Organization
Historic partnership
Odebrecht and PricewaterhouseCoopers mark the 40th anniversary of a shared journey that has extended to all the countries where the Group is present
written by: Leonardo Maia
photo by: Almir Bindilatti
The event brought Price members to Bahia from 10 countries, besides Brazil, and gave them an opportunity to look back on the auditing work that the British company founded in 1849 is doing in all the countries where Odebrecht is present.
On the 15th, during the official opening of the event, Álvaro Novis, Construtora Norberto Odebrecht (CNO) Vice President for Finance, gave a presentation on the Group’s corporate structure, while Fernando Alves, President of Price in Brazil, discussed matters related to his company. In his speech, he observed that he has had the privilege of serving all three generations of Odebrecht entrepreneurs. He clearly attributed his successful career to Price’s “relationship with Odebrecht, which has always been challenging,” adding: “This event symbolizes the converging values of our two organizations and reflects a professional relationship that dates back over 40 years.”
In all the countries in which Odebrecht operates, Price is there as a partner, which facilitates the consolidated auditing of the entire organization at the end of every year. In countries like Mozambique and Libya, their relationship is very new. “We’ve brought in Price partners from countries where we’ve begun operating more recently or who’ve recently joined the teams that work with us in the countries in which we are already established. Here, they will have the opportunity to get to know Odebrecht’s culture, acquiring a broader vision of the organization,” says Sérgio Barros, CNO’s Controllership Manager.
The joint meeting held on the first day gave way to individual meetings on the following day, with a focus on priorities for 2009. “Price has been present at significant times in our history, like, for example, when we forayed into the international environment and began the acquisition and corporate restructuring process that led to the creation of Braskem. This kind of meeting is important for communication, for alignment and for sharing the success stories that have resulted from our partnership,” observes Paulo Cesena.
Felipe Ayoub, the Price partner responsible for service to the Group in Brazil, highlights the similarities between the two companies’ philosophies. “Price’s work with Odebrecht shows how a successful relationship with a client does not interfere with the auditing process. Our philosophy is also very similar to that of Odebrecht, with principles like confidence in people, the spirit of service and focusing on the client,” he explains. On the last day of the event, on the 17th, the participants had the opportunity to get to know a little more about the Odebrecht Entrepreneurial Technology (TEO) by attending a lecture by Márcio Polidoro, the Odebrecht S.A. officer Responsible for Corporate Communication, and paying a visit to the Odebrecht Culture Center, at the Group’s Salvador headquarters.