Odebrecht Day gathers important engineering names

Online event celebrates Norberto Odebrecht’s centennial

This Friday, 9^th, Norberto Odebrecht – founder of the Odebrecht Group – would have turned 100 years. In celebration to his centennial, engineering students, professionals and admirers of his legacy have participated in Odebrecht Day, an event held this morning by the Group in partnership with the Polytechnic School of Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA).

On YouTube, Odebrecht Day featured a series of lectures on national development, sustainability, innovation, civil construction and the teachings left by Norberto Odebrecht’s life and work. Tatiana Dumêt, director of the Polytechnic School of UFBA, mediated the discussions. When starting the discussions, she remembered 70-year partnership relationship between the Polytechnic School, where Norberto Odebrecht started his studies and career in the engineering field, and the Odebrecht Group. “It is a pleasure to celebrate the centennial of Norberto Odebrecht and to remember one of the great names in engineering in the country. I believe that this partnership with the university is essential for the training of our future engineers. Good training of engineers must take into account not only the technical part, but also the human part. Celebrating Mr. Norberto’s centennial is also celebrating engineering,” she said.

The opening also had the participation of Luís Edmundo Campos, licensed president of CREA-BA; Antonio Carlos Laranjeiras, president of the Engineering Academy of Bahia; and Henrique Paixão, director of the OEC. In his speech, Campos remembered Mr. Norberto Odebrecht’s social side and his contribution to the development of the communities. According to him, “Norberto Odebrecht said you cannot judge a professional by what he knows, but what he does with what he knows. Professor Laranjeiras, on the other hand, highlighted the entrepreneur’s example of a leader educator. “He was dedicated to leadership and training,” he pointed out.

Raul Ribeiro, OEC’s Country/Brazilian Director, was the first speaker on Odebrecht Day, addressing the theme “Engineering and National Development”. Ribeiro commented on the Odebrecht Group’s contribution to the engineering branch and on the work carried out by the OEC in Brazil and in the countries where it operates. According to him, the OEC’s present moment reflects the desire to follow the teachings of the Odebrecht Group’s founder. “It is common sense that development and engineering go hand in hand. This is the legacy that Mr. Norberto initiated, and we continue with the mission to expand it and contribute to the development of the countries where we operate. The OEC has been renewing itself with focus on the integration of engineering at the service of society,” he said.

Luiz Roberto Chagas, engineer, writer and former member of the Odebrecht Group, also talked at the event. Addressing major works, Chagas began his testimony with a tribute to the legacy of Norberto, whose life was marked by example, discipline and humility. “Any human relationship and action that may exist between your people must be guided by the matters Mr. Norberto considered very well. Knowledge, he always said, makes people agents of their own destiny. One person can spread knowledge and this is what matters”, he commented, also highlighting teachings on work, education and productivity passed by the entrepreneur.

Odebrecht Day extended the debate to address innovations in the engineering field and what has been done by companies to unify development with sustainability. Eduardo Pedreira, OR leader, spoke about society’s growing demand for sustainable construction: “Mr. Norberto said that development has to be sustainable, or it cannot be called development. For him, everything we did had to take into account the contribution to society and the improvement of the city landscape and the lives of the people who pass through our projects “, he explained.

The event also addressed the social side of Norberto Odebrecht. Fabio Wanderley, superintendent of the Odebrecht Foundation, presented the institution created in 1965 and idealized by Norberto. “Odebrecht Day is yet another way to honor him for his centennial and an initiative that demonstrates his relevance in our society, especially for the important legacy that is still alive in the work of the Foundation”, he said.

To conclude, Márcio Polidoro, communications consultant for Odebrecht S.A., recalled the entrepreneur’s trajectory, marked by his contribution to the formation of future generations and the development of the communities where he worked. Reminding of the great master’s stories, Polidoro made an emotional speech about the different facets of the entrepreneur, mainly highlighting his human side and the concern he had with those who worked in his company. “Today, it has been 100 years since Norberto was born, in Recife. Anyone who knew him knows how spirited he was and how we liked to tell stories. Norberto had a very classic phrase that says organizations are abstractions. What exists is the people, their business and the communication between them”, he recalled.

According to Marcelo Gentil, responsible for Communication and Institutional Relations at Odebrecht S.A. for the Northeast region, the purpose of the event was more than just to celebrate the centennial of the Group’s founder: “The university caused in Mr. Norberto the desire for innovation, the discovery of talent and technical ability that has been his hallmark all his life. With Odebrecht Day, we seek to inspire young students and recent graduates in the area. We celebrate the centenary of our founder by following his example in sharing knowledge and educating by example and for life,” he said.

About the event

The event is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring lectures by executives and former executives of the Odebrecht Group, renowned professionals in the engineering area, discussing topics such as innovation, civil construction, sustainability and social technology. More than an opportunity to debate innovations in the marketplace, the Odebrecht Day was also a way to introduce the university’s young talents to the social side and the legacy left by the entrepreneur and educating leader.

See the speakers and topics discussed:

Opening talk

o     Tatiana Dumêt, director of the Polytechnic School of UFBA

o     Luís Edmundo Campos, licensed president of CREA-BA

o     Antonio Carlos Laranjeiras, president of the Academy of Engineering of Bahia

o     Henrique Paixão, director of the OEC

Lecture on National Development | Theme: Engineering and national development

o     Speaker: Raul Ribeiro, OEC Country/Brazil Director

Lecture on Infrastructure | Theme: Construction Engineering: large-scale projects

o     Speaker: Luiz Roberto Chagas, engineer, writer and former member of the Odebrecht Group

Lecture on Sustainable Real Estate | Theme: The OR and its sustainable building standard

o     Speaker: Eduardo Pedreira, OR business leader

Lecture on Social Technology | Theme: PDCIS: the social technology of the Odebrecht Foundation

o     Speaker: Fábio Wanderley, superintendent of the Odebrecht Foundation

Lecture on The Life and Work by Norberto Odebrecht | Theme: Norberto Odebrecht: his life and legacy

o     Speaker: Márcio Polidoro, Communication Consultant

Realization:

Polytechnic School of UFBA and Odebrecht S/A

Support:

OEC, OR and Odebrecht Foundation