane sugar annually. To thrive, Raízen bets on innovation, technology, and on the talent of its nearly 30,000 employees. Aiming to motivate these employees, the company always tries to maintain a dynamic, challenging work environment. The employees are constantly encouraged to develop new ideas. Furthermore, Raízen opens the possibility for circulation among the company’s different business areas, thereby encouraging the horizontalized promotion of its employees. Raízen’s culture can be defined in four pillars: innovation, meritocracy, excellence (productivity and efficiency), and respect for life (safety and ethics).

Founded in 2008 after the merger between banking giants Holding Itaú Bancos and Unibanco, Itaú Unibanco has operations in 20 other countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Itaú Unibanco knows that there is only one way to reach the objectives of a company of its size: Relying on the work of engaged, efficient employees. Therefore, the company seeks to attract talents aligned with the holding’s culture. Called “O Nosso Jeito de Fazer” (Our Way of Doing Things), the values ​​that govern include: It's only good for us if it is good for the customer and Mad for performance. In addition to a very clear culture, Itaú Unibanco seeks other actions to keep its 90,000 employees motivated. The bank ensures it can offer a challenging, meritocratic environment. It also encourages active participation and social responsibility to form agents of transformation.

When Antonio Luis Seabra founded Natura in 1969, almost all of his competitors in the cosmetics industry used French names to create a refined image. But he had a different goal: To build a brand connected to wellness, nature, human relationships, and to improving people’s self-esteem. "It seemed to be a great opportunity," wrote Seabra in an article posted on LinkedIn. Nearly five decades later, Natura continues imbuing in its 6,000 employees this concern with the environment, social responsibility, and with an image of reliability on the market. In 2015, the company officially joined the B Team group, founded by Marc Benioff and Richard Branson and comprising companies concerned with the so-called “conscious capitalism.” While its competitors are still trying to create refined brands in the wellness industry, Natura allows its customers "to be well" with the world that surrounds them.

With nearly 50 enterprises spread throughout Brazil, BRMalls has a very clear plan: To be the largest integrated shopping center company in the world. A dream this big enables its 2600 employees to work autonomously in challenging projects. Last year, aiming to give its employees more opportunities to contribute to BRMalls’ development, the company rolled-out a program called “Trilhas de Desenvolvimento BRMalls” (BRMalls Development Trails), which consists of a series of training programs created for each one of the business areas with the purpose of further developing the employees’ specific knowledge. It has paid off, even in times of crisis - sales at its malls rose 1.8 percent in the first quarter year on year, to 5 billion Reais.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the main employers in Brazil operated in the industry: a single automaker had a workforce larger than more than 60 of the largest retail companies. Today, the figure is quite opposite: retail creates one in four jobs in the private sector. And Riachuelo, a fast fashion industry benchmark, is one of those driving the Brazilian economy. With 2 million customers using the Riachuelo card and more than 285 of its own stores spread throughout Brazil, the company has 40,000 employees that need to be increasingly agile in production and fast in distribution. After a design is approved, the time elapsed between its manufacturing and its arrival at the stores is a mere ten days. Having the entire production chain under its responsibility allows the company's efficiency to increase every year.

To Cielo, much more important than the credit card machines are the people who make any services company successful. The corporation looks for employees full of attitude, team spirit and passionate about what they do. Aiming to keep the team motivated, the company — although being seen by the market as a major corporation — tries to keep an organizational environment that inspires closeness, even with the bosses. Inaugurated in 2015, its new headquarters is designed based on an “open doors” concept so as to encourage the circulation of people and the exchange of ideas, without walls or cubicles and with informal environments. The company’s ideal is to keep the startup spirit going. 

Whether in times of bonanza or in times of crises, the BM&FBOVESPA trading floor was always the greatest symbol of the Brazilian stock market. Photos and recordings of people on edge, screaming with each other, used to illustrate the daily mood of the markets, a living barometer of the economy. Now, everything is done electronically, but the importance keeps the same – in other words, there's no room for mistakes. In order to succeed in this team, which is already 1,500-strong, one has to have sharp technical knowledge and high standards of excellence.

Just five years ago, Renner ranked sixteenth among the largest retailers in Brazil in the Brazilian Institute of Retail and Consumer Market Executives (Ibevar) ranking. Today, the company has become the country's largest department store. Its portfolio includes 264 of its own stores, in addition to four Blue Steel and 30 other Camicado stores. By 2012, it aims to have 450 stores open in Brazil. The company looks for professionals who will do anything to overcome expectations, and who are always trying to charm all customers, both internal and external. Employees, for their part, say they're happy with the company's growth. In an engagement survey carried out in February, they cited solid brand, growth opportunities, the company’s reputation, and learning as main reasons for wishing to work for the company. 

The Italian company – which has been operating in Brazil since 1998 – closed the first quarter of 2016 with a net profit of R$127.907 million, a 59.7 percent drop compared to the previous year. To recover the good figures of previous years, the company will invest R$14 billion in the Brazilian operations by the end of next year. The employees’ efforts will also be extremely welcome at this time. Therefore, when asked what most motivates its employees to want to work for the company, TIM Brazil says: The respect and transparency with which it treats its employees. In addition, the telecom company encourages connections and networking among its employees, believing that this favors overcoming challenges and achieving results. Interesting fact: The company allows its employees to wear Bermuda shorts in the workplace, and believe it, this makes a difference in the tropics. 

The French retailer operates 37 stores across Brazil, selling 80,000 different items from 14 different sectors. To guide a company of this size, it relies on an environment of cordiality, fellowship and autonomy to carry out activities, and on the possibility of building a career at the company. To Leroy Merlin, those are the main reasons why its 75,000 employees are proud to work at the company. The ideal professional for this corporation must be willing to face challenges, speak his or her mind, and participate actively in the life of the company and in one’s area. In 2015, Leroy Merlin rolled out two global programs dedicated to developing its employees’ careers: A new internal recruitment process gives the employee the chance to apply for jobs at any of the other companies of the Adeo Group (which the company is part of), in addition to a global talent acceleration program.

Like its sister operations, PwC's Brazil outpost is big on flexibility. Its "FlexMenu" program allows its employees to choose where and when they work. Some might choose to start at 7 a.m., for instance, to leave earlier in the afternoon. Others may opt for a compressed week. But, for professionals to be satisfied, they must also like their work; in 2015, 79 percent of PwC employees globally reported that they get to contribute to challenging assignments. Want to stand out? Global Chairman Bob Moritz wrote on LinkedIn that he encourages applicants to talk about their passions, whatever those might be: “I’m looking for signs that this is the kind of person who will throw their all into something.”

The brand’s story begins in 1977, when the young entrepreneur Miguel Krigsner founded a small compounding pharmacy on a quiet street in Curitiba, Paraná. “I decided to unite my belief in Brazil to a entrepreneur desire,” he says. It worked: in only ten years, O Boticário was celebrating the opening of its thousandth store. Today, with four different brands, the group has 4,000 outlets, distributed in 1,750 Brazilian cities. Innovation is a hallmark of the company, which invests 2.5% of its annual revenues in new products. For its staff, the company seeks professionals that, as Miguel Krigsner did, can transform challenges into opportunities.