Marcelo Odebrecht

Marcelo Odebrecht
Odebrecht in 2009
Born	Marcelo Bahia Odebrecht October 18, 1968 Salvador, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Alma mater	Universidade Federal da Bahia
Occupation	Chairman and CEO, Odebrecht
Known for	19 year prison sentence for corruption
Parent(s)	Emílio Odebrecht and Regina Odebrecht
Relatives	Norberto Odebrecht (grandfather)

Marcelo Bahia Odebrecht (Brazilian Portuguese: [maʁˈsɛlw baˈjɐ odɛˈbɾɛ(t͡)ʃ]; born 18 October 1968) is a Brazilian businessman, the CEO of Odebrecht, a diversified Brazilian conglomerate, which is Latin America's largest construction company. In March 2016, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for paying more than $30 million in bribes.

Early life

He was born in October 1968,^[1] the son of Emílio Odebrecht and Regina Bahia,^[2] and the grandson of Norberto Odebrecht, the company's founder.^[3] They trace their descent from a family of German immigrants to Brazil in the 1850s.^[3]

Odebrecht received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA).

Ancestors of Marcelo Odebrecht

16. Emil Odebrecht (1835–1912) Jacobshagen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Confederation               8. Edmund Odebrecht (1864–1908) Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil                       17. Bertha Bichels (1845–1910) Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, German Confederation               4. Emílio Odebrecht (1894–1962) Brazil                             9. Cäcilie Altenburg                       2. Norberto Odebrecht (1920–2014) Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil                                   1. Marcelo Bahia Odebrecht (born 1968) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil                                         3. Regina Bahia

Career

He joined Odebrecht in 1992, and was appointed CEO in 2008.^[4]

He is a vice president of the Brazilian Association of Infra-Structure and Primary Industry (ABDIB) since 2005. He is a vice president of COINFRA, FIESP since 2004. He is chairman of Odebrecht Óleo E Gás, Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias, Foz Do Brasil and Eth Bioenergia S.A. He is chairman of Braskem S.A. He serves is a director of the Exterior Commerce Chamber CONEX since 2005, a member of the strategic superior board of Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (FIESP) since 2008 and a director of the Industry Development Study Institute, IEDI since 2003.

On 19 June 2015, he was arrested as part of a major investigation, Operação Lava Jato (English: Operation Car Wash), into corruption at the state-owned oil company Petrobras.^[5] Otávio Azevedo, CEO of Andrade Gutierrez, Brazil's second largest construction firm, was also arrested, along with a total of ten others, including senior Odebrecht executives.^[6] On 8 March 2016, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison, after being convicted of paying more than $30 million in bribes.^[7][8]

Personal life

He and his wife, Isabela, have three daughters: Rafa, Gabi and Mari.^[2]

References

1. "Odebrecht Services Limited". Endole. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
2. "Tribute to Marcelo Odebrecht in Miami". Odebrechtonline. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
3. Lewis, Jeffery T (19 June 2015). "With Arrest of Marcelo Odebrecht, Brazil's Corruption Probe Moves to the Penthouse". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 June 2015. (subscription required)
4. "Interview with Marcelo Odebrecht". PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
5. "Petrobras scandal: Top construction bosses arrested in Brazil". BBC. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
6. Kiernan, Paul (23 June 2015). "S&P Downgrades Debt of Odebrecht Construction Unit Following Arrests". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 June 2015. (subscription required)
7. Fonseca, Pedro (8 March 2016). "Former Odebrecht CEO sentenced in Brazil kickback case". Reuters. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
8. "Brazil Petrobras scandal: Tycoon Marcelo Odebrecht jailed". BBC. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.