“House silverware”, engineers and economists: who are the CEOs of Elite InfoMoney

O profile of the country’s main executives — os — reveals a consistent (and hardly surprising) portrait of Brazilian corporate leadership.

Leaders are, above all, professionals who grew up within their own companies, coming from traditional sectors of the economy and trained in classic careers, such as engineering, economics and administration.

A characteristic that stands out in the ranking is the long tenure of leaders within their own companies.

In total, 16 of the 54 CEOs (29.6%) have been in the company they currently command for 10 years or more, which indicates that a large portion of the Brazilian corporate elite is formed internally within the companies, with CEOs reaching the top after long, solid and predictable careers.

Sectors and professions

The survey also indicates the strength of traditional sectors of the economy, such as energy, finance and industry.

Of the 54 CEOs in the ranking, seven are from the energy sector (13%), six from the industrial and infrastructure sector (11.1%) and five from the financial segment (9.3%) – together, all other sectors account for 66.6%.

The analysis of the profiles also shows that the Brazilian CEO is, in the majority, an engineer, economist or administrator.

The list has a predominance of engineers — especially production, electrical and mechanical —, economists — especially in the financial sector — and administrators, who occupy a large part of the leadership positions in retail, services and industry.

Portraits of the top of the national executive elite

Graduated in Business Administration from Mackenzie University, Porto’s CEO, Paulo Kakinoff, is an example of an executive with a traditional background.

Before Porto Seguro, which he joined in 2024, he was CEO of GOL and Audi Brasil, in addition to having worked at Volkswagen.

“It is a great pleasure to be at Elite InfoMoney 2025, especially as it is a recognition for the entire company. We are very excited about what we have built together, through consistent results, based on a solid business strategy, with a focus on diversification of products and solutions, efficiency and fluid journeys, combined with a culture of care that drives our future”, celebrates Kakinoff.

“This distinction granted by InfoMoney confirms that we are on the right path, expanding the impact both on our ecosystem and on society, always together with Corretores Porto.”

Another prominent executive in the survey is the CEO of Motiva, Miguel Setas, who has held the position since 2023. Working for more than 25 years in the energy and infrastructure sector, Setas is an administrator with a career built in Portugal and Brazil, with experience in consultancy and large utility groups.

“Motiva’s purpose is to improve people’s lives through mobility. Each stretch of highway we modernize, each advance in the railway network or improvement in airport infrastructure is a concrete demonstration of our commitment to the safety, comfort and quality of life of millions of Brazilians”, says the CEO.

“Over the last two years, we have conducted a broad organizational transformation. We have reviewed our culture, redesigned the company structure and redefined our strategy. The new brand consolidates this movement and symbolizes a renewed positioning in the sector.”

Elite InfoMoney CEOs