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Science Education for Social Justice

August 2022

Authors:

Arthur Galamba

King's College London

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BRAZIL BRAZIL

BUSINESS BUSINESS

BRIEFBRIEF

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

OF COMMERCE IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

3 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

ARTICLES

A bright future for offshore wind projects in Brazil

The crude reality of the oil trade

Science education for social justice

Risk and crisis management for the 2022 Brazilian elections

INTERVIEW

José Firmo - CEO of Porto do Açu

Anjoum Noorani - British Consul-General, Rio de Janeiro

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

Chamber celebrates 80th birthday in historic surroundings

CONTRIBUTORS

to King’s College London. Inside

this edition we have the texts of the

speeches made at the event made by

Arthur Galamba, a lecturer at King’s

and our host for the evening; Vera

Innes, our chair; and Roberto Dor-

ing, deputy head of mission at the

Embassy of Brazil in London.

We have four articles in this edition.

Marclo Frazão and Maria Beatriz

Gomes examine the future prospects

for offshore wind projects in Brazil; Dr

Carole Nakhle presents some of the

contemporary realities of the oil indus-

try; Arthur Galamba (in an additional

contribution) discusses science educa-

tion as a tool for social justice; and

Patricia Teixeira looks at risk and crisis

management in the context of the

forthcoming 2022 elections in Brazil.

LENA BERALDO

lena@brazilianchamber.org.uk

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

CONTENTS

CONTENTS • LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

We are also very pleased to include

two interesting interviews, with José

Firmo, CEO of Porto do Açu, and

Anjoum Noorani, the British Consul-

General in Rio de Janeiro.

The 80th anniversary of the founding

of the Chamber feels like an appropri-

ate moment to reiterate our immense

gratitude for the contributions made

by our members. It goes without say-

ing that we could not exist without

you. Here’s to the next 80 years!

With best wishes,

Lena Beraldo

Dear members and friends of the

Brazilian Chamber,

Welcome to the latest edition of the

Brazil Business Brief.

Without wanting to tempt fate, I’m

sure we’re all relieved that 2022 has

been much less severely affected by

Covid-19 than 2021 or 2020, raising

hopes of a much more positive busi-

ness environment on the horizon.

In terms of in-person events, the

highlight of the year so far has been

the recent celebration of the Cham-

ber’s 80th birthday, which took place

on 13 July in the suitably historic

surroundings of Bush House – previ-

ously the famous headquarters of

the BBC World Service and now home

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A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR OFFSHORE

WIND PROJECTS IN BRAZIL

ARTICLES

onshore wind generation and that the

potential for offshore wind energy

Brazil is substantial. The country has

geographical, climate and market con-

ditions that are favorable to offshore

wind projects, such as:

• 7,367km (4,577 miles) of

coastline and a massive technical

currently accounts for 8.8% of elec-

tricity production, following a decade

of exponential growth. Between 2015

and 2020, for example, wind-energy

generation more than doubled, rising

from 21,625 GWh to 57,051 GWh, and

it continues to grow.

The numbers are even more impres-

sive considering that they only reflect

The government has been work-

ing to create a regulatory frame-

work. On 15 June 2022, Decree No.

10,946/2022, which was published

earlier this year and regulates the

exploration of offshore wind energy in

Brazil, enters into force.

The decree represents an impor-

tant milestone for the industry. Until

its publication, companies interested

in developing offshore wind projects

could only rely on expectations or

analogies deriving from the onshore

wind-energy regulations (e.g., Nor-

mative Resolution No. 876/2020).

While some offshore wind projects in

Brazil have already obtained prelimi-

nary licences based on onshore wind

regulations, soon enough the mar-

ket realised that there are too many

incompatibilities between onshore and

offshore projects and that a specific

regulatory framework for the latter

was necessary.

Decree No. 10,946/2022 estab-

lishes that exploration rights shall be

granted through the assignment of

the use of maritime areas, authorised

by the Ministry of Mines and Energy

(MME) and formalised by means of

an assignment contract for the use

of public real-estate property. For the

development of research and techno-

logical activities related to offshore

wind generation, the assignment of

use shall be made without the pay-

ment of a granting fee.

The use of the area may be as-

signed through a planned assign-

ment by the government, with the

offer of prisms (designated areas

located in Brazilian offshore waters)

to private parties following a bidding

procedure, or through an independ-

ent assignment, in which private

companies may submit a request to

the MME for the exploration of spe-

cific prisms, provided that studies

are carried out beforehand.

Similar to what is required from

oil and gas companies, the inter-

ested parties must prove that they

potential, estimated at around

700GW – 50m depth, for the

development of offshore wind en-

ergy. The states of Ceará, Espírito

Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande

do Norte and Rio Grande do Sul

have particularly impressive wind-

energy potential.

• The experience with the value

chain of the onshore wind sector

presents an opportunity for the

development of the value chain of

the offshore wind-energy sector.

Brazil boasts wind-turbine assem-

bly units and the local manufac-

ture of components and subcom-

ponents for onshore wind power,

enabling the country also to offer

goods and services in all phases

of an offshore wind project.

• The local knowledge acquired

from offshore oil and gas pro-

jects can contribute to the

development of the offshore

wind industry. The local exper-

tise in operations in deep and

ultra-deep waters of the oil and

gas sector paves the way for the

development of offshore infra-

structure, from foundations and

structures to project manage-

ment and working with moving

cables or seabed surveys.

BY MARCELO FRAZÃO AND MARIA BEATRIZ GOMES

THE LOCAL EXPERTISE

IN OPERATIONS IN DEEP

AND ULTRA-DEEP WATERS

OF THE OIL AND GAS

SECTOR PAVES THE WAY

FOR THE DEVELOPMENT

OF OFFSHORE

INFRASTRUCTURE

Brazil is already a leading

country when it comes

to having a diverse ma-

trix of sustainable en-

ergy sources. In 2020,

renewable energy sources provided

no less than 48.4% of Brazil’s total

energy consumption and 84.8% of

its electricity production. Wind energy

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Force Command, given the possibil-

ity of interference in air operations;

(iv) IBAMA, in order to confirm the

existence of other environmental-

licensing proceedings in the area; (v)

ICMBio, given the activities’ poten-

tial environmental impacts; (vi) the

Ministry of Infrastructure, to evaluate

compatibility with the ports and sea-

transportation plans; (vii) the Ministry

of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply,

in view of potential impacts on fish-

ing; (viii) the Ministry of Tourism, to

assess possible impacts on tourism;

and (ix) the National Telecommuni-

cations Agency (ANATEL), to avoid

conflicts with communications areas

and systems.

ARTICLES

THE WINNING BIDDER

WILL BE THE COMPANY

THAT PRESENTS TO

THE GOVERNMENT THE

PROPOSAL WITH THE

HIGHEST ECONOMIC

RETURN FOR THE

PRISMS.

have sufficient technical, operational,

economic-financial and legal capac-

ity to guarantee the implementation

of the project, the operation and the

decommissioning of activities. The

winning bidder will be the company

that presents to the government the

proposal with the highest economic

return for the prisms.

In addition, the decree establishes

that the National Electric Energy

Agency (ANEEL) must authorise the

activities. The assignment of use of

the prisms is therefore not sufficient

for the development of the project:

complementary regulations by ANEEL

are still required in order to establish

the authorisation proceedings. The

MME may also delegate to ANEEL

powers to enter into the assignment

contracts.

The assignment of use of the

prisms also depends on the issuance

of a Prior Interference Declaration

(DIP), which aims to identify if there

are any interferences by the prism in

other facilities or activities.

The DIP must be issued by (i) the

National Petroleum Agency (ANP),

which regulates oil and gas offshore

production activities; (ii) Navy Com-

mand, given that the installations will

be floating in Brazilian waters; (iii) Air

ARTICLES

THE CRUDE REALITY OF THE OIL TRADE

BY DR CAROLE NAKHLE IN CONJUNCTION WITH ROBERTO ULIVIERI

EUROPE’S DEPENDENCE

Russia’s importance to global

and European oil markets stems

from its role as a major exporter

of both crude oil and oil refined

products, primarily diesel.

In 2021, Russia produced 10.8

mb/d of oil (around 11 percent

of the world total), out of which

nearly 5 mb/d was sold abroad.

About 1.5 mb/d was exported via

pipeline to the Far East (China and

the Pacific region), and around 0.5

mb/d typically supplies refineries

in Belarus and Kazakhstan. Ap-

proximately 0.4 mb/d are pro-

duced in the Russian Far East and

traded in the Pacific region.

FACTS & FIGURES

Most of the remainder, approxi-

mately 2.5 mb/d, ended up in Europe,

where European refineries largely

processed it to make oil products,

including diesel for local consumption.

Additionally, Russia exports close to

3 mb/d of refined and semi-refined

products (including 1 mb/d diesel),

most of which stay in Europe. The rest

is sent to the U.S. and Asia via Europe.

If Europe imposes sanctions on Rus-

sia’s oil exports, one might therefore

expect Russia to lose access to its most

important market and logistics and

suffer economic consequences. This

reasoning, though, does not consider

the dynamics of the global oil trade.

ARTICLES

The MME will issue complemen-

tary rules to the provisions of the

decree within 180 days of it coming

into effect. We also expect that each

governmental authority described in

the decree will create its own sets of

regulations in the near future.

There is still work to be done, from

the regulatory perspective, so that

offshore wind projects become a real-

ity in Brazil. But that work should not

take long to carry out. The market

has shown significant appetite to

invest, with more than 60 projects in

the licensing phase, and the Brazilian

government seems to be well aware

of the opportunity they present. There

is a bright future for offshore wind

projects in Brazil.

In 1907, a United States court

observed in its ruling that ‘oil is

wild and will run away if it finds an

opening’. Such a basic yet pow-

erful feature of oil explains why

Russian oil, if forced to leave the market

through one door, will find a way to return

through another – either in its crude state

or disguised in a refined product. As a

result, much guesswork is involved in

estimating how many barrels global oil

markets could lose if Russian supplies

are curtailed, whether through embar-

goes or sanctions.

Being a liquid, oil is much easier to

store and transport than natural gas (or,

in fact, any other non-liquid fuel). Conse-

quently, oil markets offer greater flexibil-

ity. For a buyer, the access to ports and

oil depots automatically grants access to

a global market where nearly three-quar-

ters of the oil produced – a staggering

65 million barrels a day (mb/d) – change

ownership across countries and regions

while involving a myriad of traders the

world over.

In contrast, in the natural-gas market,

infrastructure often links a buyer and a

seller who become interdependent for be-

ing unable to either buy from somewhere

else or sell somewhere else. That technical

constraint explains why only a quarter of

the gas produced is traded internationally.

RUSSIA’S DIESEL EXPORTS, 2021

NORTH EUROPE

MEDITERRANEAN,

INC. NORTH AFRICA

BALTIC STATES

BLACK SEA

ASIA PACIFC

WEST AFRICA

U.S.

421

0 900

196 90 83 39 30

In thousands of barrels per day

OTHER

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UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

For a successful sanctions sce-

nario to materialise, all major oil

consumers would need to reject

Russian oil. However, among those

who are unlikely to go down that

route happen to be the world’s

biggest net oil importers, namely

China and India; they alone are

large enough to absorb the entirety

of Russian exports. In fact, some

Indian refiners have bought more

cargoes carrying Russian oil since

the invasion of Ukraine began and

have been open about their inten-

tion to benefit from the opportunity

to buy at below-market prices.

Chinese trader Unipec reportedly

traded Urals to China in February.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

bluntly stated that Russia would be

able to redirect crude oil not taken

by European buyers to the Asia-

Pacific market.

More recently, CNOOC, Sinopec

and Sinochem, three large Chinese

state-owned refiners, have announced

their intention to stop buying Russian

crude. These companies jointly oper-

ate approximately 7 mb/d of refin-

ing capacity, but there is another 11

mb/d of capacity in China that is not

operated by these companies.

Supply chains will develop outside

the sanction perimeter and Russian

crude prices will gradually find a

new equilibrium.

Not all buyers share the same

standard of ethics. Even without

sanctions, many buyers (primarily

Western-based, but also some Asian)

have shied away from Russian crude

for various reasons that include the

difficulty of financing transactions,

arranging the shipping and, above all,

reputational risk.

Shell, for instance, faced a nota-

ble backlash after buying a cargo of

Russian oil at the $27.85 per barrel (/

bbl) discount to Brent – the industry’s

commonly used benchmark against

which many other crudes are as-

sessed. ExxonMobil had to publicly

clarify that a cargo received at its

Fawley refinery was Kazakhstan crude

shipped via Russia. Because of the

widespread self-sanctioning, Urals,

the main Russian export grade, sold

at a discount. In January it was trad-

ing at $1/bbl below Brent. By March,

it had fallen to below $30/bbl.

This is surely bad news for Russia.

However, it is exactly that discount

that will attract other buyers. Any

refiner willing to process Urals crude

purchased at current prices is cer-

tain to make its highest-ever margin.

Supply chains will develop outside the

sanction perimeter and Russian crude

prices will gradually find a new equi-

librium, perhaps at more moderate

discounts. The outcome will depend

on what share of the global market

remains accessible to Russia, which

will determine who has pricing power.

How, one may ask, has the tool

of sanctioning oil exports largely

worked against Iran, stunting its

economic growth and curbing its re-

gime’s militarist ambitions, but is ex-

pected to prove less effective against

Russia? The short answer is that Iran

is a much smaller oil exporter, the

sanctions have been imposed on it

for decades. Iran is not a significant

exporter of refined products; at one

point, it was actually a large import-

er of gasoline.

Technically, refineries are config-

ured to take specific types of crude.

Urals is a medium gravity crude,

and European refineries will find it

challenging to replace it. The most

favourable options from the stand-

point of logistics and pricing would be

light crude. Like-for-like replacement

would be available from the Middle

East. However, Middle Eastern crude

ARTICLES

has historically fetched higher prices

in the Asian market precisely because

the European market used to be sup-

plied by Russia. It will be interesting

to see how the market allocates pric-

ing power between European refiners

with few options to replace Russian

crude and sellers with their high-

est value markets flooded by cheap

Russian crude. The price of European

crude will most likely rise relative to

the rest of the world.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR

THIRD PARTIES

The supply gap resulting from

the loss of Russian diesel in Europe

would have to be filled, most likely

by supplies from the Middle East

and Asia. For example, Total has

announced it will stop buying diesel

from Russia and replace it with diesel

sourced from its share of the SATORP

refinery in Saudi Arabia. This replace-

ment, however, will not come for free.

European diesel prices will have to

increase relative to other markets to

cover higher transportation costs and

make such a trade viable.

Furthermore, Russian refineries

can still sell diesel at very competi-

tive prices, especially since they are

subsidised. At current crude market

prices, the margin for a European

refinery could go negative by several

dollars, while a Russian refinery can

still sell at a profit.

In this case, a country like India

(which exports 25-30 percent of its

diesel production, and around 0.3

mb/d of it goes to Europe), can

import discounted Russian diesel for

local consumption and export their

own diesel to Europe. India and China

are notable for their size, but many

other countries could do the same.

Europe would pull more supplies from

the global market and Russian diesel

displaced from Europe would flow to

other world markets to fill the gap.

EUROPEAN DIESEL

PRICES WILL HAVE TO

INCREASE RELATIVE

TO OTHER MARKETS

TO COVER HIGHER

TRANSPORTATION

COSTS AND MAKE

SUCH A TRADE VIABLE

ARTICLES

SCENARIOS

Of course, Russia will incur some

pain even in the currently imperfect

world of sanctions. While it can keep

selling oil and refined products, it

would have to price them as needed to

achieve a larger share of a smaller ac-

cessible market and to overcome any

resistance related to the risk of deal-

ing with it. It will have to penetrate

markets that are further away and are

more costly to access. The discount-

ing will therefore stay at some level.

But Europe, too, will have to accept

the inconvenient truth of facing higher

prices – the result of severing relation-

ships with a low-cost supplier of crude

and products.

As long as there is no global co-

ordinated effort to sanction Russian

exports of crude oil and oil products,

a partial sanctions regime would lead

merely to a global rearrangement

of trade flows with financial losses

on both sides. This would produce

some winners among those who will

be there to capture the commercial

opportunities.

The article was first published by

Geopolitical Intelligence Services in

April 2022: GIS Reports – Providing a

basis for decisions

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SCIENCE EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

ARTICLES

is the great need science educators

have felt recently to develop education

focused on social justice. This need

has become evident as science educa-

tion has developed over the last few

decades and is reflected in the events

that the Hub has held to date.

Historically, science education in

the UK, Brazil and other countries has

seminars, presentations and mini-

courses, always carried out in partner-

ship between educators from the two

countries (if you want to learn more

about the Hub and potentially partici-

pate in it, see www.stemeducationhub.

co.uk). The Hub supports and pro-

motes work in all areas of STEM edu-

cation, but it is particularly notable

education. But, in the words of the

researchers Jesse Bazzul and Sara

Tolbert, ‘science education, in its

conservative formulations, may simply

be a distraction from far more impor-

tant educational priorities’. This is an

important provocation. How can we re-

main indifferent to science education

for children that does not take into

account social development?

Starting in the 1980s, a number of

science educators began to question

narrow and dehumanised approaches

to science education and developed

what became known as the Science,

Technology and Society (STS) ap-

proach to science teaching. The aim of

the STS movement is to bring social,

cultural and political aspects of sci-

ence into science education and to

teach students the impact of science

and technology on the way we live. The

principles of the STS movement have

been widely adopted in curricula and

classroom practice – especially, in the

UK, for students aged between 11 and

15. In my opinion the STS movement

has managed to transform science

education, teaching students to be

more critical about social issues, rais-

ing awareness of issues such as ethics

in science, citizen privacy through the

use of technology, and the impact of

science on the environment.

But despite the advances on social

issues, no STS project appears to

have addressed issues of social

inequity and injustice in an extensive

and transformative way. I am think-

ing, for example, about the lack of

representation of women, people

of colour, Muslims and other socio-

ethnic-religious minorities in the sci-

ences, and how science education has

worked to reduce these differences. I

am also thinking about the immense

social inequality that divides rich and

poor, and how science education has

sought to teach students the process-

es and products of science. By scien-

tific processes, I mean how scientists

work, the forms of reasoning they use,

how they collaborate, and the meth-

ods and techniques scientists tradi-

tionally use to gather data, analyse it

and draw logical conclusions consist-

ent with scientific theories and laws.

By the products of science, I mean

established scientific knowledge, such

as taxonomies, models, theories and

laws that have been developed over

the centuries and are used to make

sense of the technological world we

live in, to explain natural phenomena

and to predict how the natural world

will behave under certain conditions.

Traditionally, science teaching con-

veys the idea that scientific practice

is impersonal, motivated purely by

the conquest of knowledge and the

discovery of the ‘truth’, without any

‘lesser’ values and interests. Much of

this belief derives from the perception

of the work of the great physicists of

the past; of how they dedicated their

lives to working alone and resolutely

in laboratories full of apparatus in

order to discover universal laws.

It is clear that learning the pro-

cesses and products of science is at

the heart of any high-quality science

BY ARTHUR GALAMBA

SCIENCE TEACHING

CONVEYS THE IDEA THAT

SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE

IS IMPERSONAL,

MOTIVATED PURELY

BY THE CONQUEST OF

KNOWLEDGE AND THE

DISCOVERY OF THE

‘TRUTH’, WITHOUT ANY

‘LESSER’ VALUES AND

INTERESTS

ARTICLES

In January 2021, King’s College

London in partnership with

the British Council created the

STEM Education Hub, which

aims to bring together the work

of STEM (science, technology, engi-

neering and mathematics) educators

from the UK and Brazil. In its first

year of existence, the Hub has held

ARTICLES

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there are already several research

and teaching projects in the UK and

Brazil that work on gender inclusion,

fostering ambition and self-esteem

among children from low-income

families, and how to decolonise the

science curriculum. Projects like these

seek to make access to learning more

democratic and inclusive. The STEM

Education Hub supports this quest

for a fairer and more equal world with

great enthusiasm, and I believe this is

the ideology that will prevail.

ARTICLES

RISK AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT FOR

THE 2022 BRAZILIAN ELECTIONS

BY PATRICIA TEIXEIRA

If you look back over the last two

years, what events have impacted

your business?

We have had, of course, the

Covid-19 pandemic, the US elections,

the war in Ukraine and the dramatic

increase in the price of gas, electric-

ity, and other energy sources. These

are all examples of indirect risks that

are difficult to manage as they are not

within our control, but they require

prior mapping so that we can under-

stand their impact on our businesses

and the degree to which they can

potentially cause or escalate a crisis.

In addition, it is important to keep

social issues and environmental risks

– such as climate change – on the

radar, but without taking our eyes off

internal and corporate risks.

THE BEGINNING OF THE

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

HAS WITNESSED THE

RETURN OF FASCIST

IDEAS IN GREAT

WESTERN DEMOCRACIES,

WORKING STRATEGICALLY

TO WIDEN OPPRESSION,

EXCLUSION,

INTOLERANCE AND

INEQUALITY

been particularly unappealing for poor

and black children, and thus served

as a tool for maintaining inequalities.

Many science educators can no longer

ignore this elephant in the room. It no

longer makes sense to talk only about

knowledge if there is no awareness

of the pain and exclusion of so many

human beings. In the words of Derek

Hodson, a science thinker and educa-

tor who has greatly influenced me, we

need a science curriculum for ‘people

who will fight for what is right, good

and fair; people who will work to re-

shape society along more socially just

lines; people who will work vigorously

in the best interests of the biosphere’.

The beginning of the twenty-first

century has witnessed the return of

fascist ideas in great Western democ-

racies, working strategically to widen

oppression, exclusion, intolerance and

inequality. But in the UK, Brazil the

United States and many other coun-

tries, I also see a democratic force

growing within science-education

research centres. Educators have

been developing ways of educating

the next generations to perceive and

question social structures of domina-

tion and exploitation, and feelings that

ignore and dehumanise being human.

We’re still only at the beginning, but

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How prepared is your company for

turbulent scenarios that are difficult

to control?

All such possible scenarios require

planning. There is no other way.

Brazil – famous for its music, par-

ties, football, the joy of its people, its

tourism, and so many other attributes

– is a strategic player in international

markets, which present a multitude of

opportunities and risks. The upcoming

2022 elections require organisations –

whether Brazilian ones or internation-

al ones operating in the country – to

do a significant amount of homework.

This has to be faced by any company

that is serious about strategy.

The most important step is to carry

out research on data and impacts, col-

lecting data that may point to impacts

– whether direct or indirect – on the

business and its stakeholders. The

second step is for the organisation’s

senior leadership to become involved

in this process. The most important

step of all is to set up a risk-and-crisis

committee, or equivalent, with depart-

ments of the organisation for aware-

ness, immersion in the theme and

preparation of a working plan.

When we talk about policy within

companies, we need to discuss, de-

bate, collect data and assess impacts.

This is the only way for organisations

to grow together with the country. If

it has a well-developed committee or

working group, the company will be

able to reach a higher strategic level.

Information is the great source that

drives risk and crisis. It is important

to consider demographic, economic,

social, environmental, cultural, tech-

nological, educational and analysis

data from the last fifteen years. In

addition, it is important to understand

the characteristics of each candidate

and potential impacts on the inter-

national market. When it comes to

economic analysis, it is important to

acquire data from the sectors your

organisation is involved in, whether

directly or indirectly.

Personally, I really like to create a

map featuring risks, risk categories,

impacts, consequences and affected

stakeholders. Based on this, a stra-

tegic framework can be initiated and

created. This exercise can be com-

pleted for the election candidates who

are best placed in the opinion polls,

so as to build up an understanding of

their viewpoint.

With a risk-and-crisis committee in

place, combined with rich and strate-

gic information, the question is: what

are the candidates’ potential impacts

on your business and stakeholders?

This becomes a game of strategy,

in which you open a map and place

pieces on it. You should remember

to consider those issues that might

affect your business only indirectly – a

good example was the wave of dem-

onstrations in Brazil in 2013, when

protests over an increase in bus fares

proved a catalyst for anger about nu-

merous other issues. The demonstra-

tions were accompanied by strikes,

road closures and some violent inci-

dents, such as the breaking of shop

windows and attacks on banks. At the

time, few companies had foreseen the

impact that such events could have –

ARTICLES

deliveries could not be made, employ-

ees were unable to travel to work and

customers were not served.

There was also the truck drivers’

strike that paralysed Brazil for almost

a month in 2018, directly affecting

logistics, production, and the supply

of raw materials. The people who had

to struggle to reduce the impacts and

put alternative plans on the table were

the crisis-management teams and

those working in business continuity.

Today, we are in the era when we

think about ESG – environment, social

and governance – criteria, so we need

to understand what the future poli-

cies for the environment are, what the

politicians’ promises to the voters are,

and who the internal and external audi-

ences are. When the population has the

genuine prospect of growth, everyone

wins: there are more consumers willing

to spend, industry moves along, we

have jobs and income generation for

everyone, and the population is satis-

fied. But without that prospect, the

country faces hopelessness, economic

paralysis, growing insecurity and an

increased sense of threat.

Any action undertaken today needs

to be critically evaluated. ESG has

become the agenda of the moment:

what is done today will have conse-

quences tomorrow. Once again, risks,

impacts and preventative measures

have to be considered.

A risk-and-crisis committee, data

collection, and an understanding of

possible impacts are the initial steps,

but they require the formulation of an

action plan for each critical scenario

that may develop, with trigger flows,

response actions and a structure that

monitors and lets the business know

the right time to act, according to

each established trigger.

Elections involve external factors

that are difficult to control, but which

have an impact in the short, medium

and long term. A strategic business is

an organisation that is aware of the

risks and has a 360-degree vision that

will allow it to secure its strategic ob-

jectives, while also protecting people

and the environment.

ARTICLES

WHAT IS DONE

TODAY WILL HAVE

CONSEQUENCES

TOMORROW. ONCE AGAIN,

RISKS, IMPACTS AND

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES

HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED

BRAZIL – FAMOUS FOR

ITS MUSIC, PARTIES,

FOOTBALL, THE JOY

OF ITS PEOPLE, ITS

TOURISM, AND SO MANY

OTHER ATTRIBUTES –

IS A STRATEGIC PLAYER

IN INTERNATIONAL

MARKETS, WHICH

PRESENT A MULTITUDE

OF OPPORTUNITIES

AND RISKS

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

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BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

INTERVIEW

Brazil, consolidating Porto do Açu as

a world-class energy/industry gate-

way. Our strategy is to achieve three

pillars of growth – to expand natural

vocations from the port, to attract

industries while consolidating service

capabilities, and to foster new, low-

carbon energy and digital business.

In this sense, we are working to

develop renewables projects, including

green-hydrogen projects, solar plants

and offshore wind farms located not

far from the port. Together, those pro-

jects together will allow us to attract

the low-carbon industries of the future,

such as fertilisers, HBI and pellets.

What do you think are the main chal-

lenges facing the Brazilian economy

in the next few years?

Brazil’s economy is facing two stiff

headwinds. First, the rate of growth

of private consumption is still rela-

tively weak. Consumer confidence is

subdued, with inflation rising and un-

employment still high. This will likely

thwart production and private invest-

ment. Second, external factors – such

as supply-chain challenges due to the

COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian

invasion of Ukraine – will likely weigh

on the currency and global demand.

Although Brazil has limited direct

exposure to Russia and Ukraine in

terms of trade, it won’t remain insu-

lated from the conflict’s impact on the

global economy. However, exports are

booming and Porto do Açu has been

able to take advantage of this trend

by increasing its cargo movement by

20% year on year.

Brazil’s investment in renewable en-

ergy has been impressive. In addition

to baseload hydraulic power, wind

energy now accounts for around 20%

of Brazil’s generation capacity, and

solar is growing fast. Do you think

Porto do Açu could accommodate

renewable equipment manufacturers,

assembling companies as well as

renewable-energy projects?

Açu is the most efficient hub in

support of the offshore industry. Glob-

al players are licensing offshore wind

projects in the area around the port,

seeing it as the landing spot and O&M

base for renewable-energy generation.

Considering the consolidation of these

nearby offshore projects and also

the availability of land, we have been

in touch with the main equipment

manufacturers and O&M companies

interested in land new facilities in our

port to support this growth. Inside the

port we are developing a 200MW solar

plant with Equinor, and just last week

we signed a MOU with Shell to jointly

develop a green-hydrogen plant. This

is the first green-hydrogen project to

be developed in Brazil. It will be start-

ing with 10MW electrolyser capacity,

going up to 100MW.

There is much talk about promoting

offshore wind-power generation in

Brazil. How do you see its potential?

The offshore wind market in Brazil

has been moving in an organised and

fast way. Studies indicate that the

est thermoelectric power complex in

Latin America, which already includes

a 1.3 GW power plant currently sup-

plied by LNG. The port’s Multicargo

Terminal has handled more than 4.7

million tons of bulk and general cargo

since 2016. Açu also has the third-

largest iron-ore-export terminal in Bra-

zil, owned by Ferroport, a joint venture

between Anglo American and Prumo.

Porto do Açu’s proximity to the

main oil fields, its diverse portfolio of

services and its world-class infra-

structure give it a leadership posi-

tion in logistical support and make

it a gateway between Brazil’s grow-

ing economy and the international

businesses of the future. Açu is a

strategic subsea cluster serving the

O&G market and has already attracted

global giants, such as BP and Shell,

to northern Rio de Janeiro state. The

port also offers natural potential for

offshore wind generation, as it’s near

one of the country’s best regions

for wind incidence and can already

provide offshore wind manufacturing,

assembly and logistics.

The port is an industrial platform

ready to increase the sustainability

and shared value of energy chains –

and its industrialisation will be based

on sustainable projects and clean-en-

ergy generation, such as photovoltaic,

offshore wind and hydrogen.

What kind of businesses are you

aiming to attract in the near future?

Our vision is to contribute to the

social and economic development of

José Firmo is the CEO of

Porto do Açu, an industrial

port complex on the coast

of Rio de Janeiro state. His

previous roles include West-

ern Hemisphere senior vice president

of Seadrill Operations (2014–19) and

president of the Brazilian Petroleum

Institute (2017–19). He has more than

30 years’ experience in the Oilfield

Services industry.

Could you provide some details

about Porto do Açu (PdA) and its

key activities?

Porto do Açu is one of the largest

energy and infrastructure enterprises

in Brazil. It’s home to the world’s larg-

est offshore support base for oil and

gas (O&G) and is developing the larg-

INTERVIEW

BY IEDA GOMES

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

JOSÉ FIRMO

CEO OF PORTO DO AÇU

OUR STRATEGY IS TO

ACHIEVE THREE PILLARS

OF GROWTH – TO EXPAND

NATURAL VOCATIONS

FROM THE PORT, TO

ATTRACT INDUSTRIES

WHILE CONSOLIDATING

SERVICE CAPABILITIES,

AND TO FOSTER NEW,

LOW-CARBON ENERGY AND

DIGITAL BUSINESS

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

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BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

Porto do Açu is developing a

substantial port and industrial com-

plex, with renewable energy and the

availability of water and land as the

main input factors for green-hydrogen

production. It also has also one of

the largest liquid terminals, capable

of exporting millions of tons per year,

which potentially will be crucial for

exporting green liquid ammonia.

Due to Porto do Açu’s attributes and

the diversity of its end users, we be-

lieve there is a natural synergistic link

to be built between the green-hydrogen

potential for generating offshore wind

power in Brazil would be 697GW in

locations with up 50m depths. There

are up to 40 environmental-licensing

processes for offshore wind farms cur-

rently under analysis, totalling more

than 80GW of power.

In addition to this potential and the

excellent quality of wind resources,

Brazil’s vocation for offshore wind-

power generation is also due to the

existing onshore wind supply chain,

which is well established and can be

adapted to offshore projects. We are

also well positioned to make use of all

the shallow- and deep-water expertise

and infrastructure developed by the

country’s O&G industry.

Do you see Brazil as an important

player in green hydrogen?

Brazil is among the world’s most

competitive green-hydrogen export-

ers, with strong renewable-energy

sources – solar and wind – for green-

hydrogen production.

As connecting points between land

and sea, ports will play a key role in

the energy-transition and industrial-

decarbonisation agenda, serving as

a platform for connectivity between

industrial clusters in a wide range

of sectors.

value chain and the significant industri-

al developments planned for the port.

How could UK financial institutions

collaborate to foster investment in

Porto do Açu?

The port could be a major gateway

connecting Brazil and UK. We are

developing projects that will be able

to support the UK’s energy transfor-

mation, as foreseen in their net-zero

target. Examples of positive partner-

ships are our gas-fired power park

with BP and the recently announced

green hydrogen project with Shell.

These efforts are part of the British

companies’ strategies to decarbonise

their value chains and consolidate the

UK’s leading role when it comes to

clean-growth opportunities.

UK financial institutions are ena-

blers of projects that can generate

benefits for the British economy by fi-

nancing foreign projects tied to British

companies, projects that can increase

UK exports, or even projects to meet

British energy demands. Close collabo-

ration with UK financial institutions can

enable even more clean-development

opportunities at Porto do Açu.

How do you attract and develop tal-

ent, taking into account the current

INTERVIEW

market dynamics?

Porto do Açu has become a hub

with a great capacity for job crea-

tion. We have an HR strategy based

on three pillars: attraction, develop-

ment and culture. To attract talent,

we offer gateway programmes such

as internships, trainee schemes

and apprenticeships – as well as a

programme focused specifically on

people in the local area. We also

focus on leadership development,

encouraging employees to develop

into future leaders. We support and

empower our management in their

decision-making. And every year

we carry out a survey to monitor

organizational climate and its

results help us to consolidate our

working culture.

What are your top priorities

for 2022?

To expand our terminal that

handles cargo, to attract a green-

hydrogen project together with an

industrial project, and to be the

port of choice for the fast-develop-

ing offshore-wind industry.

Porto do Açu is a valued member of

the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce

in Great Britain. What are your

suggestions for promoting Brazilian

members in the UK?

Since last year, when we joined the

Chamber, our partnership with it has

been very positive in terms of promot-

ing connections between the Brazilian

and British markets, and raising aware-

ness of the projects and opportunities

we offer. The Chamber should continue

to promote networking and exchanges

of expertise, as well as building new

bridges between UK companies and

potential investors. It’s a partnership

we want to continue with.

WE SUPPORT AND

EMPOWER OUR

MANAGEMENT IN

THEIR DECISION-

MAKING. AND EVERY

YEAR WE CARRY OUT A

SURVEY TO MONITOR

ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE

AND ITS RESULTS HELP

US TO CONSOLIDATE OUR

WORKING CULTURE

INTERVIEW

THE PORT COULD BE

A MAJOR GATEWAY

CONNECTING BRAZIL AND

UK. WE ARE DEVELOPING

PROJECTS THAT WILL

BE ABLE TO SUPPORT

THE UK’S ENERGY

TRANSFORMATION, AS

FORESEEN IN THEIR NET-

ZERO TARGET

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

20 21 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

INTERVIEW

of collaboration. So, renewable energy,

maritime, mining and infrastructure

have historically been natural areas of

partnership. Defence and security are

also important sectors for us.

More recently, we’ve seen a growing

partnership in food and drink – with

whisky and cachaça flowing in both

directions – and in agri-tech. I’d love

to do more to promote financial ser-

vices, connecting the huge Brazilian

market with innovative and world-

famous UK expertise in this sector.

And education, engineering, automo-

tive and aerospace are further sectors

we prioritise in the British diplomatic

network across Brazil.

Are there global partnerships and

financing opportunities available for

Brazilian companies willing to invest

in the UK, including in start-ups?

Yes, especially linked to clean

growth. Three quick examples here.

First, the Clean Green Initiative,

launched by the Prime Minister at

COP26 last year in Glasgow, is the

climate pillar of British Investment

Partnerships. We support coun-

tries to mobilise public and private

finance to deliver on their climate

ambitions through Just Energy Tran-

sition Partnerships.

Second, we also support countries

to issue green bonds and create

new investment vehicles that help

partner countries raise finance on

international stock markets, through

the Mobilising Institutional Capital

Through Listed Product Structures

(MOBILIST) programme.

And third, UK Export Finance

(UKEF) aims to increase its support

to clean and green infrastructure in

developing and emerging markets

and its presence in key countries to

provide direct lending and guaran-

tees. For example, UKEF provided over

£140 million in export finance to help

develop Ghana’s healthcare, sanita-

tion and transport systems, while also

helping to secure export opportuni-

ties for UK companies on these major

national infrastructure projects.

Jonathan Knott, the UK’s consul-gen-

eral in São Paulo, is also the trade

commissioner who champions Brit-

ish trade with Latin America and the

Caribbean. How is he going to liaise

with business and trade organisa-

tions in Brazil?

Jonathan leads our commercial

teams across the region, who identify

business opportunities using UK ex-

pertise. We believe in mutually benefi-

cial alliances, changing the perception

of the UK in Latin America and the

Caribbean, and vice versa, and having

impact on the ground by understand-

ing deeply the needs of companies on

both sides of the Atlantic.

Trade organisations are key part-

ners in this. They have knowledge,

networks and – most importantly –

the drive and enthusiasm to broaden

and deepen trading links. By working

together we can connect potential

partners, build new ideas into com-

mercial opportunities, generate jobs

and offer new products and services.

And by doing this, we improve lives of

countless people across the world.

After having left the European Union,

is the UK planning to build a ‘special

relationship’ with Brazil?

Yes. Brazil is Latin America’s big-

warm and friendly; none more so than

my team in the Consulate. We handle

all sorts of issues here: politics, me-

dia, consular, climate, and more. But

the largest part of my team works on

trade and investment, particularly on

energy, marine, defence and security,

and creative industries.

This year is special for UK-Rio rela-

tions for three reasons. First, it is the

200th anniversary of Brazil’s inde-

pendence – something Britain sup-

ported – and Rio will be hosting vari-

ous events to celebrate that landmark

in September. Second, it is the 30th

anniversary of the Rio Earth Sum-

mit in 1992, a seminal event which

planted the seed of what has become

much of the international climate and

environment architecture – COP26 in

Glasgow being the most recent mani-

festation of this. And third, Rio is well

on the way to emerging from pandem-

ic hibernation, meaning that there is

a powerful demand for reconnecting –

something that the team and I intend

to take advantage of!

What are currently the priority areas

for trade between Brazil and the

United Kingdom?

Many and varied! It’s hard to cap-

ture the breadth of a trading relation-

ship, which ranges from wind power to

cutting-edge drugs, with anything and

everything in the middle.

That said, our priorities focus on

those areas where there is both a Brit-

ish or Brazilian natural specialisation,

and a pre-existing, or potential, culture

Anjum Noorani has been

HM Consul-General in Rio

de Janeiro since Decem-

ber 2021. In addition to

leading the UK govern-

ment’s presence in Rio, he oversees

its work across Brazil on climate and

energy issues. Anjum joined the UK

Foreign, Commonwealth & Develop-

ment Office in 2000; his previous post-

ings included Moscow, Brasilia, Buenos

Aires and Mexico City.

Could you tell us a little about the

British Consulate’s activities in Rio

de Janeiro, and how you liaise with

UK government departments?

Rio is stunning; famously one of

the most vibrant and diverse cities

in Latin America. Cariocas are open,

INTERVIEW

BY IEDA GOMES

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

ANJOUM NOORANI

BRITISH CONSUL-GENERAL, RIO DE JANEIRO

MORE RECENTLY, WE’VE

SEEN A GROWING

PARTNERSHIP IN FOOD

AND DRINK – WITH

WHISKY AND CACHAÇA

FLOWING IN BOTH

DIRECTIONS – AND

IN AGRI-TECH

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

22 23 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

work for large investors, and so on.

One of the great advantages of

having a team dedicated to this is

that they can scrutinise all the possi-

ble variants, ranging from regulation

to identifying real business opportu-

nities. There are, of course, a great

number of sectors in which Brazilian

companies can invest in the UK, but

our team in Brazil works more specif-

ically with the following sectors: clean

agri-tech, EdTech, Financial services,

Fintech, Food and drink, Healthcare

and Life Sciences, Mining, Offshore

wind, Sustainable infrastructure,

Maritime, and Advanced Engineer-

ing. I invite any Brazilian investors in

gest economy, and over 800 British

companies already operate here. But

there is much opportunity to go fur-

ther. We have the ability now to define

a bespoke trading relationship fit for

the 21st century, covering areas such

as clean growth, green finance, open

banking, digital skills, and so on. We

can discuss bilaterally how to remove

market barriers such as double taxa-

tion, which companies have regularly

told us inhibit greater trade. And, in

due course, we can sign trade agree-

ments which open up commerce to

the next level.

Do you work with Brazilian compa-

nies to facilitate investment in the UK

and partnerships with British compa-

nies? If so, in which sectors?

Absolutely! We have an entire team

in Brazil dedicated exclusively to this

aspect of trade. The UK is the num-

ber-one destination for Foreign Direct

Investment (FDI) in Europe and, natu-

rally, many overseas companies seek

prosperous and lasting partnerships

with us. The UK is one of the most

open economies in the world, we have

a business-friendly environment, Eng-

lish is a lingua franca of international

trade, the schools and infrastructure

of the UK are excellent, time zones

those areas to contact my team to

explore opportunities for support to

bring FDI into the UK.

Do you work with British and Brazil-

ian universities to develop people

and technology?

We do indeed. This is an area close

to my heart – education is in my view

the most important motor of growth

of any society, and international links

are the most important force-multipli-

er for the impact of that education.

For most of my childhood, my dream

was to become a teacher.

It’s also an area of British

strength. The UK is home to four of

the ten top universities in the world,

with a history of delivering high-qual-

ity academic education in a multicul-

tural environment. Our universities

are global leaders and have inter-

national partnerships that include

international mobility, transnational

education, and academic and applied

research that are strongly integrated

with the productive sector, generating

technological innovation for several

countries in the world.

So we have two goals in working

with British and Brazilian universi-

ties. First, to establish connections

for strategic partnerships, with the

goal of promoting collaborative

INTERVIEW

research in different areas of study.

After all, we as diplomats can only

connect – it’s the academics on

both sides who will make the world

a better place. An excellent recent

example is the brilliant collabora-

tion between the University of

Oxford and Fiocruz, here in Rio de

Janeiro, around the production of

the COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil.

And second, to help develop

future professionals from both

countries through the exchange of

knowledge and good practices. A

classic example here is the excellent

Chevening scholarship scheme, a

unique opportunity for future leaders

to study Masters in the UK and build

networks with their counterparts

across the world.

In the past the UK was instrumental

in helping Brazil build up its infra-

structure – for example, railways;

electricity and gas distribution; and

water supply. Do you currently see

opportunities for British companies

to partner with Brazilian companies

in developing infrastructure in Bra-

zil and abroad?

Yes. First, I agree strongly with

the premise of the question. Infra-

structure matters to improve lives

and generate livelihoods. And, as you

say, there’s a long history of British

presence in developing infrastructure

in Brazil. Every time I drive over the

Rio-Niteroi bridge, for example, I’m

reminded that parts of it were manu-

factured in the UK and transported by

boat over the Atlantic; and that HM

The Queen laid the foundation stone

of that enormous structure when she

visited Brazil in 1968 with HRH The

Duke of Edinburgh.

We already are aware of a robust

pipeline of infrastructure projects of

interest to British companies, with

successes under our belt in sectors

such as energy and water. We also

know that Brazilian engineering com-

panies are present in the UK market,

from where they coordinate their busi-

ness in other markets.

But I think we can go further. My

absolute dream would be for British

companies to help design and build

a new high-speed rail line connect-

ing São Paulo and Rio. This would

genuinely be an infrastructure oppor-

tunity for the 21st century, connecting

two of the world’s greatest cities and

generating jobs and social mobility,

while helping minimise carbon emis-

sions. Clearly that’s a project which

has yet to gain the domestic traction

INTERVIEW

EDUCATION IS IN

MY VIEW THE MOST

IMPORTANT MOTOR OF

GROWTH OF ANY SOCIETY,

AND INTERNATIONAL

LINKS ARE THE MOST

IMPORTANT FORCE-

MULTIPLIER FOR

THE IMPACT OF THAT

EDUCATION

needed within Brazil. But if or when it

takes off, I’d want UK expertise to be

all over that!

How could the Brazilian Chamber of

Commerce in London work with the

British Consulate in Rio to enhance

cooperation and attract investment

both to Brazil and the UK?

We already are working together,

and would like to do more! During the

last two difficult years we have co-host-

ed and supported each other’s online

activities. As we move into a more

in-person mode, we hope to see an

increase in visitors in both directions.

I hope we will be able to make

the most of this, with the British

Consulate-General in Rio and the

Brazilian Chamber in the UK acting

as the ‘bridgeheads’ on each side of

the Atlantic.

Are there any other points you would

like to highlight?

Not really! Thanks for your time,

and to your readers for reaching the

end. And if you need anything from my

excellent team in the Consulate, please

don’t hesitate to drop us a line or pop

in for a Brazilian coffee – or a warm

mug of Yorkshire tea – next time you’re

in the cidade maravilhosa.

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

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BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

CHAMBER

CELEBRATES

80TH BIRTHDAY

IN HISTORIC

SURROUNDINGS

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

On 13 July, King’s College London

(KCL) hosted an event to mark the

80th anniversary of the founding of

the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce

in 1942. The venue was Bush House,

the famous building in central Lon-

don that used to be the headquarters

of the BBC World Service and now

houses part of KCL’s Strand cam-

pus. Below are the texts of the three

speeches given at the event.

ARTHUR GALAMBA

Lecturer at KCL and, at the time of the

event, a councillor of the Chamber

Minister Roberto Doring, Counsellor

Carlos Pachá, ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening.

I’m Arthur Galamba, a lecturer in

science education at the School of

Education at King’s College London,

deputy-director of King’s Brazil In-

stitute, and councillor of the Brazil-

ian Chamber of Commerce. It is an

honour and privilege to welcoming you

to the celebration of the 80th anniver-

sary of the Chamber here at King’s.

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

The King’s Brazil Institute was found

in 2008 by Professor Anthony Pereira

with the aim to carry out Brazil-relat-

ed research at masters and doctoral

levels, and to build links with Brazil-

ian organizations in education, the

cultural and creative sectors, business

and government. Today the Direc-

tor of the King’s Brazil Institute and

Vice-Dean International of the Faculty

of Social Science and Public Policy is

Vinicius de Carvalho.

Vinicius was very supportive of the

creation of the STEM Education Hub

[SEH], of which I’m the director. The

SEH is a decolonial project created in

partnership between King’s College

London and the British Council Brazil

with the aim to foster collaborations

and a balanced knowledge exchange

between researchers and teachers

in Brazil and the UK. Our mission is

to promote cooperation between the

United Kingdom and Brazil in research,

training and innovation in STEM

education. We are currently working to

expand the SEH activities to cover all

countries in Latin America and the UK.

Today the SEH has several partners in

both countries, working in institutions

in the UK such as: the University of

Cambridge, University of Oxford, Open

University, University of East Lon-

don, University of York, University if

Dundee, IOP and the Science Museum

Group, and in Brazil: Universidade de

São Paulo (USP) Universidade Federal

do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), UFRPE,

Museu do Amanhã, Fiocruz, UNESP,

PUC-RS almost others. We also have

thousands of teachers affiliated to our

Hub who receive our newsletter and

are invited to our online events.

Today we are celebrating the an-

niversary of the Brazilian Chamber

of Commerce, created on the 9th of

October 1942. I found that out in the

memorandum of association, which is

the document that created the Cham-

ber in the UK. I also found out that the

signatures found in the memorandum

of association took place at ‘Imperial

House, 15 Kingsway’, an address that

I of course googled, only to find out

that the building is located just a few

metres away from here.

Before consulting this document, I

hadn’t done the maths to work out

that the Brazilian Chamber was creat-

ed in the middle of the Second World

War. It is fascinating to realise that life

goes on and that trade and business

can prosper even amid the horrors of

wars. I can only think of the ceaseless

Nazi bombing raids – the Blitz – that

had already destroyed a great part of

London between 1940 and 1941 and

even hit Saint Paul’s Cathedral, which

luckily withstood the impact of the

explosion. And yet it was a time for to

plan for the future.

• In 1942, do you know who the

prime minister of the UK and the

president of Brazil were? That

year, the British prime minister

was Winston Churchill and the

Brazilian president was Getúlio

Vargas.

• Do you know how the British and

Brazilian economies ranked in

that year? The UK’s economy was

the third biggest in the world, and

Brazil’s the 15th biggest.

In the memorandum of association

of the Chamber of Commerce, 17

objectives were stated. The first was

as follows:

To promote and extend the trade

and economic relations between the

United States

of Brazil and the United Kingdom,

and to promote their industries

and the exploitation of their natural

resources and generally to study eco-

nomic affairs having regard to their

fundamental importance in interna-

tional trade.

I believe this still is the spirit of the

Brazilian Chamber of Commerce,

despite the huge changes over the

years in how trade relationships are

conducted. Trade and business today

should be mindful about the impact

of industrial activities on ecosystems,

should seek to develop sustainable ex-

ploitation of resources, should respect

human rights, should pursue inclusion

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

26 27 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

of gender and of race in leadership

positions, should respect and value

diversity. Yes, business should trade

for economic prosperity but also to

build a better world, a more equal

world, free from social injustices and

more equal opportunities – this may

sound like utopia, but one that’s worth

pursuing endlessly.

Has anyone here wondered why we are

meeting in July to celebrate the 80th

anniversary of the Chamber and not

in October when it was created? The

answer is just to take advantage of the

great stability of the British weather in

July and enjoy the views of the terrace

behind me, from which you can see the

splendid Saint Paul’s Cathedral. I hope

you enjoy the evening, have a lot of fun

and, of course, network.

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

Peter Heap and Jaime Gornsztejn;

ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening.

It gives me great pleasure to be here

tonight to celebrate with you the 80th

anniversary of the Brazilian Chamber

of Commerce in Great Britain.

During the last 80 years the Brazilian

Chamber has been instrumental in

promoting trade and investments be-

tween Brazil and the United Kingdom.

The Chamber was founded in the mid-

dle of the Second World War, and it

goes without saying that it must have

been a very difficult time for those

men and women who, inspired by their

desire to foster bilateral relations, set

up our Chamber in those days.

It was also a very different time from

today, when trade with Brazil was still

done by sea. Indeed, as a curiosity, the

Chamber’s Chronicles record that in

1943, a company was being formed

to operate air services between South

America and the UK, with stop-overs in

Natal and Rio. On 1 January 1946, the

first experimental flight to South Amer-

ica took off from the newly opened

Heathrow Airport. The first commercial

flight followed ten weeks later.

Those were the days when the Cham-

ber was formed.

Now jumping to 2022, we have a mod-

ern Chamber, in a very different world,

where innovation pops up every single

day and trade is done via the internet,

with Brazil being the largest market in

e-commerce in Latin America.

Drawing a parallel with the time of

its creation, during the Second World

War, today we have a Chamber that

has, equally, stubbornly decided not

to give in or give up in the face of

extreme difficulty, as brought by the

worst pandemic in the last 100 years,

a pandemic with devastating econom-

ic effects that caught us unprepared,

and in view of which we had to adapt,

or otherwise face the consequences

of inaction.

That is what we have done, and in

the process we have also turned the

Chamber into a more inclusive entity.

But before I tell you more about that,

let’s look at some interesting numbers.

Brazil is the twelfth-largest economy

in the world; a country which is ex-

tremely rich in natural resources, with

a diversified economy. A true giant

in terms of opportunities, from the

energy sector to agribusiness.

The UK is the world’s fifth-largest

economy, driven especially by its large

financial and business-services sec-

tors, but also where innovation thrives,

ranking fourth in the 2021 Global

Innovation Index of the World Intel-

lectual Property Organisation, behind

only Switzerland, Sweden and the US.

Total trade in goods and services

(exports plus imports) between the

UK and Brazil was £6.0 billion in the

four quarters to the end of 2021, an

increase of 8.4%, or £466 million,

from the four quarters to the end

of 2020. [Figures from UK Depart-

ment for International Trade (DIT)

factsheet, 17 June 2022]

Brazil received US$50 billion of

Foreign Direct Investment in 2021, an

increase of almost 100% in relation

to 2020 (US$28bn), according to the

United Nations Conference on Trade

and Development, a clear sign that

the country remains attractive for

foreign investors.

In 2020, the UK invested almost

£9.6bn in Brazil [according to the

DIT], while the inward stock of foreign

direct investment into the US from

Brazil was £ 1.9 billion.

With more than 80 members from

among Brazilian and British compa-

nies, representing different sectors,

the Chamber’s ultimate ambition is to

help to advance these statistics, for

the benefit of both Brazil and the UK

and of course our membership.

We are an independent and non-profit

organisation, and every pound that we

receive is used for the pursuit of our

objectives. Our accounts are audited

once a year and recently we have ap-

proved new bylaws, thus aligning the

Chamber with the best modern princi-

ples of corporate governance.

The pandemic was an extremely

difficult period for everyone, but, as

often happens in crises, the scenario

has forced us to push new frontiers,

which in our case we did with the cre-

ation of committees in the specific

areas of energy and decarbonisation,

tax and legal matters, and banking

and fintech, with the specific aim of

allowing more direct participation by

our members.

We aim to expand the scope of these

committees and also to do more

in areas like infrastructure and

agribusiness.

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

VERA INNES

Chair of the Brazilian Chamber of Com-

merce in Great Britain

Mr Roberto Doring, Deputy Head of

Mission of the Brazilian Embassy in

London, representing H.E. Mr Fred

Arruda, Brazilian Ambassador to the

United Kingdom; past Chairmen, Sir

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

28 29 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

A few examples of activities recently

undertaken, or to be undertaken, by

the committees created by the Cham-

ber are as follows.

1. INSTITUTIONAL

For example, the UK supports Brazil’s

accession to the Organisation for Eco-

nomic Cooperation and Development

(OECD), and the Chamber also sup-

ports Brazil’s work towards adherence

to OECD standards, and recently our

Tax Committee has brought a team of

experts to talk about the theme.

2. TAX

At the Chamber we also recognise how

an agreement to avoid double taxation

would facilitate bilateral trade and

investment between the UK and Bra-

zil. We are therefore planning to bring

experts to talk about this theme.

3. LEGAL

Our members include some of the best

law firms in Brazil and in the United

Kingdom, and our Legal Committee is

planning various events on topics rang-

ing from immigration to the regulatory

environment for mining in Brazil.

4. FINANCIAL SERVICES AND

FINANCIAL INNOVATION

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

The City of London is one of the

most important financial centres in

the world, offering opportunities to

Brazilian businesses to obtain finance

and expand. The Chamber itself has

two of the City’s main banks among

its members.

The Brazilian financial system, for its

part, is stable and soundly regulated

by the National Monetary Council, the

Brazilian Central Bank and CVM.

Three of our members are among the

most important banks in Brazil, and

they strongly support our activities.

The only exchange operating in

Brazil’s solid equity market is also a

trusted member of the Chamber.

We are proud also to have among our

members a unicorn Fintech which

is a leader in international payment

solutions.

With this in mind, and because we

want Brazilian and British institutions

to share their knowledge and collabo-

rate, we have created our Banking

and Fintech Committee, which has

organised events discussing Open

Banking and the Brazilian New For-

eign Exchange Law, which will come

into force at the end of this year and

will positively impact the business

and regulatory environments in Bra-

zil, fostering competition and open-

ing the country for new investment

opportunities.

5. ENVIRONMENTAL

SUSTAINABILITY

Among our members there are very

large companies operating in areas

that are essential to modern life, from

energy to mining, and that are invest-

ing in new technology and products so

as to operate sustainably.

Indeed, environmental sustainability

is a theme of tremendous importance

for Brazil and the UK.

Our Energy and Decarbonisation

Committee has organised excellent

events on COP26 and Offshore Wind

in Brazil, and there are more to come,

such as Solar Energy and possibly an

Energy Day.

6. FUTURE GROUPS

There are other areas we want to get

involved in, with new committees, like

infrastructure and agribusiness. Please

let us know in case you are interested.

The Chamber exists for its members,

and it is great to see so many of

them here with us, celebrating our

80th anniversary.

I hope tonight you will be inspired by

those men and women who, during

the years of the Second World War,

created the Chamber despite the

adversity of the time, and indeed also

by those who have come after them

in the last 80 years, helping us con-

solidate their vision – our vision – of

a Chamber that is diverse, inclusive

and successful.

Thank you all for being here tonight.

In particular, a big thank you to our

sponsors AngloAmerican, B3, Itau

BBA, EBANX, Gunnercooke and Mat-

tos Filho. A big thank you also to

King’s College, in whose premises

tonight we celebrate our cherished

anniversary.

Last but not least, many thanks to HE

the Brazilian Ambassador Mr Fred Ar-

ruda, and to all those at the Embassy

of Brazil for their continued support

of our activities.

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

ROBERTO DORING

Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy

of Brazil in London

Good evening, everyone.

Let me start by greeting our host, my

friend Arthur Galamba. I also would

like to thank Dr Vinicius de Carvalho,

Director of the Brazil Institute at

King’s College London, also in a way

our host this evening.

Of course, congratulations to Vera

Innes, Chair of the Brazilian Chamber

of Commerce in Great Britain, on this

80th anniversary.

Thank you too to our sponsors for

making this evening possible.

As Vera has said, Ambassador

Fred Arruda was very much looking

forward to being with you this even-

ing, but unfortunately, he could not

make it.

So, I will share with you a message

that will certainly reflect his own

thoughts and his own feeling about

this evening.

It is an honour and a pleasure to

join you as we celebrate the first

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

30 31 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

80 years of the Brazilian Chamber of

Commerce in Great Britain.

I would like to, once again, thank

Vera Innes for her leadership. Vera

guided the Chamber through the

challenging times of Covid. With

creativity and much hard work , she

has helped the Chamber reinvent

itself. It is no exaggeration to say that

the Chamber is stronger now than it

was before, and I mean it.

I also would like to thank our council-

lors for supporting Vera in this journey

and for sharing with us their expertise.

For example, as it has been mentioned

before, they have encouraged the crea-

tion of themed committees dedicated

to specially promising areas of Brazil-

UK relations.

Energy is a case in point, and as Vera

has pointed out, we are also work-

ing on a committee dedicated to

agriculture, and another dedicated to

infrastructure. So, this is how we are

moving forward as a Chamber, if I can

speak as I am part of the Chamber,

to try and promote relations between

Brazil and the United Kingdom.

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

Looking to the future, as we turn the

page to the post-Covid and post-Brexit

world, we must focus on opportunities.

These opportunities are there in sec-

tors such as food and drink, fintech,

renewables, and decarbonisation.

I trust our members, current and new,

will help enhance the partnership be-

tween our two countries in these and

other areas of common interest.

Brazil-UK trade and investment rela-

tions are full of potential, and I am

convinced the Brazilian Chamber of

Commerce will continue to play a key

role in them in the 80 years to come

and more.

I wish you all a very pleasant and fruit-

ful networking reception.

Thank you very much.

NEWS FROM THE BRAZILIAN CHAMBER

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

SEPTEMBER 2022

32 33 BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF SEPTEMBER 2022 VOLUME 25 NUMBER 71

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF

CONTRIBUTORS

BRAZIL BUSINESS BRIEF, SEPTEMBER 2022

NEWS FROM THE

BRAZILIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN GREAT BRITAIN

EDITOR

LENA BERALDO

EDITORIAL COUNCIL

IEDA GOMES & ANTHONY PEREIRA

GRAPHIC DESIGN

NENI ALMEIDA - NENIALMEIDA.COM

OUR GUEST WRITERS AND COLLABORATORS IN THIS EDITION

IEDA GOMES

is a councillor at the Bra-

zilian Chamber. She is a

non-executive director of

international companies

in the sectors of energy,

manufacturing, services

and infrastructure. Ieda

is also a senior advisor at

FGV Energia and visiting

fellow at the Oxford Insti-

tute for Energy Studies.

ieda.gomes2@gmail.com

PATRÍCIA BRITO TEIXEIRA

is a director of the risk-

management consultancy

WePlanBefore and author

of the book Caiu na Rede.

E Agora? She has exten-

sive experience in creating

crisis-management plans

and business-continuity

training and simulations

for large corporations.

patricia.teixeira@wpb.com.br

ARTHUR GALAMBA

is a lecturer in Science

Education at King’s College

London. He is a physicist,

with a masters in Cognitive

Psychology and a PhD in

Education from the Univer-

sity of Leeds. His research

has been focusing on teach-

ing as a tool for democracy.

arthur.galamba@kcl.ac.uk

MARCELO FRAZÃO

is a partner and co-head

of the Energy and Natu-

ral Resources Sector at

Campos Mello Advogados

in cooperation with DLA

Piper. He advises Brazilian

and foreign clients on en-

ergy and shipping projects

in Brazil.

mfrazao@cmalaw.com

MARIA BEATRIZ GOMES

is an associate of the En-

ergy and Natural Resourc-

es Sector at Campos Mello

Advogados in cooperation

with DLA Piper. She has

experience in assisting cli-

ents with Brazilian and in-

ternational energy projects

and M&A transactions.

beatriz.gomes@cmalaw.com

DR CAROLE NAKHLE

is an international author-

ity on global energy issues,

in particular in the fields

of policy, finance, market

development, governance,

energy taxes and fiscal re-

gimes as well as geopolitics.

carole.nakhle

@crystolenergy.com

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS

BRAZILIANCHAMBER.ORG.UK

ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.

ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.

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