Case Studies Full Book PDF
Case Studies Full Book PDF
Case Studies Full Book PDF
Corporate Governance
Practices
Companies Circle of the
Latin American Corporate
Governance Roundtable
2nd Edition
Copyright © 2006 International Finance Corporation
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United States of America
A Member of the World Bank Group
The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in this publication should not
be attributed in any manner to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and their affiliated organizations,
or members of their Boards of Directors or the countries they represent. IFC and OECD
do not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accept no respon-
sibility for any consequences of their use. The information on companies, prepared by the
members of the Companies Circle of the Latin American Corporate Governance
Roundtable, reflects such companies’ own management’s and the board of directors’ view of
the motivations, challenges, solutions and rewards for devising and putting in place better
governance rules and practices.
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Case Studies of Good
Corporate Governance
Practices
Companies Circle of the Latin American
Corporate Governance Roundtable
2nd Edition
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is part of the World Bank Group and
was established in 1956 to encourage private sector-led growth in developing coun-
tries. It does this by financing private sector projects, helping companies mobilize
financing in international markets, and providing advisory services and technical assis-
tance to companies and governments. IFC’s practical experience with structuring
investments, appraising potential investees and nominating corporate directors allows
it to put corporate governance principles into action. IFC’s focus on good corporate
governance practices in client companies helps it both to manage risk and to add value
to firms in emerging markets.
Introduction
Atlas Eléctrica 1
Buenaventura 8
Cementos Argos 14
Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias (CCR) 18
CPFL Energia 24
Embraer 30
Ferreyros 38
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA) 44
Marcopolo 50
Natura 58
NET 64
Suzano 70
Ultrapar 78
Versión en Español 85
Versão em Português 181
Introduction
This second fully revised edition of “Case Studies of Good Corporate Governance
Practices” presents the experiences of a set of leading companies in Latin America in
reforming and improving how their firms are governed, and the results these changes
have achieved. The descriptions of the corporate governance improvements carried out
at these companies were prepared with the direct support of the eight founding members
of the Companies Circle of the Latin American Corporate Governance Roundtable, as well
as five new members who joined the Circle in 2006. Each chapter’s contents reflect the
views of one company’s management and directors of the motivations, challenges, solu-
tions and rewards for devising and putting in place better governance rules and practices.
Informing all these accounts is a depth and diversity of experience not in the theory
of corporate governance, but rather in the practical application of the goals of transparen-
cy and disclosure, accountability, respect for the rights of shareholders and equitable
treatment of all stakeholders laid out in the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and
reflected in the recommendations of the Roundtable’s White Paper on Corporate
Governance in Latin America.
The cases included herein are presented under the responsibility of the respective
members of the Circle. They speak for themselves. The impetus to begin to undertake
changes for some firms involved mainly internal considerations – to reconcile potential-
ly divergent family or shareholder group interests, or to provide better incentives to man-
agers, for example. Financial market considerations – the desire to attract new investors
or access new sources of outside capital – provided the principal motivation for other
firms. However, when the varied experiences of the companies are considered together it
is hard for the reader not to draw at least a few general conclusions:
n While the principles of good governance may be fundamentally the same for all
companies, there is great scope for creativity and innovation in applying such
principles to the specific circumstances facing individual firms. — THE CHAL-
LENGE OF IMPLEMENTATION IS FOR EACH COMPANY TO FIND
THE PATH AND SOLUTIONS THAT FIT ITS CIRCUMSTANCES;
n The commitment of managers and controlling shareholders is a sine qua non of
any sustained program of improvement in a company’s governance. — THE
FIRM MUST HAVE STRONG INTERNAL CORPORATE GOVERN-
ANCE CHAMPIONS;
n To be fully successful, a corporate governance program must effectively commu-
nicate to stakeholders the unshakeable commitment of the firm, its manage-
ment and controllers to the goals of corporate governance. — MARKET
CREDIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL;
n The rewards of initial, narrowly-focused efforts can generate sustainable
momentum for more comprehensive efforts and a virtuous circle of adoption of
better practices. — GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IS A JOUR-
NEY, NOT A DESTINATION; and
n The experiences of Companies Circle members demonstrate the contribution
good governance can make to operational performance and access to / cost of
capital. — IMPROVING GOVERNANCE YIELDS POSITIVE REAL
RETURNS.
The chapters relating to the experiences of the founding members of the Companies
Circle (Buenaventura, Cementos Argos, CCR, CPFL Energia, Natura, NET, Suzano and
Ultrapar) have been expanded and fully updated for this second edition. Earlier English
language versions of the chapters covering the Circle’s newest members (Atlas Eléctrica,
Embraer, Ferreyros, ISA and Marcopolo) were prepared for and distributed at the
Seventh Meeting of the Latin American Corporate Governance Roundtable, held in
Buenos Aires in June 2006. All versions of the cases, and the other public documents of
the Companies Circle, are available through the websites of the OECD Corporate Affairs
Division (www.oecd.org/daf/corporate-affairs/roundtables) and the IFC/World Bank
Corporate Governance Department (www.ifc.org/corporategovernance).
As in the case of the first edition, the objective of the Companies Circle in publish-
ing this book is to share with the broader community of Latin American firms practical
solutions to the corporate governance challenges facing companies in the region. We
thank the members for their contribution to the Roundtable, and commend them for
their work to demonstrate the business case for corporate governance to companies
throughout Latin America and beyond.
On behalf of the Roundtable, we would like to express our gratitude to the executives
and staff of each of the members of the Companies Circle who contributed in the prepa-
ration of the cases presented in this book. And, on behalf of the Companies Circle and
ourselves, we would also like to express our collective thanks to Ms. Sandra Guerra, who
has served with dedication and professionalism as coordinator of the Circle since its
inception.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Companies Circle as it engages in
further efforts to identify and promote good company practices for implementing better
corporate governance in Latin America.
Case Studies 1
Atlas’s current ownership structure is presented in the table below.
2 Companies Circle
sation is linked to performance. To date, no stock options are granted to senior man-
agers or Board members. The up-coming annual report will disclose the total amount
distributed to directors and managers on an aggregate basis.
Atlas has two Board committees:
n Audit Committee with 4 members—3 directors (one inside and two exter-
nal directors—none being the Chairman of the Board) and a Fiscal Board
member. A representative of the external auditors, a representative of the
internal auditor and the CEO also are invited to attend Audit Committee
meetings; and
n Compensation Committee composed of 2 directors (one inside and one
external member—neither being the Chairman of the Board).
1 At this moment, Atlas is making significant efforts to draft and disseminate numerous control policies and proce-
dures throughout the company. The methodology being used in this effort is the model used in the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 certifications. ISO sets standards for quality management and assur-
ance, and the company has already been certified in the production, selling and distribution processes, and now the
same methodology (though not the certification) is being used for the company’s adoption of good corporate gover-
nance procedures.
Case Studies 3
regulatory rulings ensued without full consultation with the private sector. The result
of this is that some articles promulgated under Costa Rican regulations are even harsh-
er than the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the United States. Naturally, the private sector react-
ed. Some companies immediately filed a suit, alleging jurisdictional and privacy viola-
tions. Others decided it was time to de-list. The Board members of Atlas believed that
a fair settlement would come out of the court rulings, and the benefits of staying listed
in the BNV outweigh any temporary inconveniences. Currently, some of the issued
CONASSIF rulings are suspended by the Constitutional Court, and the case is still
pending a final resolution. Some of those suspended rulings related to the Audit
Committee. The Atlas Board of Directors deemed it desirable to comply with the new
formal requirements for the Audit Committee anyway, and have it function as though
the rulings were still in place, despite their suspension.
Transparency is of the highest value to Atlas, and its practices are consistent with this
value. Every quarter the company must file its financial information, which is compiled
according to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Once filed, Atlas’s
financial information is placed in the public domain via the web page of the
Superintendencia General de Valores (SUGEVAL). The year-end audited financial
information is also posted on the same network.
Financial statements of Atlas are audited by the external audit firm KPMG Peat
Marwick. The external auditors are accountable to the Audit Committee of the Board.
Also, once a year, with quarterly updates, an external company qualifies Atlas from a risk
perspective. The company’s chief of internal audit reports directly to the Audit Committee.
Another Atlas initiative to highlight transparency has been the Board’s policy that all
key personnel of the company as well as the members of the Board of Directors, on an
annual basis, have to sign and certify that they have read and understood the Code of
Ethics of the company. This Code addresses topics like legal compliance, conflicts of
interest and use of confidential information. At the current moment, a new version of
the Code of Ethics is being reviewed and scheduled for implementation later this year.
Overall, the responsibility to oversee corporate governance practices and undertake
any improvements at Atlas lay with the CEO and CFO.
4 Companies Circle
The above creates a downward spiral. It starts by deterring institutional investors
and the general public from investing in the local equity market, which creates a small-
er number of BNV participants and decreases demand, thus lowering the price of the
listed shares. Ultimately, this has created what has been called a “Golden Cage” effect.
The large shareholders, who are not active in the market, are sitting on net worth that
is, by financial analysts’ predictions, much higher than the “market price” of the small
quantity of stocks being transacted through the local stock exchange. In the absence of
other active buyers, however, the holders of smaller equity stakes will have to sell at
whatever price they can get in an illiquid market. In short, these artificially lower prices
hurt mainly the small investors. This is the case of Atlas’s shares, where the small quan-
tities of shares are sold as much as 25% below book value.
An alternative to creating liquidity would exist if the companies could buy-back
shares in the market, but they have not been able to do so because of rulings created by
SUGEVAL severely limiting that possibility. Thus far, SUGEVAL has refused to repeal
its controversial rulings, claiming that moving away from those rulings could subject the
companies to investigations for trying to manipulate the equity market. Even though the
Cámara de Emisores (the Chamber of Listed Companies) has tried to negotiate modifi-
cations to those rulings for the past four years, it has been an uphill battle to no avail.
Both the CONASSIF and SUGEVAL rulings and the way changes to these regula-
tions were made without constructive negotiations with the listed companies, shed light
on the local market credibility issues. These issues have damaged communications and
relations among the two sectors, namely the regulatory sector and the private sector
(listed companies). Because of this reality, the BNV with the help of some listed com-
panies, among them Atlas, has started three initiatives. The first is to develop and
adhere to voluntary corporate governance guidelines (comply-or-explain), similar to the
ones in use in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. If successful, this voluntary com-
pliance approach could eventually replace the CONASSIF rulings under challenge in
the Constitutional Court. Second, an initiative to develop voluntary guidelines for
investor relations programs is being undertaken to increase transparency of the market.
The third initiative, also a first in Costa Rica, is a “market makers” mechanism using
Atlas’s shares. To be able to do this, three brokerage houses were brought on board for
a three-month pilot plan, and were granted “safe harbor” provisions by SUGEVAL.
The idea is to allow investors an alternative to be able to sell or buy Atlas’s shares any-
time with these brokerage houses. Each brokerage house in the pilot plan has commit-
ted and guaranteed to the market that they will always have a certain number of shares
in their inventory that they would be willing to sell or otherwise buy. This eliminates
the risk factor to the investors that is brought on by the uncertainty of not knowing if
there will be a prospective buyer (seller) of Atlas’s shares. The results in the first two
months have been a less volatile market price for the small amount of Atlas’s shares
traded, though still below book value.
Case Studies 5
Recent Results and Challenges Ahead
In the last two years, the financial results of Atlas improved year-on-year. In particular,
in 2005 the company had net income of Costa Rican Colones 1,218,337 thousands
(US$ 2.8 million) which is an increase of 27.9% over the net income of Costa Rican
Colones 952,402 thousands (US$ 2.1 million) in 2004. Other financial results are as
follows:
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 - Costa Rican Colones 33,552,395 thousands / US$ 78.4 million;
• 2005 - Costa Rican Colones 43,116,143 thousands / US$ 92.2 million;
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 - Costa Rican Colones 32,034,853 thousands / US$ 74.7 million;
• 2005 - Costa Rican Colones 41,435,894 thousands / US$ 88.7 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 - Costa Rican Colones 2,336,915 thousands / US$ 5.2 million; and
• 2005 - Costa Rican Colones 2,563,317 thousands / US$ 5.6 million.
Since the year 2000, because of a US$ 10 million bond issue used to finance the pur-
chase of a competing manufacturer in El Salvador, the company has been analyzed quar-
terly by a local independent risk analysis firm that has always given Atlas a triple AAA
qualification, their highest. Atlas has earned these high marks by consistently demon-
strating to its bondholders and others its superior capacity for paying capital and inter-
est on the agreed terms.
Atlas understands that in order to grow further, it will need to tap into other finan-
cial markets. Transparency has come naturally to the company, and doing this task even
better is in line with the company’s strategic plan. The new audit-related regulations are
part of the current global experience, which the company embraces. Consistent with
this global outlook, Atlas is also increasingly taking on the export market, since more
than 80% of its sales are already being done successfully abroad. In taking on exports,
Atlas is also embracing corporate social responsibility both at home and in new foreign
markets, already garnering superior ratings from local and regional indices on its sus-
tainable and socially-responsible practices.
Atlas aims to persuade current and future shareholders of the value of the company.
Atlas also aims to demonstrate that it is a company that is here to stay for many, many
more years, competing in a globalized market, like it has done in the past, but with bet-
ter intangible assets, creditworthiness, transparency and good corporate governance
practices in its future. In terms of governance improvements, Atlas seeks to further
6 Companies Circle
improve its internal control procedures to address the requirements of the regulatory
agencies and the Board of Directors that the financial information being published is
free of material omissions, but also as a means to assure itself and the shareholders that
the actions of the management are done according to approved policies. The guide-
lines for this project are those defined by COSO for internal control procedures and
practices.
Case Studies 7
Buenaventura
Growth is more than merely one part of the mission and vision of Buenaventura—the
leading mining company in Peru and one of the largest gold and silver producers in the
world. It is the company’s daily mantra.
Today, Buenaventura operates four important mines in Peru (Orcopampa,
Uchucchacua, Antapite and Colquijirca) and has an aggressive explorations program.
The company owns 43.65% of Minera Yanacocha S.R.L., one of the most important
gold producers in the world, and an 18.5% ownership in Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde,
an important Peruvian copper company. The company has 2,127 employees.
Operating in a capital- and labor-intensive industry, and in a geographic environ-
ment not as welcoming to investments as it should be, the company recognizes that it
must be persistent to maintain the degree of success it has achieved over the years.
Joint ventures, offerings through the Lima Stock Exchange, and an American
Depositary Receipts (ADR) issuance on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) were all
means to achieve the company’s goal of continued growth. But when it came to creat-
ing long-term sustainable shareholder value, there was only one way to do it: by enhanc-
ing corporate governance practices.
8 Companies Circle
The decision reflected Buenaventura’s Board of Directors’ and management’s com-
mitment to comply with United States Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC)
regulations. Prior to the IPO, the company took several critical steps toward improv-
ing its governance:
n Revamped its Board of Directors, introducing independent members and
establishing Board committees;
n Implemented an Ethics Code;
n Created a Disclosure Committee; and
n Eliminated its dual class share structure and converted all its shares into a sin-
gle class with equal voting rights.
Before the IPO of ADRs on the NYSE in 1996, the founders, the Benavides fam-
ily, owned 42% of the company. Today, the family owns 27%. Apart from the
Benavides family, there are several institutional shareholders, pension funds, industri-
al companies and banks invested in Buenaventura. The current ownership structure
is presented below.
Today, the company’s free float of equity is 65%. Fifty-five percent of the total
outstanding shares are held in the ADR program. Buenaventura’s shares are listed and
traded on the Lima Stock Exchange, and the company’s ADRs trade on the NYSE.
Buenaventura’s shares are not included in any stock index.
Case Studies 9
Similarly, although minority shareholders are not offered formal tag-along rights,
there are other safeguards in place in the event of a tender offer. Specifically, the
Board must review the terms of the tender offer, communicate and make its recom-
mendations to all shareholders on the specific terms of the offer. In turn, the share-
holders are then asked to make their own decisions on whether or not to accept the
offer. In practice, this means the Board does afford all shareholders the same oppor-
tunity to participate in the tender offer on equal terms. This is one example of how
Buenaventura takes its shareholder voting rights issues seriously.
To facilitate the participation of all shareholders in its Annual General Meetings,
the company announces its Meeting date and provides the shareholders with the
Meeting agenda 25 days in advance. ADR holders also receive proxies through the
depositary bank, and special procedures have been put in place to ensure that: (i)
ADR holders have sufficient time to consider how to vote; and (ii) that their votes are
duly represented at the company’s Meetings.
Buenaventura’s executive officers oversee the business and are responsible for the
execution of the policy decisions of the Board of Directors. The President and Chief
Executive Officer is elected by the Board. The VP Chief Financial Officer, the VP
Business Development, the VP Operations and the VP Explorations are selected by
the Nominations Committee. Family members in top management represent 2 out
of 5 members.
Buenaventura has a 10 year long-term stock appreciation program that allows cer-
tain executives to receive cash remuneration equivalent to any excess of the market
value at a fixed future date over a stated price of a stated number of ADRs. This infor-
mation about management compensation is disclosed to shareholders and to the mar-
ket, in the annual report and in the company’s SEC 20-F filing. Board members
receive a percentage of the annual net income of the company up to a maximum limit
established by the Annual General Meeting. This information is also disclosed in the
company’s annual report and its publicly available 20-F filing.
The company considers that it is in its best interest to maintain high standards of
social responsibility, in order to ensure the long-term success of its business. In par-
ticular, Buenaventura’s social responsibility program expenditures totaled US$ 2.8
million during 2005. This included support for:
n Infrastructure (roads, energy and communications);
n Water and forestation;
n Agro-industry and tourism; and
n Health, nutrition and education.
10 Companies Circle
The Board of Directors
Buenaventura’s Board of Directors has seven members, five of whom are independ-
ent. As the company is committed to the highest level of disclosure to its sharehold-
ers, a nominee of the Peruvian pension funds sits on the Board and participates in
Board committee activities. The Board is seen by company management as a value-
added resource, providing guidance and advice.
Four committees support the Board’s work: Audit; Compensation; Nominations;
and Corporate Governance. Each committee includes a majority of independent
directors, with the Audit Committee composed solely of independent Board mem-
bers. The Corporate Governance Committee of the Board bears responsibility for all
governance-related initiatives at Buenaventura.
Buenaventura’s Board Chairman and CEO are separate. This ensures the Board’s
impartiality in evaluating and overseeing management.
Finally, Buenaventura conducts periodic Board evaluations. There is a lead direc-
tor who, jointly with independent directors, evaluates the Board.
Providing timely and accurate information to the market is very important to
Buenaventura. A Disclosure Committee was created to coordinate the timely release
of all relevant information to the market as soon as Board meetings conclude, thus
avoiding the possibility of time gaps creating prospective opportunities for improper
use of company information by insiders.
To address issues of integrity and conduct, the Board approved an Ethics Code
that is available to all stakeholders and is required reading for all company employees
and Board members. The Code mainly addresses conflicts of interest and related
party transactions. An ethics officer reporting to the Audit Committee is appointed
and charged with overseeing Code compliance by company employees, managers and
the Board of Directors. Both the ethics officer and Audit Committee Chairman can
be contacted under a “whistle-blower system” set up to enable company stakeholders
to report anonymously when they suspect, or have information about, possible Ethics
Code violations.
Case Studies 11
The financial reports are audited by an independent external auditor that is
accountable to the Board. The company discloses ownership and control informa-
tion every month and does not enter into any shareholder agreements that may neg-
atively affect its corporate governance system or its equitable treatment of sharehold-
ers. In addition, the company discloses all business relationships and material provi-
sions of contracts to shareholders. The company’s chief of internal audit reports to
the Board of Directors.
Results
Buenaventura recognizes that it must continue to improve its governance framework
as it strives to maximize shareholder value. Its governance improvements are clearly
recognized by the market, as demonstrated by its overall company performance.
Most notably, the company has had a three-fold increase in market capitalization,
from around US$ 400 million in 1995 to US$ 3.6 billion at the end of 2005. The
company’s share price increased 23.6% from US$ 22.9 on 31 December 2004 to US$
28.3 as of 31 December 2005.
The company also reported increased total revenues in the amount of US$ 337
million in 2005, representing a 1% increase from 2004 (US$ 334 million). Likewise,
net income in 2005 was up 31% to a total of US$ 274 million, compared to US$ 209
million in 2004. Other financial figures include:
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 – US$ 125 million;
• 2005 – US$ 63 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 – US$ 172 million;
• 2005 – US$ 97 million;
n Projected cash for 2006 – US$ 280 million.
Today, Buenaventura is working on completing its compliance with the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act. The company expects to be certified by the external auditors as Sarbanes-
Oxley compliant by the end of 2006.
12 Companies Circle
Case Studies 13
Cementos Argos
When Compañía de Cemento Argos, S.A. was founded in Medellin, Colombia, 70 years
ago, its founders could scarcely have imagined that their small entrepreneurial venture
would one day become the biggest cement company in Colombia, the fifth-largest pro-
ducer in Latin America and one of the pioneers of good governance in the region.
In the beginning, the founders realized that they would need co-investors to move
ahead with plans to build their first cement factory. The City of Medellin and the
Antioquia Railroad were the business’ first partners. Two years later, the factory was oper-
ating and the company began a history of fruitful creation of new plants and several sub-
sidiary companies.
At the end of 2005, the old Compañia de Cemento Argos was transformed into a
holding company and renamed Inversiones Argos, S.A. (Inversiones Argos). Its eight
Colombian cement subsidiaries were merged to form a single new operating company,
Cementos Argos, S.A. (Cementos Argos).
Today, Inversiones Argos is the owner of 70% of the shares of Cementos Argos. The
remaining 30% of shares of Cementos Argos are in the hands of smaller shareholders.
Minority shareholders have no guarantee of tag-along right in case of transfer of control.
Seventy-seven percent of the portfolio of Inversiones Argos is represented by its
investment in Cementos Argos, with the remainder largely invested in finance and insur-
ance companies. The largest and controlling shareholder of Inversiones Argos is the
Grupo Empresarial Antioqueño (Colombia’s largest conglomerate), while the remaining
46% of Inversiones Argos’s shares are in free float and held by assorted investors.
Specifically, international investors and local pensions and severance payments adminis-
tration companies hold approximately 11% of the shares of Inversiones Argos, with
another 35% of shares in the hands of smaller minority shareholders.
Both Inversiones Argos and Cementos Argos are publicly-held corporations listed on
the Bolsa de Valores de Colombia. The companies do not rule out the possibility of issu-
14 Companies Circle
ing shares on the NYSE in the future. Shares of Inversiones Argos and Cementos Argos
are included in IGBC Index of the Bolsa and perform similar to the performance of the
whole Index. Cementos Argos and its subsidiaries have more than 10,500 employees.
Case Studies 15
Cementos Argos’s structure of corporate governance focuses on five main pillars:
fair treatment of shareholders; strengthening the structure and performance of the
Board of Directors; developing procedures to provide accurate, complete and timely
information; establishing an Ethics Code for employees; and regulating relations with
different interest groups.
Finally and notably, it was decided that both internal and external auditors should
review and inform the market of Cementos Argos’s compliance with its Good
Governance Code. The company’s chief legal officer is charged with overseeing issues
related to corporate governance.
In addition to good corporate governance practices, Cementos Argos attaches
great importance to corporate social responsibility and value-added initiatives that
enhance the localities in which they operate. In particular, the company spent US$
2.6 million during 2005 on different community programs benefiting education,
charity, health, nutrition and cultural arts.
16 Companies Circle
Results
Cementos Argos, on 31 January 2006, had a market capitalization of US$ 5.8 billion.
This number is up as compared with 31 December 2004 (US$ 930 million) and the
previous year-end (31 December 2005), when market capitalization reached US$ 4.8
billion—creating a sizeable 420% increase in that one year period alone.
Cementos Argos prepares its financial statement in accordance with Colombian
GAAP. In 2005, the company had net income of US$ 722 million, reflecting an
increase of 63% compared to 2004 (US$ 442 million). Other financial performance
results are as follows:
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 - US$ 441.8 million (consolidated);
• 2005 - US$ 721.7 million (consolidated);
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 - US$ 41.3 million (consolidated);
• 2005 - US$ 115.0 million (consolidated);
n Net cash:
• 2004 - US$ 85.2 million (consolidated);
• 2005 - US$ 17.7 million (consolidated).
It is difficult to precisely measure the direct benefits of adopting good gover-
nance practices, but Cementos Argos can point to substantive results. Its shares
have steadily increased in value by climbing 177% during 2005. After publishing the
Good Governance Code, the company also more than quadrupled its number of
shareholders.
In addition, with the adoption of the Code, Cementos Argos surged ahead of its
market competition, as capital investors rewarded the company by more than three
times (3.4 times) oversubscribing to its last bond issuance.
Being the fifth-largest cement producer in Latin America, Cementos Argos today
supplies 51% of the local cement market and 32% of the local concrete market. In addi-
tion, Cementos Argos exports its products to 18 different countries and holds several
investments in the United States, Panama, Venezuela, Haiti and Dominican Republic.
Future Goals and Challenges
Cementos Argos is still perfecting its governance system. Its main challenges are
strengthening its Board of Directors and the Board committees. Better systems for over-
seeing compliance with its Code of Ethics (in effect since 2004) and enhancement of its
disclosure practices are among the company’s future corporate governance goals.
Case Studies 17
Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias (CCR)
In 1998, the shareholders of Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias (CCR), a consoli-
dation of toll road operations, knew that they would have to build market credibility to
attract investors to their capital-intensive business. They also knew that this would not
be an easy task.
CCR was created to dilute political and geographic risks, add financial flexibility and
provide a permanent vehicle for investment in Brazil’s toll road businesses. Shareholders
in CCR were huge Brazilian groups that also operated in the construction business, and
who therefore were the main suppliers for Brazil’s highway authorities. With obvious
potential for conflicts of interest clouding the possibilities for returns to non-controlling
shareholders, CCR had an uphill battle to fight to establish credibility.
18 Companies Circle
Ownership Structure to Assure Good Governance
The new structure ensured that management and shareholders would act as investors,
working toward creating business value and challenging the market’s previous percep-
tion that contractors might operate a highway concession business solely to secure
themselves advantageous contracts. To achieve further credibility, CCR went on to
create mechanisms to evaluate related party contracts to ensure that decisions would
be made in the interests of all CCR shareholders. With this established, the stage
would be set for CCR to go public.
Although its founding shareholders could pledge to the market that they would
operate the business according to the best standards, market credibility could be
achieved only if there was a partner with a clear interest in ensuring the pledge was
kept. They found such a strategic partner in Portugal—Brisa Auto Estradas de
Portugal S.A., which holds concessions of 11 roads in Portugal. Brisa acquired 20%
of CCR’s shares, a stake equal to those held by the founding shareholders.
Case Studies 19
utives and other stakeholders, and the Board’s evaluation system. The Committee also
periodically reviews the governance system itself.
CCR’s senior executive officers (directors and managers) are hired in the market or
promoted from within the lower ranks of the company. Their compensation typical-
ly consists of a mix of fixed salaries and a variable component. Sixty to seventy per-
cent of the variable component is calculated based on the company’s economic value
added (EVA), with the rest dependent on the accomplishment of qualitative goals set
for the year. The company’s executive compensation program does not include stock
options. However, CCR does have a long-term incentive program designed to align
the interests of managers and shareholders, create value, attract and retain talented
managers, encourage sustainability and reinforce the long-term vision for the business.
The result of CCR’s human resources policies is a cadre of executives that share CCR’s
vision and values. The full amount of the compensation (on collective basis) is dis-
closed at Annual General Meetings.
CCR’s CEO is the executive ultimately charged with responsibility for the imple-
mentation of the company’s governance-related initiatives.
The internal audit function at CCR is outsourced to a leading accounting and
audit firm.
20 Companies Circle
n Having a Board of Directors with a minimum of five members and a unified
mandate of up to two years, re-election allowed. A minimum of 20% of the
members must be independent directors;
n Making the annual financial statements available in accordance with interna-
tional accounting standards (US GAAP or IFRS);
n Introducing improvements in the quarterly information report and in other
documents sent to CVM and BOVESPA, including consolidated financial
statements, cash flow statements and special audit revision;
n Holding a tender offer on economic value criteria as a minimum in the event
of a decision to de-list from the Novo Mercado;
n Adhering to disclosure rules on the negotiation of assets issued by the com-
pany in the name of the controlling shareholders or the company manage-
ment; and
n Disclosing contracts signed between the company and related parties;
n Disclosing on a monthly basis trades involving securities and derivatives
issued by the company in the name of controlling shareholders;
n Releasing an annual corporate agenda, including Annual General Meeting,
release of information and others;
n Holding public meetings with analysts and investors, at least once a year;
n Adhering to Market Arbitration Chamber to solve shareholder disputes.
After CCR joined the Novo Mercado, two groups from the original shareholders
exited—one group was motivated by the liquidity opportunity created by the CCR’s
offering, and the other left the toll collections business altogether. Today, four large
national and international construction companies have equal stakes of 17.39% in
CCR while 28.98% of shares are free float. CCR’s ownership thus has the following
structure:
Results
CCR’s shares were priced in the February 2002 IPO at R$ 18.00 (US$ 7.45) giving
the company an initial market capitalization of R$ 1.5 billion (US$ 620 million). In
Case Studies 21
December 2004, the share price reached R$ 58.10 (US$ 21.88), with market capital-
ization of R$ 5.8 billion (US$ 2.2 billion). During the 2004–2005 period, CCR’s
shares appreciated 27.37% from R$ 58.1 to R$ 74.0 (US$ 31.61) along with its mar-
ket capitalization–from R$ 5,855.0 million (US$ 2,205.7 million) to R$ 7,457.4 mil-
lion (US$ 3,185.9 million).
The market rewarded CCR with a premium for its policies of transparency and
equal rights for all shareholders. As the table and graph below indicate, CCR’s shares
appreciated 351.8% from February 2002 to December 2005, while the Ibovespa Stock
Index recorded cumulative returns of 193.6% for the same period. CCR even outper-
formed the IGC, the Brazilian Corporate Governance Index, which reported a return
of 313.9%.
Today, CCR continues to improve its governance model and create value for all
shareholders. This good governance initiative is an unquestionable success case: CCR
is Brazil’s largest toll road concession operator. Operating six roads, its business repre-
sents 15% of Brazil’s highway network, with approximately 1,452 kilometers of high-
ways, and more than 41% of total toll revenue in the country’s sector. Today, the com-
pany has nearly 4,200 employees.
22 Companies Circle
As CCR’s financial statements prepared in accordance with Brazilian GAAP (with
the reconciliation of differences between Brazilian GAAP and US GAAP) indicate,
CCR registered net revenue in 2004 of R$ 1.463 billion (US$ 551 million), generat-
ing operating cash of R$ 759 million (US$ 286 million). Net revenues increased
33.56% by 31 December 2005 with R$ 1.954 billion (US$ 906 million), generating
operating cash of R$ 1.102 billion (US$ 511 million). Net income for the same period
rose more than 90% from R$ 263 million (US$ 99 million) in 2004 to R$ 500 mil-
lion (US$ 213 million) in 2005. Other financial information is presented below:
Case Studies 23
CPFL Energia
CPFL Energia’s (CPFL) origin goes back to 1912, with the founding of Companhia
Paulista de Força e Luz (CPFL Paulista) following the merger of four domestically-owned
electricity distributors located in the upcountry area of the state of São Paulo. The com-
pany’s controlling group has since changed several times. Beginning in 1927, it was
acquired by US-based American Foreign Power Co., and, subsequently, the federally-
owned Eletrobrás (1964) then followed by the state-owned Companhia Energética do
Estado de São Paulo—CESP (1975) until the company was finally privatized in 1997.
At privatization, VBC Energia, 521 Participações and Bonaire Participações took a con-
trolling interest and, from that date forward, the company began an accelerated process
of expansion, culminating in August of 2002 in CPFL Energia’s creation as a holding
company for the generation, distribution and trading of electricity.
VBC Energia is a private company controlled by VBC Participações, the capital of
which is held by three major conglomerates representing Brazilian business interests:
Votorantim Energia Ltda., Bradesplan Participações S.A. and Camargo Corrêa S.A.
521 Participações S.A. represents the pension fund of the Banco do Brasil (Caixa de
Previdência dos Funcionários—Previ), the largest Brazilian pension fund with more
than 161 thousand beneficiaries.
Bonaire Participações S.A. is an investment fund made up of Brazilian pension funds
—Fundação Cesp—Funcesp, Fundação Petrobrás de Seguridade Social—Petros, Fundação
Sistel de Seguridade Social and Fundação Sabesp de Seguridade Social—Sabesprev.
In addition to these, BNDESPar, the holding company of the BNDES (National
Economic and Social Development Bank of Brazil) and the International Finance
Corporation (IFC) also currently feature among CPFL’s most important shareholders.
The company issued common shares (its only class of corporate share) and American
Depositary Receipt (ADRs) on the Novo Mercado, the highest corporate governance-
based tier of BOVESPA (São Paulo Stock Exchange), and New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) (Level III) on 29 September 2004. CPFL made a primary offering of R$ 685
million (US$ 239 million) and a secondary offering of R$ 136 million
(US$ 47 million), for a combined total of R$ 821 million (US$ 286 million) at
R$ 17.22 per share (US$ 6.00 per share), with each ADR representing three shares.
The company’s initial free float was 13.64%. This has since risen to the current level
of 17.75%, thanks to the underwriters’ exercise of their overallotment option, resulting
in equity stake exchanges between the BNDESPar (minority shareholder) and VBC
24 Companies Circle
Energia (controlling shareholder) and conversion by the IFC of its loan into shares. In
addition, minority shareholders of the subsidiaries CPFL Paulista, CPFL Piratininga
and CPFL Geração exchanged their respective equity stakes in subsidiaries for shares of
parent company, CPFL Energia. CPFL’s resulting ownership structure after the above
changes (as of 31 December 2005) is presented below. All shareholders are granted
100% tag-along rights. The company had 5,838 employees as of 31 December 2005.
CPFL adopted good corporate governance practices rapidly and thoroughly for sev-
eral reasons. First and foremost, the company considers corporate governance as a
means of creating value and, secondly, it is a strategic way for the company to achieve
its goal of turning CPFL into a benchmark for the electricity sector in Brazil. Finally,
corporate governance serves to help establish CPFL Energia as a holding company that
equitably treats each of its shareholders, including the controlling shareholders—each
one with their own distinct and respectively differing objectives and characteristics.
This governance transformation process was begun internally following the privati-
zation of CPFL Paulista on 5 November 1997, and was intensified in 2000 with the
structuring of an integrated management system. During this period, the energy distri-
bution activities underwent major expansion, with CPFL Paulista acquiring a signifi-
cant stake in Bandeirante de Energia in 1998 (later spun off, giving rise to CPFL
Piratininga) and Rio Grande Energia in 2000.
Subsequently, in 2002, the group’s decision-making process was formally structured
and determined when the controlling shareholders signed a shareholders’ agreement,
allowing for the creation of CPFL Energia as a holding company in August of that year.
Case Studies 25
n The structuring of Board’s Advisory Committees;
n The implementation by the Board of Directors of a self-evaluation system;
n Change in the structure of the company’s annual report, prepared in the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) format;
n The implementation of the Board of Directors’ website;
n The introduction of an anonymous and confidential channel for employees, to
enable them to raise questionable accounting and/or financial conduct issues
to the Fiscal Board (a Brazilian analog of the Audit Committee), in a move
towards closer Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance;
n The migration of minority shareholders of the subsidiaries CPFL Paulista,
CPFL Piratininga and CPFL Geração to CPFL Energia following a share swap
arrangment worth R$ 553 million (US$ 242 million) and involving 56,800
shareholders;
n The implementation of a compliance division responsible for meeting regula-
tory requirements in all markets in which the company’s shares are traded.
Among these regulations is section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
n The structuring of the succession plan down to the managerial level;
n The structuring of several company education plans;
n The structuring of a process of performance evaluation;
n The preparation of an insider trading policy; and
n The systematizing of the comparison of corporate governance practices with
national and international benchmarks.
The Board of Directors currently has 7 members, three of whom are appointed by
VBC Participações, two by 521 Participações and one by Bonaire Participações. The
last member is an independent director also representing the minority shareholders.
Each Board member’s term of office is one year with the possibility for re-election.
At present, the Board of Directors has three advisory committees:
n Personnel Committee, responsible for analyzing matters related to the com-
pany’s personnel management, the evaluation of the performance of the prin-
cipal executives and the mechanism for choosing the CEO;
n Processes Committee, responsible for monitoring main processes and controls;
n Related Parties Committee, responsible for evaluating related party transac-
tions.
26 Companies Circle
Since the company’s privatization, different individuals have held the positions of
Chairman of the Board and CEO.
The CEO is chosen and elected by the Board of Directors, but is not a member of
the Board itself.
In addition to the CEO, who is a statutory director, the remaining statutory direc-
tors (five Executive Vice-Presidents) are similarly not Board members. All enjoy two-
year terms of office and are eligible for re-election.
There are two important aspects to be noted:
n While the remaining statutory directors are formally elected by the Board of
Directors, in practice they are appointed by the CEO; and
n There exists a clear distinction between decisions that can be taken by the
statutory directors and those of the Board of Directors, this distinction being
spelled out in the corporate by-laws and the shareholders’ agreement.
With respect to compensation, the following points are important:
n The Board members receive fixed monthly compensation, irrespective of the
number of Board meetings held, the compensation being fixed in accordance
with market parameters. The Board of Directors is not compensated in any
other manner;
n The statutory directors and the remaining officers of the company receive fixed
and variable (a bonus for meeting performance targets) compensation based on
market parameters. Since 2006, the statutory directors have also enjoyed a sup-
plemental form of variable compensation that is calculated on a phantom stock
basis.
The estimated overall compensation of the Board of Directors, statutory directors
and Fiscal Board is disclosed (all combined) at the company’s Annual General Meeting,
held in April of each year.
Case Studies 27
Corporate Governance Recognition
In 2005, in a survey conducted by Institutional Investor magazine involving more than
100 analysts and portfolio managers, the company was recognized as the best in Latin
America in Corporate Governance—taking 1st place in ‘Corporate Governance - Latin
American Electric Utilities’.
In 2006, the company received an honorable mention in the ‘Best in Corporate
Governance’ awards based on a the survey carried out by IR Magazine, one of the top
publications covering capital markets in Brazil, involving more than 200 domestic cap-
ital markets’ leading experts.
28 Companies Circle
Financial Results
CPFL Energia reports its earnings in Brazilian GAAP and US GAAP (reconciling the
Brazilian GAAP into US GAAP). In 2005, CPFL reported gross sales revenue of R$
10,904 million (US$ 4,660 million), an increase of 14% compared with the preceding
year. Net sales revenue reached R$ 7,739 million (US$ 3,307 million), 15% more than
R$ 6,736 million (US$ 2,542 million) for 2004.
EBIDTA in turn amounted to R$ 2,100 million (US$ 906 million) in 2005, equiv-
alent to a growth of 26% compared to R$ 1,700 million (US$ 634 million) in 2004.
As a result, the company reported its best net income ever at R$ 1,021 billion (US$
436 million) in 2005, a growth of 266% compared to R$ 279 million (US$ 105 mil-
lion) in 2004. Other year-on-year financial results include:
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 - R$ 4,306 million (US$ 1,625 million);
• 2005 - R$ 4,594 million (US$ 1,963 million);
n Net cash:
• 2004 - R$ 818 million (US$ 309 million);
• 2005 - R$ 1,029 million (US$ 440 million);
n Projected cash for 2006 at year-end R$ 323 million (US$ 145 million).
In 2005, highlights were the growth in electricity power sales of 4.7% as well as a
114% rise in CPFL’s Brazil sales to the free market. The result was also boosted by an
increase in installed capacity with the commissioning of the Monte Claro hydro plants
for commercial operations at the end of December 2004.
Overall, the growing and consistent results posted over the past few years are a reflec-
tion of the company’s business strategy based on advanced corporate governance prac-
tices and the capture of increasing synergies flowing from combined corporate financial
discipline, corporate sustainability and responsibility practices.
Case Studies 29
Embraer
Based in São José dos Campos, Brazil, Embraer was initially founded in 1969 as a state-
owned company, but was privatized on 7 December 1994. Since its privatization,
Embraer has become one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world by focusing
on specific market segments with high growth potential in commercial, defense and
executive aviation. Equally important, Embraer provides a superior product package,
with comprehensive aircraft and after-sales support for parts, services and technical
assistance. Embraer has five plants in Brazil in three different locations, as well as sub-
sidiaries, offices, technical assistance and supply parts distribution centers in China,
Singapore, the United States, France and Portugal, together representing in December
2005 a workforce of more than 16,900 employees.
Embraer’s 1994 privatization meant a deep cultural transformation process, in
which the former engineering and industrially-oriented culture, predominating during
the state-owned years, was merged with a new entrepreneurial and administratively-ori-
ented culture brought by the new controlling shareholders. Evolution of the company’s
governance was an integral part of Embraer’s cultural transformation.
Embraer is regarded by the Brazilian government as a strategic company. This sta-
tus carries with it several implications for the company’s governance:
n Embraer’s privatization notice stipulated that the interest of foreign entities in
Embraer’s voting capital should be limited to 40%.
n There is a special class share or Golden Share held by the Brazilian government.
The Golden Share provides the same voting rights as the holders of common
shares have. However, in addition, the Golden Share carries veto power over,
among other things, changes of control or of corporate purpose and creation
and alteration of defense programs.
As a result of the privatization, the company not only recovered its financial sound-
ness, but was also able to embark on a new expansion process, primarily driven by the
ERJ 145 family project. In the following years, by launching the EMBRAER 170/190
family and the Legacy executive airplane, as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance (ISR) products and the ALX/Super Tucano project, Embraer signifi-
cantly increased its aeronautical market share, resulting in growing revenues in diversi-
fied marketplaces.
The development of new products by Embraer, as well as its future growth, depends
on its flexibility to access capital markets. On 21 July 2000, Embraer simultaneously
issued new shares on the New York and São Paulo Stock Exchanges. By extending its
30 Companies Circle
access to international capital markets, the company was able to raise US$ 250 million
to support the development of the EMBRAER 170/190 family, the E-jets, launched in
1999.
In more recent years, a number of important events occurred that consolidated the
company’s prosperous and sustainable economic and social development such as the
entry into service of the new EMBRAER 170/190 family of commercial jets, a program
which has required investments of approximately US$ 1 billion; the confirmation of
Embraer’s commitment to the executive aviation market, with the launch of new prod-
ucts such as the Phenom 100, the Phenom 300 and the Lineage 1000 executive jets,
and the expansion of Embraer’s presence in the aeronautical services market, with the
acquisition of specialized MRO companies, such as OGMA—Indústria Aeronáutica de
Portugal.
Embraer’s well-established family of regional airliners places it among the largest
commercial aircraft manufacturers in the world. Though its historical focus has been
on the small-medium market segment of 30 to 50-seat jets, a few years ago, Embraer
also developed a new jetliner family in the 70 to 110-seat category. Today, Embraer is
the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 110 seats. Embraer’s defense
aircraft market segment is also strong, as measured by the more than 20 air forces
around the world deploying Embraer aircraft and defense systems for surveillance, com-
bat and training missions. In addition, the executive jet market provides significant
growth opportunities for Embraer. The company expects to offer products in all cate-
gories of the executive jet market, from the “very light” to the “ultra large” categories.
Embraer has endeavored to understand and respond to market and customer needs,
continually improving the product and customer support for its commercial and exec-
utive aircrafts.
From 1995 through 2005, Embraer exported US$ 20 billion in products and ser-
vices. It was ranked as the largest Brazilian exporter from 1999 to 2001. During this
10-year period, the company accounted for US$ 8 billion of the country’s trade balance.
Case Studies 31
The primary goal of the corporate restructuring was to create a basis for sustainabil-
ity, growth and continuity of Embraer’s businesses and activities. Effectively, the
restructuring broke down controlling blocks of shareholders. As a result, Embraer
became the largest public company in Brazil with fully dispersed ownership. This
should facilitate Embraer’s access to capital markets and increase its prospects for obtain-
ing new sources of financing. Additionally, the restructuring will likely result in higher
liquidity to all shareholders and better means for a “voice” in company affairs, by virtue
of voting rights provided to all shareholders. In other words, without a permanently
defined control block, the shareholders will have to meet, assess and depend on the
alignment of their interests to make decisions in each Annual General Meeting.
On 5 June 2006, Embraer began trading its single class of common shares on the
prestigious Novo Mercado, corporate governance-based tier of BOVESPA (São Paulo
Stock Exchange). Embraer’s American Depositary Receipts (under its Level III ADS
program) are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Each ADS represents
four common shares of Embraer.
Under Embraer’s new by-laws, approved in March 2006, protective mechanisms
were created to ensure not only the dilution of the shareholding control, but also the
holding by Brazilian shareholders of the majority of votes in the company, so that the
decision-making power is held by Brazilian individuals. This is consistent with the 40%
restrictive condition set forth during the company’s privatization process. The follow-
ing mechanisms are in force:
n No shareholder or group of shareholders, national or foreign, may vote at each
Annual General Meeting with more than 5% of the total outstanding shares.
This limitation seeks to prevent the excessive concentration of shares or ADS
in the hands of one shareholder or a group of shareholders;
n The total votes granted to foreign shareholders, individually and collectively, is
limited to 40% of the total votes to be cast at the General Meeting;
n Any shareholder or a group of shareholders is prohibited from acquiring par-
ticipation equal or higher than 35% of Embraer’s stock, except if expressly
authorized by the Federal Government, as the holder of the Golden Share, and
subject to the holding of a public tender offer (“Oferta Pública de Aquisição”—
OPA); and
n The ownership structure must be disclosed whenever: (i) a shareholder’s inter-
est reaches or exceeds 5% of the company’s shares; and (ii) any shareholder’s
interest exceeds 5% of Embraer’s capital.
Prior to the capital restructuring, 60.0% of outstanding common shares were held
by Embraer’s former controlling shareholders—Cia. Bozano, Previ, Sistel—and were
subject to a shareholders’ agreement and equally divided into 20.0% stakes for each
32 Companies Circle
party. The Brazilian Government held 0.8% of common shares, in addition to the
Golden Share. Upon implementation of the capital restructuring, the shareholders’
agreement was terminated, and Cia. Bozano, Previ and Sistel now hold 11.1%, 16.4%
and 7.4% of shares, respectively. A group of leading European aerospace companies—
Dassault Aviation, EADS and Thales—each individually own 2.1% and SAFRAN (for-
mally known as Snecma) owns 1.1%. The Brazilian Government retains 0.3% of the
capital. The remaining 57.4% free float is traded on the local and international mar-
kets as presented in the chart below.
In order to demonstrate to the market that the former controlling shareholders and
the management of Embraer remained committed to the company and believe in its
future, a six-month lock-up period was approved, during which the former controlling
shareholders could not trade their shares.
Case Studies 33
During this transition period, the company’s Chairman of the Board, Mr. Maurício
Novis Botelho, also serves as the Chief Executive Officer until April 2007, when the
Board of Directors will elect a new CEO. After that date, it is expressly prohibited to
serve concurrently as a member of the Board of Directors and member of senior man-
agement. With the exception of the CEO, the representative of the Brazilian govern-
ment and the two representatives of Embraer’s employees, all current members of the
Board are independent.
The Board of Directors appoints an Executive Committee, which is composed of up
to four members, with the purpose of assisting in the performance of the Board func-
tions, with respect to its executive compensation policy, strategic decisions and corpo-
rate governance-related measures.
The company’s executive officers are responsible for day-to-day management of the
company’s affairs. The CEO and CFO were professionals hired after the privatization
of the company, while the majority of remaining executive officers had built their car-
riers at the company.
Embraer implemented a plan in 1998 that ties employees’ profit sharing to dividend
payments. Every time the company pays dividends to its shareholders, it also distrib-
utes up to 25% of the dividend amount among employees who have achieved strategic
goals established in the action plan approved by the Board of Directors. Therefore,
Embraer’s profit sharing plan is a true partnership among shareholders, executive offi-
cers and employees that helps increase productivity and ensures the alignment of share-
holders’ and employees’ interests.
Under the plan, the company may pay additional amounts of up to 5% of such div-
idend payment to the executive officers and some employees that have performed excep-
tionally, on a discretionary basis. In April 2005, the Board of Directors approved cer-
tain changes to the company’s profit sharing plan related to the additional 5% distribu-
tion. These changes were based on recommendations made by an Advisory Committee
of the Board of Directors, which was formed in 2004 for the purpose of reviewing the
company’s policies with regard to compensation. The new policy provides that the
additional distribution of up to 5% is limited to an amount equal to 50% of the com-
pany’s net income adjusted for certain cash flows. For the executive officers and certain
senior employees, two-thirds of the distribution will be provided in cash and the
remaining one-third will be allocated as “virtual common shares” and payments related
thereto will be made over a three-year period, using a weighted average share price. As
a result, the value of these payments is tied to the future market performance of the
company’s shares. The Board of Directors and the Fiscal Board are not entitled to
receive payments under the profit sharing plan. Their remuneration is based on mar-
ket analysis conducted by a human resources consultant firm.
34 Companies Circle
For the fiscal year ended 31 December 2005, the aggregate compensation that was
paid to the Board of Directors, Fiscal Board and executive officers was US$ 8.8 million.
The Fiscal Board’s main responsibility is to oversee acts of the executive officers and
examine whether financial statements comply with transparency and good corporate
governance policies. In view of the requirements placed by the 2004 Sarbanes-Oxley
Act on foreign corporations listed in US markets, Embraer implemented several changes
in its Fiscal Board. Such adaptations included changes in:
n Its composition with the addition of a member acting as financial specialist;
and
n The internal regulations to distribute responsibilities and provide for a broad-
er scope in assessments and analyses undertaken by its members.
As a result, Embraer’s Fiscal Board is now composed of five sitting members, of
which one is a financial specialist. All are appointed to a one-year term of office. This
new Fiscal Board fully complies with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s
(SEC) requirements.
In addition to its listing on the NYSE, since 2001 Embraer reports simultaneously
its quarterly and annual financial results in Brazilian GAAP and US GAAP.
The company’s external auditors are accountable to the full Board while the internal
audit function is the responsibility of the company’s risk and internal controls office,
under the supervision of the CFO and directly reporting to the Fiscal Board. The CFO
reports to the Fiscal Board, ensuring the necessary independence and competence to
assess the design of the company’s internal controls over financial reporting.
In addition to being subject to the Novo Mercado regulations that include rules on
corporate governance, Embraer has adopted and observes a disclosure policy, which
requires the public disclosure of all relevant information pursuant to guidelines set forth
by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission—the CVM, as well as an insid-
er trading policy, which, among other things, establishes black-out periods and requires
insiders to inform management of all transactions involving the company’s securities.
The Results
Embraer’s commitment to its investors, its solid management structure and the adop-
tion of best corporate governance practices have together clearly had an important
impact on the company’s market value in recent years. At the end of 2005, Embraer
reported significant milestones. Net sales increased 11.3% from 2004 to 2005, reach-
ing US$ 3.829 billion—the highest ever recorded in the company’s history. Net income
in 2005 reached US$ 445.7 million, 17.2% higher than in 2004. Net cash on 31
December 2005 was US$ 360.1 million compared to net cash of US$ 22.1 million at
Case Studies 35
the end of 2004 growing more than 16 times. Total operating expenses, including prof-
it sharing and research and development expenses, were US$ 650 million for the year
ending 31 December 2005, up 3.38% from US$ 629 million for the year ending 31
December 2004.
Over this period, Embraer generated significant wealth for its investors—market
capitalization has grown US$ 4.8 billion in the last six years, from US$ 2.2 billion as of
December 1999 to US$ 7 billion as of December 2005 (between 2004 and 2005, mar-
ket capitalization grew 16.67% from US$ 6 billion to US$ 7 billion). In that same peri-
od, Embraer distributed US$ 943 million in dividends to its shareholders. In the same
period its share price appreciated 157% and increased from R$ 7.01 in December 1999
to R$ 18.00 at the end of 2005, while the Ibovespa Stock Index appreciated only 98%
(between 2004 and 2005, the share price appreciated 14% from R$ 15.80 (common
shares) to R$ 18.00).
Similarly, the performance of the company’s ADSs listed on the NYSE was record-
ed as high as US$ 39.10 during the 2005’s last session, an appreciation of 111% since
its listing in July 2000.
Embraer’s advancements in corporate governance are recognized and well-received
by the market. The Institutional Investor Research Group, a pioneering research com-
pany in Latin American stock markets, awarded Embraer first place in the Best Buy-
Side Investor Relations Survey in 2005. This ranking was based on compiled opinion
survey results from 53 buy-side investors and 59 sell-side analysts.
The market has also recognized Embraer’s transparency standards as exceptional.
Embraer was selected as one of ten finalists for seven years in a row—and the winner in
36 Companies Circle
2000—of the Financial Statement Transparency Award given by the National Finance,
Management and Accounting Executives Association in Brazil. In addition, the
Brazilian Listed Companies Association (ABRASCA) ranked Embraer among the top
ten finalists for the 2005 edition of its annual report.
Finally, Embraer’s emphasis on high social and environmental standards has also
been recognized, as demonstrated by outranking of its industry competitors on both the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the BOVESPA Corporate Sustainability Index.
Embraer believes that having high levels of corporate governance is a journey, not a
destination. Over the past three years, many improvements on the company’s corpo-
rate governance practices were implemented, including the conclusion of its restructur-
ing process during the first half of 2006. Embraer is currently undergoing a transition
period from being a company with defined ownership to having dispersed sharehold-
ing. The company is committed to making the necessary adjustments to meet the new
market demands. With the highest standards of corporate governance and transparen-
cy, Embraer hopes to stay an investor-friendly company for years to come.
Case Studies 37
Ferreyros
Ferreyros was founded in 1922 by four friends. The company’s principal activities are:
the import and sale or rental of machinery and equipment and product support through
the sale of spare parts and the provision of workshop services. In 1942, Ferreyros incor-
porated the distribution of Caterpillar machinery and equipment into its business port-
folio, and today this is far and away its core business, representing 88% of sales in 2005.
Several other well-known product brands are also in its portfolio.
Ferreyros as of December 2005 had approximately 1,200 employees and 700 share-
holders. To date, the 5 Peruvian pension investment funds (AFPs) hold more than 40%
of the company’s shares. The following is the list of shareholders having more than 5%
of the shares, which includes 4 of the pension funds:
n Integra - FONDO 2 - 11.40%;
n Nueva Vida - FONDO 2 - 10.03%;
n La Positiva Vida Seguros y Reaseguros S.A. - 9.63%;
n Horizonte - FONDO 2 - 9.17%;
n Horseshoe Bay Limited - 6.46%; and
n Profuturo - FONDO 2 - 6.00%.
As of the end of 2005, there were only six investors with more than a 5% stake. All
other investors hold less than 5% with 43.7% of shares as free float. The company’s
shares are included in the Lima Stock Exchange Index.
Ferreyros’s market capitalization reached US$ 191 million by the end of July 2006,
representing an increase of 62% as compared to US$ 118 million as of the end of 2005.
The year-end market capitalization figure for 2004 was similar to that of 2005.
Ferreyros’s annual turnover is more than US$ 300 million.
38 Companies Circle
ments to attract investment and improve the company’s controls and performance.
That is how and why Ferreyros initially entered the BVL in 1971 and eventually turned
into a company with a wide and diverse base of shareholders.
In the early 1990s, the company determined that in order to sustain its growth, its
participation in the Peruvian capital market should not be limited to the issuance of
shares, but would also include the sale of bonds. Thus, in 1994, its first bond issue of
US$ 5 million was authorized. Since then, there have been 4 bond issues (1994, 1996,
1999 and 2002). In 2001, a commercial paper program was registered. Over a period
of two years, a total of 11 issuances were placed for US$ 49 million. In 2004, another
bond program was registered, under which 5 issuances were placed for US$ 50 million.
Every time Ferreyros issued these instruments in Peru, it was rewarded with an over-sub-
scribed demand, sometimes amounting to as much as 3 times the amount issued. In
March 2006, at the Annual General Meeting, shareholders approved the registration of
a mixed bond and commercial paper program of up to US$ 90 million.
Corporate Governance
In order to include a diversity of experiences and to encourage a diversity of opinions,
the company’s by-laws provide that the Board of Directors must be made up of 8 to 12
members. Currently, the Board is composed of 8 directors, each with different profes-
sional expertise, thus contributing to better decision-making on behalf of the company.
For many years, the company had two independent directors. In the 2005 election
for the Board of Directors, three independent directors, selected by the pension fund
managers, joined the company. Today, there are four independent directors. Also, since
2005, the number of Board committees increased from 1 to 3, namely: the Committee
of General Management and Corporate Governance; the Audit Committee; and the
Organizational Development and Human Resource Committee. Each committee is
composed of 5 directors, one or two of whom are independent. Their sessions are held
quarterly or semi-annually.
The Board of Directors holds monthly sessions, which are carefully minuted. Board
sessions in the last few years had more than 80% attendance. The remuneration of the
Board of Directors is determined based on the results obtained by the company. The
by-laws stipulate that the Board of Directors is entitled to 6% of freely available profits.
There is no other form of remuneration whatsoever for Board members. Board mem-
ber remuneration and executive compensation as a whole is disclosed in the annual
report as a percentage of the company’s total income. Approximately 25% of executive
compensation is determined based on the company’s results.
The company has clearly defined all functions of the Board of Directors, the
Chairman and management. The Board of Directors is considered by the management
Case Studies 39
as an entity that adds great value and is responsible for approving the company’s strate-
gy. The Board of Directors oversees the management’s performance and prepares a
report to the shareholders on such performance, a copy of which is included in the com-
pany’s annual report. The Chairman of the Board must be someone other than the
Chief Executive Officer. Senior managers are selected by the CEO. The market is kept
informed about important matters in a timely fashion though the publication of
“Hechos de Importancia” (material events disclosure). Finally, from an organizational
point of view, the Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for design and over-
sight of governance programs in Ferreyros.
To ensure information quality and transparency, an internal audit department is in
place and reports to the Board. Financial statements are audited by an audit firm select-
ed by and accountable to the Board, pursuant to powers granted by the Annual General
Meeting. To this effect, a contract policy was adopted providing the possibility of annu-
al contract renewals and the extension of renewal terms up to 5 years requiring a more
thorough assessment of the level of service satisfaction and, in any case, requiring an
audit partner and/or staff rotation. As good corporate governance recommends, the
company refrains from hiring the external audit firm to perform services other than the
audit of financial statements. Legal and tax consultancy services are provided by other
unrelated firms.
The company has adopted an “Internal Code of Conduct to ensure compliance with
obligations resulting from the registration of securities with the Public Registry of the
Securities Market”. These rules reflect the company’s policy of openness and best dis-
closure practices. The Code lays down internal procedures that allow the company’s
stock market representative to disclose material facts to the market within the required
time. This same Code establishes the company’s stock trading policy, spelling out obli-
gations and procedures for directors, officers, employees and advisors who deal with
privileged information. The company’s Code clearly prohibits the misuse or unautho-
rized disclosure of inside information and penalizes insider trading on that basis.
The company notifies the market of material events one day after they have
occurred, issues quarterly financial statements and yearly audited financial statements.
Ferreyros began publishing its quarterly releases with company financial results many
years before any laws required such disclosure and before corporate governance volun-
tary principles were adopted in Peru. Since 2004, Ferreyros includes a statement on the
degree of compliance with corporate governance principles in every annual report.
Ferreyros posts its annual report on web pages accessible to the public. The compa-
ny’s ownership structure is also disclosed, listing those shareholders that hold more than
5% on its website, as well as on the website of Peru’s Comisión Nacional Supervisora de
Empresas y Valores (CONASEV—the Peruvian securities market regulator). Any
change in these holdings is reported immediately. The number of shareholders having
40 Companies Circle
a specific range of shares (over 5%, between 1 and 5%, less than 1%) is also reported in
the annual report. No bloc agreements among shareholders exist.
Privately, the company participates in meetings with institutional investors organ-
ized by investment banks, delivers a yearly presentation to Peruvian pension fund man-
agers (the country’s most important institutional investors) and holds individual meet-
ings with institutional investors at their request or when placements are to be made.
In 1997, the company’s shareholders approved the dividend policy, which is observed
every year when shareholders approve the profit sharing for the financial year. The div-
idend policy states that cash dividends will amount to 5% of the capital or a ceiling equal
to 50% of freely available profits. The remainder will be capitalized and distributed as
stock dividend. With regard to minority shareholders, the company will put all its efforts
to notify them of any receivables in the form of cash and stock dividends.
Since 2001, Ferreyros has taken on a corporate governance leadership role to
advance better corporate governance practices in the country as a whole. It has done so
through its active participation in Procapitales—an association that promotes corporate
governance and has participated in the elaboration of the Corporate Governance
Principles for Peruvian Companies, led by CONASEV.
The public and the business community recognize Ferreyros’s success in implement-
ing good governance. The company’s executives receive invitations to talk about their
case in at least two seminars every year. Most recently, Ferreyros received the title of
“Best Treatment of Shareholders” from Procapitales and Universidad Peruana de
Ciencias Aplicadas in May 2006.
The next steps to further improve governance at Ferreyros are to launch a program
for evaluating the Board and CEO.
Results
Ferreyros’s successful issuances on the Peruvian capital markets and the historically high
demand for the company’s shares are largely attributable to the corporate strategy of
combining efficient succession plans with adoption of a business model based on pro-
fessional management and the highest regard for corporate governance principles. For
Ferreyros, this meant making the necessary changes to:
n Uphold shareholders’ rights;
n Ensure equal treatment for all shareholders;
n Provide unfettered access to information;
n Guarantee information transparency, quality and timely disclosure; and
n Establish an efficient and professionally-skilled Board of Directors.
Case Studies 41
In accordance with Peruvian accounting standards, net sales for the first semester of
2006 were US$ 221 million, up 43.6% from the same period last year. Net income
jumped from US$ 3.1 million in 6 month period of 2005 to US$ 14.5 million this year,
a whopping 376% jump from the same period last year. EBITDA in the first semester
of 2006 was US$ 30 million, compared to US$ 15.4 million in the same period last
year. This is a 96% increase over one year.2 Other financial figures include:
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 – Nuevos Soles 929 million / US$ 282 million;
• 2005 – Nuevos Soles 1,115 million / US $338 million;
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 – Nuevos Soles 169.8 million / US$ 51.5 million;
• 2005 – Nuevos Soles 168.6 million / US$ 51 million.
Throughout its 84 years of existence, Ferreyros has witnessed and taken part in
many economic crises in Peru—a common situation in the entire region. And more
than once, it has seen competitors and clients leave the market. Ferreyros’s foundation
of good governance—based on the access to capital sources, clearly defined strategies
and values, and professional management capable of responding to changing environ-
ment—has allowed it to survive periods of economic turmoil and always get back on
the track of growth. Recent history shows how Ferreyros considerably recovered after
the 1998-2001 economic crisis in Peru. After its sales fell to a little over US$ 200 mil-
2 All figures stated in US dollars here are approximate and do not reflect accurately currency fluctuations. These are
Q1 2006 Peruvian Nuevos Soles figures stated in US dollars, calculated using June 2006 exchange rates.
42 Companies Circle
lion, net sales closed in 2005 at the level of US$ 330 million. The price of shares has
shown a very favorable evolution as indicated in the chart below.
To conclude, Ferreyros considers corporate governance to be a process, a journey,
rather than a final destination. For this reason, even though it is aware of the signifi-
cant progress it has made, as well as of its perceived status as a forerunner, it is still com-
mitted to the ongoing implementation of best practices.
Case Studies 43
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA)
Founded in 1967, Grupo ISA is Colombia’s largest energy transport company and a
mixed-ownership public utilities company. It was originally established as a wholly-
owned state company to connect the various regional transmission grids existing at that
time in Colombia. As discussed below, in February 2001, it opened up its share capi-
tal to the public, part of a continuous and successful process of introducing good cor-
porate governance practices—a process that has been an important contributor to the
company’s growth and profitability. Thirty-nine years after its creation, ISA now owns
36,307 km of the grid and is one of the major international energy transmission com-
panies of South and Central America.
Through Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (the group’s parent company) and
TRANSELCA, ISA owns 84% of the 220 kV and above transmission grid in
Colombia. Additionally, through its affiliate XM Compañía de Expertos en Mercados,
it is responsible for the operation of the national grid system, for management of the
wholesale energy market and for managing energy transactions with Ecuador. Through
Red de Energía de Peru (REP), ISA Peru and Consortium Transmantaro, the company
owns 83% of Peru’s national grid. In Bolivia, through ISA Bolivia, ISA owns 51% of
the Bolivian grid. In Brazil, ISA owns 50.1% of the common shares of the Companhia
de Transmissão de Energia Elétrica Paulista—CTEEP, which owns 18% of the nation-
al grid. It also provides international connections between Colombia and Venezuela,
Colombia and Ecuador, and Peru and Ecuador. ISA owns a 12.5% stake in Empresa
Propietaria de la Red (EPR) of Central America, a company responsible for the design,
construction, assembly, start-up, operation and maintenance of the SIEPAC Project, a
1,830 km network of 230 kV transmission lines. It owns two telecommunications
companies in Colombia: Internexa and Flycom Comunicaciones; Internexa in turn
owns a 50% stake in Transnexa S.A. EMA, Empresa Binacional Andina de
Telecomunicaciones del Ecuador. ISA Group’s structure is presented below.
Company Overview
The Republic of Colombia is ISA’s majority shareholder, with 59% of outstanding
shares. Currently, 28.19% of shares are held by private investors and regarded as free
float. Such shares are not entitled to tag-along rights in the event of a sale of the gov-
ernment’s shares.
44 Companies Circle
Through the program “ISA Acciones Para Todos” (ISA Shares for All), 62,016 share-
holders were able to purchase 13.33% of the company’s shares for a total value of US$
60 million after its initial offering of shares to the public in 2001. This made ISA the
first public utilities company registered in the Colombian Stock Exchange and the sec-
ond largest company in the country by number of shareholders.
The key factor in the success of ISA’s share issuance to the public was the
“Declaration of the Nation in its capacity as Majority Shareholder of ISA,” signed by
the Republic of Colombia on 15 December 2000. This Declaration aimed to protect
the interests of minority shareholders on crucial issues such as dividend policy, informa-
tion disclosure, share liquidity mechanisms and representation of minority shareholders
Case Studies 45
in the Board of Directors, among others. This document marked the first step in the
adoption of good corporate governance practices in Colombia.
Following the success of “ISA Shares for All”, new share issuances took place in 2002
with a total value of US$ 62 million. After these issuances, 90,000 investors now held
24.3% of the company’s shares, thereby strengthening ISA’s position in the capital mar-
ket. With a view to increasing transparency, implementing best global corporate govern-
ance practices and attracting more shareholders, ISA registered a Level I ADR in the
United States in 2003.
ISA has 661 employees. Its market capitalization was US$ 2.3 billion as of 30 June
2006. On 31 December 2005, its market capitalization was US$ 2.2 billion, 120%
more than on 31 December 2004 when it was US$ 1 billion.
Corporate Governance
ISA attaches great importance to its shareholders. On 15 November 2001, it adopted
a Corporate Governance Code based on international standards and aimed at ensuring
the ethical integrity of the company and proper management of the company’s affairs.
The goals of the Code are to:
n Foster an environment of respect for its investors;
n Establish open management to guarantee the transparency of its operations and
dealings; and
n Develop systems and mechanisms for monitoring adequate and accurate man-
agement control.
This Code brought together and further developed management control practices,
measures and mechanisms the company already had in place for many years. It is
important to highlight that all the subsidiaries of ISA Group that issue securities in the
public markets of Colombia, Peru and Brazil fully comply with corporate governance
policies currently applied in each of these countries.
ISA’s Board of Directors has seven members. Each director is elected based on apti-
tude, knowledge, experience and leadership criteria. Each director also has an alternate.
All Board members and their alternates attend meetings. Four of these members and
their corresponding alternates are independent. The Chairman of the Board, also inde-
pendent, represents the minority shareholders. Three institutional committees support
the work of the Board: the Board Committee; the New Business Committee; and the
Audit Committee. The Board may establish temporary committees to study, analyze or
investigate specific cases. At ISA, the positions of CEO and Chairman of the Board are
filled by different individuals.
46 Companies Circle
The CEO is selected by the Board based on aptitude, knowledge, experience and
leadership criteria. The CEO is evaluated annually by the Board against progress made
in the achievement of objectives established in the company’s strategic plan.
Throughout its 39-year history, ISA has had only five CEOs, an exceptional achieve-
ment among companies partly owned by the state.
The Annual General Meeting sets the Board’s remuneration, stipulating a sitting fee
equivalent of three monthly statutory minimum wages (US$ 530) for each meeting at-
tended. The Board of Directors through its Board Committee determines management
compensation. Management compensation has two components: fixed salary paid on
a monthly basis and other bonuses linked to performance and achievement of goals.
The amounts paid both to the Board of Directors and management are disclosed to the
market on a collective basis. ISA does not have any stock options plans for its manage-
ment, employees or directors.
ISA’s external auditors are accountable to the Board of Directors and the Audit
Committee, while the chief of internal audit reports to the CEO and Audit Committee.
For ISA, corporate governance is neither fashion nor a temporary trend. ISA has
worked to instill in its employees and senior managers the seriousness and importance
of duties and obligations consistent with good corporate governance practices over the
long-term. This commitment is also incorporated into ISA’s by-laws and policies that
govern the company’s day-to-day operations. ISA’s commitment to good governance
was recognized by the corporate governance award it received from ANDESCO
(National Association of Utilities Companies) in 2006. The company’s general counsel
is in charge of corporate governance policies and practices in ISA.
The best way of showing to the market, our shareholders, customers and other stake-
holders that ISA is committed to good governance practices is through complying with
commitments made with respect to the following:
n Information disclosure: In every Annual General Meeting, performance eval-
uation report on the Board of Directors and the CEO and governance Code
compliance and development report are submitted in addition to all other
statutory reports.
n Shareholder service center: ISA has a shareholder service office charged with
assisting and replying to shareholder requests. This is done through the fol-
lowing:
• Shareholder service offices in Medellín and Bogotá, which provided help to
278 shareholders in 2005, and received 781 telephone calls;
• Shareholder toll-free helpline, which received 55,292 calls in 2005 (with an
average of 219 calls per day);
Case Studies 47
• E-mail based service: 1,348 e-mail requests were received in 2005 from share-
holders;
• At least twice a year, shareholders receive a newsletter with information on
company achievements and results, ISA’s performance in the market and
other matters of interest. Fifteen publications were issued in 2005—nine
monthly reports with financial results and six relevant news items; and
• Quarterly meetings are held with securities analysts and institutional in-
vestors in three main cities of Colombia (Bogotá, Cali and Medellín) to pro-
vide information regarding ISA’s management and financial results.
n Information provided to the public: Investors and the public can access finan-
cial information on ISA’s website. This information is updated quarterly and
is the same as that submitted to the Board. It covers issues such as financial
results, debt reports, warranties issued, credit risk assessments, reports submit-
ted to the US SEC, shareholding, share trends, dividend payment date, terror-
ist attacks against pylons, new projects, Board members, tax inspection reports
and reports from risk assessment companies.
n Mechanism for Code monitoring: ISA has designed an IT tool that allows the
public to check, via the website, the level of compliance and implementation
of each of the commitments and activities established in the Code. This
ensures transparency and accountability of the company’s employees regarding
corporate governance practices.
Currently, ISA is in the process of updating its Corporate Governance Code.
Results
Based on Colombian GAAP, in 2005, the ISA Group registered a total turnover of US$
472 million, an EBITDA of US$ 307 million, operating revenues of US$ 214 million
and net income of US$ 88 million. The EBITDA margin of the company was 65%,
with net margin of 18.6%. In June 2006, ISA’s assets totaled US$ 5.0 billion and lia-
bilities accounted for US$ 2.3 billion, to give a net worth of US$ 1.3 billion. ISA’s his-
toric financial results are presented below:
n Net income:
• 2004 – Pesos Colombianos 140,015 million / US$ 59 million;
• 2005 – Pesos Colombianos 187,179 million / US$ 82 million;
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 – Pesos Colombianos 712,206 million / US$ 298 million;
• 2005 – Pesos Colombianos 708,281 million / US$ 310 million;
48 Companies Circle
n Operating costs and expenses:
• 2004 – Pesos Colombianos 341,406 million / US$ 143 million;
• 2005 – Pesos Colombianos 347,515 million / US$ 152 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 – Pesos Colombianos 151,868 million / US$ 64 million;
• 2005 – Pesos Colombianos 56,294 million / US$ 25 million; and
n Projected cash, according to ISA’s budget for FY 2006, is Pesos Colombianos
3,237 million / US$ 1.5 million.
Shareholders have seen their ISA shares appreciate over 80% year-on-year and
received substantial dividends since 2001. In particular, the share price rose 170% from
Pesos Colombianos 2,090 / US$ 0.90 cents in 2004 to Pesos Colombianos 5,650 / US$
2.47 in 2005. Shareholders received dividend distributions of US$ 40.9 million for FY
2005. This is consistent with ISA’s dividend policy, which requires that at least 70% of
each period’s distributable income be returned to shareholders as dividends.
Case Studies 49
Marcopolo
Marcopolo S.A. (Marcopolo) manufactures bus bodies and their components. The
company is the market leader in Brazil with approximately 43% market share and holds
between 6% and 7% of the global market. Market capitalization is approximately US$
362 million as of 30 June 2006, which is 25% more than it was in 31 December 2004
—US$ 290 million. Marcopolo’s shares trade on BOVESPA (São Paulo Stock
Exchange), where they were first listed back in 1974. In 2002, Marcopolo became the
first industrial company to have its shares listed on Special Corporate Governance Level
2 of BOVESPA. Marcopolo’s shares are not included in any stock index.
Marcopolo was founded in 1949. Its headquarters are located in Caxias do Sul, in
Brazil’s Southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The story of Marcopolo’s success and
global market expansion is integrally associated with its business strategy to adopt good
corporate governance. Marcopolo’s expansion and growth from an essentially family-
controlled Brazilian manufacturer with sales mostly coming from the domestic market,
to a professionally-managed and internationally-operated conglomerate with dispersed
ownership and worldwide sales, were accomplished more rapidly and effectively with
the corporate governance practices and structures that the company solidified beginning
in early 2000.
50 Companies Circle
executive role and remain only at the Board. At the same time, Bradesco-Templeton,
an active institutional investor and important shareholder, wanted a Board seat,
although its stake was not large enough to legally entitle it to elect a member. The com-
bination of the shareholder Raul Tessari’s willingness to move to the Board and
Bradesco-Templeton’s aim to participate with Marcopolo and thus contribute more
effectively in the creation of value, led to the restructuring of the company’s Board.
At the Annual General Meeting of April 2001, shareholders approved the new Board
of Directors with six members, three being external and two of them considered inde-
pendent, according to the definition of “independence” established by the Brazilian
Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC). Immediately, the new Board began to act.
In April 2002, already under the new Brazilian Corporate Law, the controlling
shareholders of Marcopolo gave a fine example of good corporate governance practice.
Brazil’s recently amended Corporate Law approved by Congress in October 2001,
established that during the first five years when the amendments enter into effect, pre-
ferred shareholders could elect a Board member only from the three person nominee list
provided by the controlling shareholders. In the case of Marcopolo, the controlling
shareholders allowed the preferred shareholders to freely elect their director representa-
tives, without requiring adherence to the more restrictive requirement.
Also in 2002, a very important event for Marcopolo took place. Brazil had general
elections, and there was genuine concern about what would be the economic policy of
Case Studies 51
socialist Presidential candidate Mr. Lula da Silva, who was leading in the polls at that
time. Given these circumstances, the Board considered that Marcopolo’s debt was
above the safe level and therefore the Board approved a new equity issue in order to pro-
vide an extra cushion of liquidity.
It became clear to the Board that, for the new equity issue to be successful, it had
to include additional protections for investors. Therefore, the Board approved the
listing of Marcopolo’s shares on the Special Corporate Governance Level 2 of
BOVESPA, granting tag-along rights of 100% to ON (voting) shares and 80% to PN
(non-voting) shares. The commitment to good corporate governance practices and
the company’s strong fundamentals resulted in a very successful offering raising R$
98.0 million, equivalent of US$ 25.0 million, despite the negative environment for
investments in Brazil at that time. The offering was concluded one week before the
first round of elections.
Shortly after the successful issuance, in 2004, Raul Tessari decided to sell his voting
shares, consequently leaving the controlling group and the Board. The new Board, with
an approved composition of six members, was held responsible for the company’s cor-
porate governance policies and practices. Among its members, four were nominated by
the controllers (two of them engaged in activities outside the company) and the remain-
ing members elected by the minority shareholders and preferred (non-voting) share-
holders. The Fiscal Board was elected with three members, two being elected by minor-
ity shareholders. To the extent known, Marcopolo is the only Brazilian company where
minority shareholders have more representatives than the controlling shareholders on
the Fiscal Board.
During 2005, the Board of Directors approved the company Code of Ethics, which
included important shareholder protection improvements in regards unauthorized
inside information disclosure and other practices that might be interpreted as conflicts
of interest. This was welcomed at all levels of company management. Additionally, a
Council of Heirs was created to prepare them and the company for the succession
process involving founders/controlling group members, their heirs and the company’s
senior executives. The Board also created four committees to help improve the perform-
ance of overall functions, which are: Executive; Auditing and Risks; Innovation and
Strategy; and Human Resources and Ethics.
The Annual General Meeting of 2006 marked another important step towards
corporate governance best practices: Paulo Bellini stepped down from the CEO’s
position, remaining as the Chairman of the Board. Jose Rubens De La Rosa, a non-
founding (and non-controlling family) member and professional manager was
appointed as the CEO.
52 Companies Circle
Company Performance based on Accountable Management
and Transparent Business Conduct
The remuneration of the Board members and senior executives is composed of a
monthly fixed salary and an annual variable bonus based on the results. Depending on
approval by the Annual General Meeting, the executives can be granted a stock option
based on the company performance results for the year. The value of the option is
deducted from the bonus and the corresponding shares will only be available at the pro-
portion of 1/3 per year within the next three years.
The collective amount of the fixed monthly salary to be paid to the executives is
determined during the Annual General Meeting. The total amount is disclosed in the
minutes of the Meeting that are published in the legal newspapers, on the company
website, etc. The limit on cumulative variable bonus compensation is set forth in the
company’s by-laws. The actual amount of compensation earned annually is separately
disclosed in the company’s financial statements.
Marcopolo’s common practice is to provide accurate and timely information to the
public. In the consolidated quarterly and annual financial statements, the
“Management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial position”
as well as all material information about major corporate events are extensively disclosed
and published by the company and filed with the BOVESPA. All financial statements
are audited by independent external auditors with recognized competence. The exter-
nal auditors’ opinion is disclosed and published together with financial statements. The
external audit firms are rotated according to the law.
Material events, minutes of the Annual General Meetings and minutes of the meet-
ings of the Board of Directors are published in the legal newspapers, filed with
BOVESPA and made available on the company’s website. The company also publishes
its calendar of corporate events every year. Conference calls are held quarterly and, at
least once a year, public meetings and presentations are carried out in São Paulo, Rio de
Janeiro and Porto Alegre with stockholders, potential investors, financial analysts and
other interested parties.
Marcopolo signed with BOVESPA a “Contract of Adoption of Differentiated
Practices of Corporate Governance” and, accordingly, made the necessary adaptations
required by Level 2 of BOVESPA to its Articles of Incorporation. The copies of the
“Shareholders’ Agreement” between the controlling shareholders, as well as the rules of
the “Stock Option Program” are filed with BOVESPA. The company discloses, in
English, the complete set of financial statements prepared according to the US GAAP.
The company keeps adequate systems of internal controls in order to provide
protection for the assets of the business. In July 2005, management approved the
Code of Conduct, and its contents were disclosed to all employees, who had to
Case Studies 53
formally commit themselves to observe and comply with the stipulated rules of
behavior.
54 Companies Circle
n Net income:
• 2004 - R$ 85.0 million / US$ 32.1 million;
• 2005 - R$ 82.0 million / US$ 35.0 million;
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 - R$ 1,605 million / US$ 605.7 million;
• 2005 - R$ 1,709 million / US$ 730.3 million;
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 - R$ 1,488 million / US$ 561.5 million;
• 2005 - R$ 1,627 million / US$ 695.3 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 - R$ 186.1 million / US$ 70.1 million;
• 2005 - R$ 115.4 million / US$ 49.3 million.
The company’s share price was R$ 6.84, or US$ 2.58, on 31 December 2004 and
changed only marginally to R$ 5.82, or US$ 2.49, by 31 December 2005.
Finally, the company feels very proud that the market, the bus sector within auto-
motive industry and the investment community have repeatedly recognized
Marcopolo’s business and corporate governance accomplishments, as demonstrated by
the following awards:
n 2006 Best Investors Relations Program in the Small- and Mid-Cap company
Category, as awarded by IR Magazine, an investor relations publication that
holds an annual contest in conjunction with PR newswire and the Brazilian
Institute of Investor Relations (IBRI). The award is based on compiled
Case Studies 55
research results collected from surveys of 850 market investors and analysts,
and independently evaluated by the Brazilian Economic Institute and Getulio
Vargas Foundation (FGV).
n 2006 Best Executive Director of an Investor Relations Program in the Small- and
Mid-Cap Category awarded to Mr. Carlos Zignani from Marcopolo, as selected
by IR Magazine in its second annual Investor Relations contest held in Brazil.
n The Best 100 Companies to Work for in 2002, 2003 (4th place), 2004 and
2005 awarded by Exame Magazine.
n Corporate Citizenship Award in 2002 and 2004—awarded by Exame
Magazine.
n 2003 Autodata Award for Social Responsibility—awarded by Autodata
Magazine.
n Most recognized company of the year 2003 in the autoparts industry—award-
ed by DCI newspaper.
n Top 100 companies to work for in Latin America in 2004 and 2005—award-
ed by Great Place to Work Institute of Brazil.
n Foreign Trade Award in 2004 and 2005—awarded by the Brazilian Association
of Foreign Trade.
56 Companies Circle
The current shareholders’ agreement expires in 2007. Renewal is an important fac-
tor for investors. Management succession is still an open issue, as succession plans are
still not defined. The company’s by-laws need to be modernized to incorporate
improved corporate governance concepts. The recently created Board committees are
still in a steep learning curve, but their results should be evident in the near future. The
strong corporate culture and the engagement of the controlling shareholders with the
company’s operations are important factors to determine the pace of corporate govern-
ance progress at Marcopolo.
Case Studies 57
Natura
At business meetings with Natura’s founders—Antonio Seabra, Guilherme Leal and
Pedro Passos—a question was always raised: “When will the company go public?” The
company started with a small store, in the late 1960s, using an initial capital equivalent
to the price of a Volkswagen Beetle at that time. Around 2000, Natura was setting new
standards for its industry and for the national business culture. Natura today has 4,128
employees.
Natura was already considered a success story. It was already a leader in its industry,
as one of the five most valuable Brazilian brands, and it showed a consistent growth in
both sales margins and EBITDA.
What would crown such success, in the market’s eyes? Going public would.
However, an initial public offering (IPO) was not so obvious an option. The company
generated enough cash to maintain and expand its businesses. The way controlling
shareholders ran the company inspired trust in the market, attracted good employees
and enchanted consumers. Who could ask for more? The demanding founders of
Natura could.
The decision to go public was rooted not in a financial need, but in a deep desire to
perpetuate not only Natura’s businesses, but also its way of doing business. For many
years, financial success was only part of Natura’s mission. The company was guided by
a triple bottom line when assessing its own performance: social and environmental, cor-
porate responsibility and financial results. Natura’s owners wanted to be sure that this
way of running the company would survive them.
Natura went public opening a new era for Brazilian capital markets. The company’s
successful IPO was a sign that the market would welcome good companies and good
governance, even when the economy faced tough times.
The Beginning
Natura is the leading company in the Brazilian cosmetics, perfumery and personal hy-
giene products sector. Committed to the quality of its relationship with stakeholders,
Natura established a sustainable development business model, focused on constant
innovation and improvement of its products.
58 Companies Circle
Since its foundation in 1969, Natura has held a passionate view of its products. The
company sees learning about cosmetics as a way of achieving self-knowledge with a
transforming power in people’s lives.
Ten years later, the company made the choice to sell its products directly to its cus-
tomers, a strategy which proved to be one of the main reasons for its continued success.
The company grew steadily during the 1980s, and then underwent a broad restruc-
turing process.
In the mid-1990s, Natura launched itself abroad, starting up distribution centers in
neighboring countries, such as Argentina, Chile and Peru.
The company’s so-called third cycle started in 2000. Natura received huge infra-
structure and training investments. An enormous complex of factories, offices, research
and development (R&D) and entertainment facilities was built. The company also
launched the Ekos line, a new concept in products generated from the flora and the bio-
diversity of the Amazon region, harvested in a sustainable manner.
Case Studies 59
When Natura finally decided to go public, the company had already come a long
way in implementing good management practices and had a very well-structured gov-
ernance platform. Its financial reports were prepared in accordance with US GAAP, its
Board of Directors included external directors, the Audit Committee was also chaired
by an external director and an investor relations department was in place.
When Natura considered on which stock exchange to list its shares, its choice was
clear. Natura decided to voluntarily adhere to the listing requirements of the Novo
Mercado (New Market), the most demanding special corporate governance segment of
BOVESPA (São Paulo Stock Exchange). In the Novo Mercado, companies agree to
adopt governance practices beyond Brazilian regulatory requirements, providing greater
transparency and strengthening the rights of minority shareholders. Novo Mercado
companies may issue only voting shares, and must guarantee minority shareholders tag-
along rights when transferring the controlling stake.
3 It is Natura’s policy to prepare and publish all financial data only in Brazilian currency. Thus, all figures in this chap-
ter are presented in Reais. However, for reference of the readers, below are the exchanges rates (in relation to the US
dollar) recorded for the specific dates (source: The World Bank Integrated Controller’s Systems):
• May 2004 – 2.9150;
• 31 December 2004 – 2.6915;
• 31 December 2005 – 2.3325;
• 15 August 2006 – 2.1595.
60 Companies Circle
Governance at Natura Today
Currently, Natura’s Board of Directors is comprised of 5 directors, 2 of whom are exter-
nal directors. The positions of the Chairman and CEO are separate. To assist the Board
to carry out its functions, four committees have been established: Strategy; Corporate
Governance; Audit, Risk and Finance; and Human Resources.
The company and its subsidiaries pay the management and the Board members a
mix of fixed and variable compensation. The variable component is calculated based on
economic-financial, social and environmental targets, and the specific goals are deter-
mined by the Board of Directors at the beginning of each year. Additionally, senior
management also receives stock options. The total compensation is published in the
company’s annual report.
The company reports its results on a quarterly basis and also conducts conference
calls regularly with financial market analysts. The financial statements are prepared in
accordance with the Brazilian Corporate Law and best practices of information disclo-
sure. The company’s Investor Relations Department has several meetings with analysts
and investors each year in order to discuss business results and material developments
in the product markets.
Natura’s corporate governance secretary, who reports to the Board of Directors, is re-
sponsible for the following functions, deemed important from the governance point of
view:
n To facilitate the interface between the Board of Executive Officers and the
Board of Directors;
n To help plan the annual agenda of the Board of Directors and define the agen-
da of every Board meeting; and
n As a member of the Board of Directors’ Corporate Governance Committee, to
propose improvements to Natura’s corporate governance system and to coordi-
nate the implementation of improvements approved by the Board of Directors.
Natura’s leadership in corporate governance is well recognized by the market. In
2005, Natura received important awards and recognitions, including the award for Most
Highly Regarded Company (granted by Carta Capital magazine and Interscience) and the
Social Report Award (granted by ABRASCA).
Results
Natura’s commitment to its investors, its reliable corporate governance practices and its
deep concern about sustainable development led to extraordinary operational results.
Its sales grew 33% in 2004 and 117% over the past three years, from approximately R$
1.2 billion in 2001 to approximately R$ 2.5 billion in 2004. Its operations in the rest
Case Studies 61
of Latin America also evolved consistently, growing 52% in 2004 and 107% over the
past three years, in dollar terms, from US$ 11.6 million in 2001 to US$ 24.1 million
in 2004. Its share in the domestic market went up from 17.1% in 2003 to 19.2% in
2004 and to 21.4% in 2005. Natura’s net income grew more than 32% from R$ 300
million in 2004 to R$ 397 million in 2005. Other financial information also portraits
an impressive growth as indicated below:
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 - R$ 1,770 million;
• 2005 - R$ 2,282 million;
n Net costs and expenses (COGS + SG&A):
• 2004 - R$ 1,371 million;
• 2005 - R$ 1,750 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 - R$ 97.2 million; and
• 2005 - R$ 198.9 million.
Natura ended 2004 with a R$ 431.7 million EBITDA, 46% higher than the 2003
figure. The company’s gross cash generation reached R$ 385.6 million, which was
60.6% higher than in 2003. Only in April 2005, Natura’s shares appreciated 115%,
compared to a 31% rise in the BOVESPA Stock Index (Ibovespa) over the same peri-
od. Between 31 December 2004 and 31 December 2005, Natura’s share price appreci-
ated more than 38% from R$ 14.44 to R$ 19.94. Similarly, the company’s market cap-
italization grew more than 37% over the same period from R$ 6.2 billion on 31
December 2004 to R$ 8.5 billion on 31 December 2005.
Natura’s share price rose 36.9% between 1 January and 15 August 2006 out-per-
forming the following Brazilian stock indices:
n IBrX50 increased 12.8%;
n IBrX100 increased 13.3%;
n ISE increased 13.8%;
n ITAG increased 19.5%; and
n IGC increased 13.8%.
62 Companies Circle
Case Studies 63
NET
The decision by NET Serviços de Comunicação (NET) in June 2001 to join Level 1 of
the Novo Mercado, the corporate governance-based tier of BOVESPA (São Paulo Stock
Exchange), was relatively easy for its owners. But when the time came to consider the
next step to Level 2 of the Novo Mercado, the challenges were different. Moving to
Level 2 meant NET would have to meet even stricter governance standards. The
macro-economic scenario had changed since 2001, and it was clear that the company
would need fresh capital in order to meet its obligations and fund its growth. Joining
Level 2 would help outside investors and credit rating agencies look more favorably on
the firm. The company’s principal financial investors, BNDES (National Economic
and Social Development Bank of Brazil) and BRADESPAR (BNDES’s parent compa-
ny), asked for changes in the shareholders’ agreement to boost the company’s corporate
governance standards and make it more attractive to new investors. BNDES and
BRADESPAR also wanted to ensure that the corporate governance framework would
strengthen the company’s operating fundamentals over the long run.
After the owners and NET management discussed the future role of controlling
shareholders, NET committed to go to Level 2, completing the necessary requirements
by June 2002. The owners noticed the importance of corporate governance reforms and
the positive contribution they would likely make to the company’s financials and mar-
ket value. Therefore, management also worked closely with Board members to identi-
fy market trends that backed up their argument for higher corporate governance stan-
dards. Together they sought out feedback from institutional investors on ways that cor-
porate governance reforms should be implemented, while considering its impact on
NET’s business.
64 Companies Circle
Its need for outside capital to fund the construction of its infrastructure in the mid-
1990s provided the initial impetus for NET to introduce good governance practices. In
1993 and 1994, two new investment partners, Globopar and Ralph Partners II, joined
in with the original partner, Antônio Dias Leite. By 1996, each of these partners held
33.3% of the company’s voting shares.
In 1996, the company (then known as Multicanal) raised US$ 116 million in a
domestic/international IPO, listing its shares on BOVESPA and NASDAQ as part of
long-term strategy to diversify its funding alternatives. Two years later, the company
merged with some pay-TV operators owned by Organizacoes Globo—Brazil’s major
communications group—and changed its name to Globo Cabo. (In 2002, it changed
its name yet again to NET Serviços in order to link the name to the brand name, NET,
already well-known by its customers.)
In 1998, the original controlling shareholders decided to strengthen the company’s
capital base by bringing in two new, large financial investors. As a result, BRADESPAR
(the equity arm of Bradesco) and BNDES became part of the controlling group, with
the former holding 8% of the voting shares, and the latter 14%. Together with Globo
and RBS (the leading media company in the southern part of Brazil), the new share-
holders embarked on a long-term strategic plan that would have transparency in the
financial markets as a keystone. Both financial investors were clear that in order to con-
tinue investing in the business, it would be crucial to have a clear framework of corpo-
rate governance.
As the business became more mature and the need grew to bring in an additional
investor with telecom expertise, it became clear that the advances that had been made
in corporate governance also provided the company a competitive advantage when
looking for such a technical partner/investor. By the time NET’s search for a technical
partner/investor was underway, the company was already publicly-held with shares traded
on BOVESPA, Nasdaq and Latibex and qualified for the Novo Mercado’s Level 2.
It had achieved levels of transparency that were internationally competitive and had
granted 100% tag-along rights to all shareholders in case of a change of control.
In March 2005, Globo reached a deal with Telmex, which became a shareholder in
the company. As Telmex bought a significant part of the equity, BNDES and
BRADESPAR left the controlling group. A few months later, BRADESPAR sold its
position. BNDES remains a shareholder in the company and is the largest shareholder
outside the controlling group. BNDES looks after the interests of minority shareholders
currently through its nominated member at the Board of Directors and the Fiscal Board.
Because strong corporate governance standards were implemented in the past in the
company, NET’s minority shareholders can now monitor the company’s performance
in a transparent manner. The governance rules also ensure that a balanced decision-
making process guides the company’s key strategic decisions.
Case Studies 65
Novo Mercado Level 2
In 2002, new equity-raising activity triggered the second wave of new corporate govern-
ance measures, leading the company to join the Novo Mercado’s Level 2. NET then
became a pioneer in practicing transparency in its relationship with the capital markets.
The company increased its capital by US$ 387.4 million. As a consequence, financial
investors obtained veto power over certain key decisions. Also, 100% tag-along rights
were extended to all shareholders (voting and non-voting), along with other require-
ments of the Novo Mercado listing. Additionally, NET increased its level of free-float
shares to almost 50%. However, the vast majority of the free floating shares are non-
voting—83% of the non-voting shares, but only 1% of voting shares. About 70% of
the free float is held by institutional shareholders. The current ownership structure is
presented in the chart below.
66 Companies Circle
The Board of Directors and Main Executives
Currently, NET’s Board of Directors is composed of 12 non-executives. The positions
of the Chairman and CEO, therefore, are separate. Seven directors are nominated by
Globo, three by Telmex and, following latest requirements of BOVESPA’s Level 2 (effec-
tive as of April 2006), two are independent, and one of whom is elected by minority
shareholders. Directors are elected for a one-year period and may be reelected. The
Board of Directors is also supported by an Executive Committee and a Financial
Committee.
NET’s executive officers are responsible for all matters concerning the company’s
day-to-day management and operations. The executive officers are residents of Brazil
and may or may not be shareholders of NET. In addition, the company currently
employs four senior managers.
All members of NET’s Board of Directors and Fiscal Board are entitled to receive
compensation for serving on the Boards. In practice, only one independent director
and all members of the Fiscal Board receive such compensation.
The aggregate compensation paid and in-kind benefits granted to NET’s senior exec-
utive officers include the long-term incentive plan, which is linked to operational and
financial performance. NET discloses the amount of compensation on a collective basis.
Controlling shareholders understand that in order to be successful in the capital mar-
kets one must be fully committed to consistency in communication and transparency.
High levels of transparency allow the business to be better understood and priced by out-
side investors. NET has a Disclosure Committee (formed by the executive officers of the
company, including the CEO, the CFO and the CLO) that is very active in assuring a
high standard of transparency when conveying key messages to the markets and that
closely monitors changes in the demand levels from investors. Together with the Board
of Directors, which bears overall responsibility for corporate governance in the company,
the Disclosure Committee evaluates corporate governance developments in the market-
place to ensure that best practices will continue to be implemented as they emerge.
Case Studies 67
In 2005, the company recorded US$ 56 million in net income, an improvement in
comparison to the US$ 96 million net loss recorded for 2004. Stronger operating
results and lower foreign exchange exposure supported this positive change. NET’s rev-
enues rose 14% in 2005, reaching US$ 669 million, versus US$ 497 million in 2004.
This result is due to the increase in both pay-TV and broadband subscriber base and to
higher revenue coming from pay-per-view (“PPV”). In the year, consolidated EBITDA
reached US$ 186 million, a 46% jump in comparison to US$ 128 million for the pre-
vious year. Consistent subscriber growth and cost control measures explain the growth.
Cash, by the end of the second quarter of 2006, totaled US$ 135 million, a 6% increase
in comparison with the US$ 127 million recorded at the end of the fourth quarter of
2005. In 2005, there was a 40% growth and costs and expenses totaling US$ 474 mil-
lion versus US$ 339 million in 2004.
The company ended the 2005 with 4,181 employees, a 30% growth in comparison
to 2004. This growth was concentrated in the sales and installation departments, rep-
resenting almost a 100% variable component and sustained by the company’s acceler-
ated growth strategy.
Results
It is always difficult to say with any certainty what drives a company’s value in the stock
market. However, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that had NET not implemented
stricter corporate governance standards, its share price and overall market value growth
would not have been as impressive.
In June 2006, NET’s market value reached US$ 2.4 billion, with US$ 115 million
in EBITDA. NET has improved its capital structure and is pursuing growth opportu-
nities on a very solid financial footing. The market is acknowledging these improve-
ments. Two large institutional investors have publicly stated that they each now own
more than 5% of the preferred (non-voting) shares. This not only demonstrates that
they support the company’s current strategy, but also that they are comfortable with the
new corporate governance framework.
NET’s share price rose 149% from 2004 (R$ 0.43) to 2005 (R$ 1.07), and signifi-
cantly outperformed the Ibovespa, IGC and IBrX50 stock indices, as shown below.
In 2005, the company received two awards, one from Institutional Investor maga-
zine and another from APIMEC-RJ, where the transparency policy adopted was direct-
ly recognized. The company has been invited to several groups of companies that dis-
cuss and analyze best corporate governance practices with investors and regulators.
In 2006, NET was judged among the Top 5 IR websites by IR Global Rankings and
was nominated for the IR Magazine Award 2006 Brazil as one of the companies that
demonstrated Higher Evolution in IR.
68 Companies Circle
NET believes that its next steps in improving corporate governance will be dictated
by the market. NET’s shareholders have clearly demonstrated their commitment to
good corporate governance and will most likely support NET’s efforts to remain a front-
runner in this area.
Case Studies 69
Suzano
Suzano Group (Suzano) inherited the principles of entrepreneurship, excellence in
management, accountability, and commitment to client satisfaction and respect for
people, community and environment from the fundamental business philosophy of
its founding family, the Feffers. Leon Feffer was a Jewish Russian who immigrated to
Brazil after the Russian revolution and his son, Max Feffer, succeeded him and led
Suzano until 2001.
When Leon Feffer bought his first paper machine in early 1930s, the group he start-
ed in 1924 entered a period of consistent growth and development. After developing
the technology to produce pulp from eucalyptus, Suzano industrialized the process dur-
ing the 1950s. By the 1960s, Suzano was producing paper fully based on pulp from the
eucalyptus source. At the beginning of the 1970s, Suzano decided to invest in the
petrochemical industry, correctly perceiving that the consumption of plastic in the
package industry would increase significantly in the coming years.4
Under the management of Max Feffer, after 1999, the group divested from non-
strategic positions and established the basis of its growth strategy for the industrial sec-
tors it has chosen to invest in: pulp and paper and petrochemicals. As these two seg-
ments are capital intensive, it was important to build a partnership with the capital mar-
kets in order to allow for the business growth. In 2001, the pulp and paper and petro-
chemical businesses, were split into two separate companies, Suzano Papel e Celulose
and Suzano Petroquímica. In 2002, under the direction of the third generation, a thor-
ough restructuring process was undertaken to ensure both businesses would be self-sus-
tainable in the long-term and capable of growing competitively. To achieve this, the
founding family wanted to ensure that the group would be free from the risks and lim-
itations of dependency on the controlling shareholders’ capital.
Corporate governance standards aligned with best practices were central to both the
management and capital markets strategies of both companies. By setting the stage for
greater liquidity and an appreciation of the companies’ shares, modernizing corporate
governance also offered a simple, fair and attractive exit for future generations of the
controlling group without impairing the companies’ activities.
4 The following decades represented an important phase in Suzano`s history, when important projects were
launched, such as the joint venture with Cia. Vale do Rio Doce to implement the so called Bahia Sul, which today
is integrated with Suzano Papel e Celulose, in the pulp and paper business, and Rio Polímeros, the first Brazilian
petrochemical complex fully integrated and based on natural gas fractions to produce polyethylene.
70 Companies Circle
Governance Changes as Part of a Global Renewal Process
In 2003, Suzano completed the implementation of a management model committed to
both companies’ growth strategies. This new model rests on three pillars: (1) family
control, which conveys a long-term vision, reputation and common values for the
group; (2) professional management and performance monitoring; and (3) partnership
with the capital markets. The newly-established Suzano Holding provided the control-
ling shareholders with a platform to supervise the activities of both subsidiary compa-
nies, establishing consistent policies in terms of planning, budgeting, auditing, perform-
ance assessment and leadership development.
As a first step in the group’s restructuring, a team of professional executives, recruit-
ed both internally and in the marketplace, took over management of the two main sub-
sidiaries, Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano Petroquímica, in addition to Suzano
Holding itself. The new management structure at Suzano Holding streamlined corpo-
rate activities that had been duplicated in the subsidiaries, leading to a 30% cost reduc-
tion.
The implementation of the new group management model was paralleled by an
important change in the role of the controlling shareholders—they left the executive
function to focus on strategic direction and management oversight. Suzano Holding’s
Board of Directors began to reflect the Family Council of the Feffer family, with certain
members of the family, together with well-known independent professionals from the
marketplace, named to the Boards and committees of the subsidiary companies. The
complete separation of the family’s finances from those of the group was also a sine qua
non condition for the success of the new governance model. This can be summed up
in the credo; “one should not live from the company, but from the company’s results”.
The Changes
a) Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A.
In 2003, Suzano Papel e Celulose listed its shares on Level 1 of BOVESPA’s (São
Paulo Stock Exchange) special corporate governance-based tier and accomplished the
first step of its capital markets strategy with a successful R$ 443 million / US$ 151 mil-
lion public offering, of which R$ 150 million / US$ 51.2 million was a primary
issuance.
As a result of the offering, the holdings of the controlling group were reduced from
59.6% to 55.2% of the total. As of 30 June 2006, Suzano Papel e Celulose had 3,199
shareholders, including 146 foreign institutional investors, 313 local institutional
investors and 2,740 local individual investors. The non-controlling shareholders are not
provided with tag-along rights.
The Chairman of the Board of Suzano Papel e Celulose is the CEO of Suzano
Case Studies 71
Holding, but no member of the Board of the company belongs to its top management.
As per the Suzano Papel e Celulose shareholders’ agreement, the Board is composed of
9 members, of whom 5 are elected by the controlling shareholder, 3 are independent
and 1 member is elected by BNDES (National Economic and Social Development
Bank of Brazil). The Board of Directors has three committees:
n The Management Committee is responsible for advising the Board on financ-
ing, budgeting, internal controls, development of human resources and new
leaders, executive compensation policies, legal issues, relationship with the cap-
ital market and new projects and investments. This Committee also monitors
the performance of the company and its executives, as well as the formulation
of corporate policies;
n The Sustainability and Strategy Committee is coordinated by an independent
Board member and responsible for advising the Board on long-term strategy
and planning and the strategic concept of sustainability to achieve worldwide
standards of excellence; and
72 Companies Circle
n The Audit Committee is coordinated by an independent Board member and
responsible for advising the Board on analyzing the financial statements, imple-
mentation of reliable internal controls by senior management and oversight of
the quality of information provided to shareholders and the market. As part of
this work, the Audit Committee oversees the quality of the work and inde-
pendence of the external auditors and the internal audit department, and mon-
itors the execution of the Code of Conduct and corporate policies regarding
environmental, health and safety aspects.
The senior management team of Suzano Papel e Celulose is composed of 8 profes-
sional executives selected in the marketplace following a performance and profile analy-
sis. A new CEO recently hired in the market leads the company’s management team.
At the end of 2005, the company had 3,283 employees. Suzano Papel e Celulose
increased its market capitalization from US$ 1,067 million at the end of 2003 to the
current value of US$ 1,671 million as of 30 June 2006. The preferred share price of
US$ 3.90 per share at the end of 2003 increased US$ 5.88 per share as of 30 June
2006.5 The company’s shares are part of the IBrX 100 Index (this index contains the
100 most liquid companies of the BOVESPA).6 In the first half of 2006, the IBrX 100
had a 19.5% appreciation, while Suzano Papel e Celulose shares rose 17.0%, in US dol-
lar terms. The company’s financial results in accordance with Brazilian GAAP are pre-
sented below:
For both companies, Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano Petroquímica, corporate
governance guidelines are provided by Suzano Holding, and the CEOs of each company
are responsible for their implementation, with support as needed from affected divisions.
Any division of the companies can lead or propose improvements in corporate govern-
ance practices. The respective investor relations (IR) officer and IR team will assist the
CEO in overseeing corporate governance and/or any governance improvements.
5The daily average trading volume of its listed shares after the public offering increased from US$ 95,000 before the
offering to the current level of US$ 900,000 per day.
6 In December 2005 Suzano Papel e Celulose was listed in the first edition of ISE - Índice de Sus-tentabilidade
Empresarial, Brazilian stock exchange’s index of companies with best practices of sustain-ability. For 2006, Suzano
Papel e Celulose hopes to remain in this index after its annual revision. Suzano Petroquímica is working to be includ-
ed. Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano Petroquímica preferred shares are also listed on Latibex, the Madrid Stock
Exchange’s special segment for Latin American equities.
Case Studies 73
b) Suzano Petroquímica S.A.
Suzano Petroquímica used to be a holding company with shared control positions
in several Brazilian petrochemical companies. After reviewing Suzano Petroquímica’s
strategy in the national petrochemical sector in 2004, it became evident that the com-
pany could become an industry leader in Latin America, given the quality of its assets,
its opportunities for consolidation and growth, its sound capital structure and the
promising expectations for the petrochemical business in Brazil in the medium- and
long-term. And to make this strategy feasible, the partnership with the capital markets
was identified as fundamental.
In November 2004, Suzano Petroquímica joined Level 2 of BOVESPA’s (São
Paulo Stock Exchange) special corporate governance-based tier and adopted addition-
al governance measures even stricter than those required by BOVESPA’s rules for the
Novo Mercado Level 2 companies at that time. Suzano Petroquímica became the first
family-run corporation and the first petrochemicals firm to join Level 2. In the event
of a change of control or a merger, all minority shareholders have the right to sell their
shares at 80% of the price received by the controlling group. Minority shareholders
are also accorded the right to a public offer at market value, if the company de-lists
from Level 2. Level 2 companies also agree to private arbitration of shareholder dis-
putes by BOVESPA’s Arbitration Chamber.
Suzano Petroquímica’s equity offering, held in December 2004, was an important
step towards increasing share liquidity and diversifying the shareholder base. It amount-
ed to R$ 179 million / US$ 66.2 million, of which R$ 32 million / US$ 11.8 million
was a primary offering. The offering reduced the controlling group’s share in total cap-
ital from 83.6% to 73.1%. As of 30 June 2006, Suzano Petroquímica had 4,897 share-
holders, including 39 foreign institutional investors, 263 local institutional investors
and 4,595 local individual investors.
Until August 2005, the link between Suzano Petroquímica’s senior management and its
Board was ensured by the presence of representatives of Suzano Holding in the company’s
top management. With the September 2005 acquisition of Polibrasil, through which
Suzano Petroquímica became the Latin American leader in the production and trading of
polypropylene and the second largest producer of thermoplastic resins in Brazil, an execu-
tive management was put in place to ensure a harmonious merger of cultures. The senior
management structure of Suzano Petroquímica reflected this transitional phase until
September 2006, with the Chairman of the Board also combining the CEO position.
74 Companies Circle
As of September 2006, the new senior management is composed of 4 executives led
by two co-CEOs. Mr. João Pinheiro Nogueira Batista and Mr. José Ricardo Roriz
Coelho have been nominated as co-CEOs, thus separating the positions of the
Chairman of the Board and the CEO. No other members on the Board of Directors
belong to the top management of the company.
Suzano Petroquímica also created the Management Committee as a Board commit-
tee, putting in place the same governance structure adopted by Suzano Papel e Celulose.
The responsibility for governance policies and practices is also structured similarly to
those of Suzano Papel e Celulose. These moves reflect the Suzano controlling share-
holders’ understanding of the best modus operandi for its controlled companies and
alignment of its governance practices across the group.
The Board of Directors of Suzano Petroquímica has three committees: the
Sustainability and Strategy Committee; the Audit Committee; and the Management
Committee, each with the same attributions as the respective committees in Suzano
Papel e Celulose.
At the end of 2005, Suzano Petroquímic had 474 employees. The market capital-
ization of Suzano Petroquímica increased from US$ 237 million at the end of 2003 to
US$ 350 million as of 30 June 2006. The preferred share price of US$ 1.02 per share
by the end of 2003 increased to US$ 1.56 per share as of 30 June 2006.7 Right after
7 The daily average trading volume of its listed shares rose from US$ 33,740 in 2003 to the current level of US$ 1
million per day. In 2005, the daily average trading volume was higher than US$ 1 million. All petrochemical com-
pany stocks listed on BOVESPA suffered significant declines in 2006 as a result of high production costs coinciding
with a strong appreciation of the local currency. In twelve months before June 2006, Suzano Petroquímica’s preferred
shares suffered 17.2% depreciation in US dollar terms, while its industrial peers listed on BOVESPA on average deval-
uated 22.8%.
Case Studies 75
the follow-on equity offering, Suzano Petroquímica joined the IBrX 100 index. The
company reports its financial results in accordance with Brazilian GAAP and US GAAP,
as required by Level 2 of BOVESPA:
76 Companies Circle
Recent Advancements and Future Plans
The adoption of high standard governance practices and partnership with the capital
market continue to enable both Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano Petroquímica to
carry out their strategic expansion of operations. Examples are Suzano Papel e
Celulose’s ivesting in its second pulp line at Mucuri and the acquisition of 50% of
Ripasa S.A. Celulose e Papel, which produces pulp, printing and writing paper, special-
ty papers, paperboard and cardboards.8 The acquisition of control of Polibrasil allowed
Suzano Petroquímica to become a company with its own operations, simplifying its
structure, providing more transparency and facilitating the understanding of its activi-
ties by the market.
The repositioning of the two companies—Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano
Petroquímica—in the capital markets is just beginning. It is a strategic decision found-
ed on an understanding that sustainability does not rely exclusively on profitability. The
capital market is intimately linked to sustainability, financing growth, reducing cost of
capital, improving institutional image and providing an exit mechanism for the mem-
bers of the controlling group over time.
In the near future, some of Suzano group’s corporate governance goals are: (i) to have
the recently created Board committees of both Suzano Papel e Celulose and Suzano
Petroquímica fully operational; and (ii) to focus more on internal controls, improving
risk management structures and procedures.
Suzano group plays an increasingly active part in forums where issues of corporate
governance and capital markets development are permanently discussed. In particular,
Suzano group is one of the sponsors of and an active participant at IBRI—Instituto Bra-
sileiro de Relações com Investidores (Brazilian Institute of Investor Relations), whose
mission is to contribute to the development and specialization of the investor relations’
professionals.9 To stimulate the development of the Brazilian capital market and attract
more retail investors to the stock exchange, Suzano group, in partnership with other
companies and institutions also founded the National Investors Institute (Instituto
Nacional de Investidores—INI), whose target is to provide up-to-date knowledge and
education about stock market to individuals through the creation of investment clubs.10
8 The acquisition of Ripasa consolidated Suzano Papel e Celulose’s leadership in the Brazilian paper market, in print-
Case Studies 77
Ultrapar
At the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, the main business of Ultrapar
Participações S.A. (Ultrapar) was still the distribution of LPG—liquefied petroleum
gas—the business on which the company was founded in 1937. Shortly thereafter, the
company entered into a new phase of entrepreneurship and diversification when Mr.
Pery Igel, the son of Ernesto Igel, the company’s founder, assumed control of the com-
pany. Pery Igel took advantage of the opportunities for the company’s expansion and
growth presented by developments occurring in Brazil at that time.
Investments were made in the expansion of the company’s petrochemical and
chemical segments, and in the fertilizers, transport, engineering, animal breeding and
warehousing industries. For example, the company and business line Oxiteno was
founded in 1970 and soon became a pioneer in the production of ethylene oxide and
its main derivatives. Oxiteno’s launch coincided with the construction of an indus-
trial park in the Mauá Petrochemical Complex, in São Paulo. Eight years after
Oxiteno’s launch, Ultrapar founded another entity, Tequimar. Tequimar soon became
the principal company responsible for the warehousing of chemical products in
Brazil.
As a result of the increasing complexity of its business lines and increasing com-
petition in their respective market segments and industries, Ultrapar experienced a
period of intense professionalization of management and staff in the 1970s. This
brought its own challenges.
Reconciling the potentially divergent forces of the company’s future business
objectives with the founding family’s uncertainties and interests was the challenge fac-
ing Ultrapar CEO Pery Igel. To strike this balance, Pery Igel set out to implement an
unparalleled set of corporate governance initiatives beginning in the mid-1980s,
when the expression “corporate governance” was not even a commonly known term
in the region.
As part of that effort, in 1984, Mr. Igel issued restricted stock to company man-
agers as part of a 20-year employment contract. The objective was to align manage-
ment’s interests with those of shareholders and ensure that the former would, in their
new position as long-term owners/managers, help build a solid company over time.
This start of a new governance process was followed in the next decade by an inter-
national initial public offering (IPO), resulting in the listing of company’s shares on
BOVESPA (São Paulo Stock Exchange) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
One year after that, Ultrapar granted tag-along rights to all shareholders, reinforcing
its other good governance initiatives.
78 Companies Circle
The Long Path to Good Governance
In the first 15 years after Mr. Igel launched his initial series of corporate governance
initiatives, the company consciously implemented a new share capital structure and re-
structuring strategy aimed at protecting the business from any future conflicts in the
owners’ family. Minority shareholders were sought and brought in as new owners, and
they helped maintain the momentum for implementing the new governance structure
of the company. Consolidation was the next key part of the strategy.
Family ownership interests in the company were consolidated into a holding enti-
ty named Ultra S.A. Today, Ultra S.A. is owned primarily by members of the Igel
family and certain members of senior management and controls the majority of shares
of Ultrapar.
The fact that the company operated in many insulated businesses had created a
perfect environment for Ultrapar to duplicate structures and increase costs.
Recognizing this, company management began selling non-core assets. Businesses
that were not performing were sold, and the company was consolidated.
The next step for Ultrapar was to go public, which the company did in 1999, rais-
ing US$ 130 million. The IPO was considered a very important step in the compa-
ny’s success, because it brought discipline to the firm and helped it focus on value cre-
ation. In addition, the plan to become a publicly-traded company was designed, ulti-
mately, to provide the family and the management with access to liquidity in a way
that would not adversely affect the company’s business.
Listening to Investors
One year after the 1999 IPO, the company granted tag-along rights to all sharehold-
ers, guaranteeing equal treatment to minority shareholders in the event of a change in
corporate control. The decision was based on the understanding that to become a
truly publicly-held company, it was necessary to align external investors’ interests with
those of controlling shareholders. This initiative set Ultrapar apart from most com-
panies in the country. It was only in the following year that the new Corporate Law
made tag-along rights mandatory. Even so, the Law limited mandatory tag-along
rights to 80%, and this treatment was only required for common (voting) shares.
Ultrapar’s tag-along rights guaranteed 100% of the offer price to holders of all class-
es of shares, voting and non-voting.
It took some time for the market to recognize that Ultrapar was seriously reform-
ing its corporate governance. Ultrapar’s stock price struggled in its first years as a pub-
licly-traded company. However, in the first follow-on offering six years later, the mar-
ket’s reaction completely changed, and the firm was valued in line with Brazilian mar-
ket indicators.
Case Studies 79
Corporate Governance Process
Ultrapar’s governance structure and processes seek to align the interests of executives
and all shareholders. It is guided by the belief that an effective corporate governance
system supports the confidence that underlies proper functioning of a market econo-
my. For example, the company equalized dividend treatment among common and
preferred shareholders as part of its governance reform.
The alignment principle also drove the firm to establish an executive compensa-
tion system linked to creation of shareholder value. Since 2002, executives’ bonuses
have been linked to the economic value added (EVA) performance of each business
unit. In addition, to ensure that the new generation of key managers acts as partners
in the firm as well, a long-term share compensation plan was introduced utilizing pre-
ferred shares held in the company’s treasury.
The Board of Directors, chaired by the CEO, is a critical corporate governance
mechanism at Ultrapar. It is composed of seven members, including four independ-
ent non-executive directors and two senior executives. There are 3 Board committees
—Audit, Compensation and Ethics. The Compensation Committee and the Ethics
Committee report directly to the Board of Directors. In 2002, the company granted
minority shareholders the right to elect Board members, a requirement which
Brazilian companies were not required complying with until 2006. The initiative is
rare in Brazil and is a demonstration of the company’s commitment to protecting
non-controlling shareholders’ interests.
Although there is no body or officer specifically responsible for governance poli-
cies and practices in the company, the Executive Board and the Board of Directors
always keep corporate governance and best business practices on their radar screens
and agenda.
For example, a Code of Ethics was drawn up to be followed by all the company’s
structures and professionals. The Code aims to: reduce the level of subjectivity in
interpretation of ethical principles; formalize a guide for professional conduct, includ-
ing resolution of conflicts of interest; and guarantee that concerns about efficiency,
competitiveness and profitability include due attention to ethical conduct by all com-
pany staff and units.
Ultrapar’s most recent step along the path of good corporate governance was its
entry onto Level 1 of BOVESPA’s special corporate governance-based tier on 2
October 2005. Already a component of BOVESPA’s Differentiated Tag-Along Shares
Index (ITAG), joining Level 1 also made Ultrapar one of the companies that com-
pose the Differentiated Corporate Governance Shares Index (IGC). The company’s
shares perform almost parallel to the Ibovespa Stock Index.
80 Companies Circle
Regarding Ultrapar’s performance on the stock exchange, the shares depreciated
by 27% on BOVESPA during 2005. Despite the fact that the petrochemicals mar-
ket faced a difficult year, Ultrapar’s shares were among the best performers. However,
compared with the share price of R$ 32.43 / US$ 11.07 (already adjusted for the
share dividend) on 31 December 2003, the share price of Ultrapar rose 42.1% in US$
terms to 15.73 / R$ 34.10 on 30 June 2006. Similarly, as of 30 June 2006, Ultrapar’s
market capitalization was R$ 2.8 billion / US$ 1.3 billion, which represents an
increase of 46.56% compared to R$ 2.6 billion / US$ 887 million as of 31 December
2003.
Results
Today, Ultrapar is one of Brazil’s most successful conglomerates. It unites three differ-
ent companies, as portrayed below, each with a prominent position in its own segment:
Ultragaz, the leader in Brazil’s distribution market for LPG, boasts a 24% market share;
Oxiteno, the largest producer of specialty chemicals in Brazil, is the only manufacturer
of ethylene oxide and its main derivatives in the Mercosur area (comprising Brazil,
Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay); and Ultracargo is a leading provider of integrated
road transport, storage and handling services for chemicals and fuels.
As indicated by Ultrapar’s financial statements prepared in accordance with
Brazilian GAAP and US GAAP, the combined net revenues of these three businesses
in 2005 amounted to R$ 4.7 billion / US$ 1.9 billion, with EBITDA of R$ 546 mil-
lion / US$ 224 million and net income of R$ 299 million / US$ 123 million. Since
1998 (the base year for the company’s IPO), Ultrapar has reported an annual average
compound growth of 18% in EBITDA terms and 31% in net income terms. Below
are Ultrapar’s financial results for 2004 and 2005.
Case Studies 81
n Net income:
• 2004 - R$ 414 million / US$ 142 million;
• 2005 - R$ 299 million / US$ 123 million;
n Net operating revenues:
• 2004 - R$ 4,784 million / US$ 1,635 million;
• 2005 - R$ 4,694 million / US$ 1,928 million;
n Net costs and expenses:
• 2004 - R$ 4,220 million / US$ 1,442 million;
• 2005 - R$ 4,335 million / US$ 1,780 million;
n Net cash:
• 2004 - R$ 46 million / US$ 17 million; and
• 2005 - R$ 191 million / US$ 82 million.
82 Companies Circle
Today, the company has around 7,000 employees.
The Recognition for Good Governance
In its search for better corporate governance, the company has been awarded various
forms of recognition from the capital markets, and some of them are described below:
For Ultrapar, these awards represent recognition of its efforts to achieve business
results, while conducting business with transparency, integrity and respect for minor-
ity shareholders. Ultrapar believes that this stance consistently creates value for its
shareholders.
Case Studies 83
The Future
The time has come to start thinking about corporate governance in a broader way. Ul-
trapar is currently working to complete its compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s
requirements. The company has already incorporated material contractual obligations
and off-balance sheet transactions into its financial statements, as required under
Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The firm has adopted a Fiscal Board, which will also act as an
Audit Committee, also as required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Fiscal Board
has five members. Two of them are representatives of the minority shareholders.
By implementing standards of good governance, Pery Igel paved the way for con-
tinued strong performance for Ultrapar. The processes now in place at the company
will maintain the firm on the path of ever-improving governance practices and con-
tinued profitability.
84 Companies Circle
Estudio de Casos de
Buenas Prácticas de
Gobierno Corporativo
Círculo de Empresas de la Mesa Redonda
Latinoamericana de Gobierno Corporativo
2a Edición
Case Studies 85
Corporación Financiera Internacional
La Corporación Financiera Internacional (IFC), parte del Grupo del Banco
Mundial, fue establecida en 1956 para promover, a través de apoyo al sector privado,
el crecimiento económico en los países en desarrollo. La IFC cumple esta misión
financiando proyectos en el sector privado, ayudando a movilizar financiamientos
para compañías en los mercados internacionales, y prestando servicios de asesoría y
asistencia técnica a compañías y gobiernos. La experiencia práctica de IFC en la
estructuración de inversiones, la evaluación de empresas, y la nominación de conse-
jeros le permiten poner en acción principios de buen gobierno corporativo. El énfa-
sis de la IFC en las buenas prácticas de gobierno corporativo en sus compañías cliente
le ayudan a manejar su riesgo y a añadir valor a sus clientes en los mercados emer-
gentes.
86 Companies Circle
Contenido
Introducción 88
Atlas Eléctrica 91
Buenaventura 98
Cementos Argos 104
Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias (CCR) 109
CPFL Energia 115
Embraer 122
Ferreyros 131
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA) 137
Marcopolo 144
Natura 152
NET 158
Suzano 165
Ultrapar 174
Case Studies 87
Introducción
Esta segunda versión, revisada y actualizada, de “Estudio de Casos de Buenas Prácticas
de Gobierno Corporativo” presenta las experiencias de un grupo de empresas de América
Latina a la vanguardia en reformar y mejorar el gobierno corporativo de las empresas, así
como los resultados de estos cambios. Las descripciones de las mejoras de gobierno cor-
porativo llevadas a cabo por estas empresas fueron elaboradas con el apoyo directo de los
ocho miembros fundadores del Círculo de Empresas de la Mesa Redonda
Latinoamericana sobre Gobierno Corporativo, así como los cinco nuevos miembros que
se unieron al Círculo durante 2006. El contenido de cada capítulo refleja las perspecti-
vas de la administración y el directorio de una compañía con respecto a las motivaciones,
los desafíos, las soluciones y las recompensas que se obtienen tras aplicar mejores normas
y prácticas de gobierno corporativo.
Exponer estos casos da acceso a experiencias bastante profundas y diversas, no nece-
sariamente en torno a la teoría del buen gobierno corporativo, sino a la aplicación prác-
tica de las metas de transparencia, divulgación, responsabilidad, respeto por los derechos
de los accionistas y trato equitativo con todos los involucrados, como se especifica en los
Principios de Gobierno Corporativo de la OCDE y se refleja en las recomendaciones del
“Papel blanco sobre Gobierno Corporativo en Latinoamérica” de la Mesa Redonda.
Los casos aquí presentados son expuestos bajo la responsabilidad de los respectivos
miembros del Círculo y hablan por si mismos. Para algunas empresas, el principal estí-
mulo para emprender cambios se basó en consideraciones internas como el querer recon-
ciliar posibles divergencias en los intereses familiares o de los accionistas u ofrecer mejo-
res incentivos a los ejecutivos. En cambio, para otras empresas tal motivación surgió de
consideraciones financieras de mercado, como el deseo por atraer nuevos inversionistas o
acceder a nuevas fuentes de capital. Sin embargo, al considerar en conjunto experiencias
tan diversas, saltan a la vista al menos las siguientes conclusiones generales:
n Si bien los principios de buen gobierno corporativo son, en esencia, los mismos
para todo tipo de empresas, en su aplicación hay lugar para mucha creatividad
e innovación cuando se trata de adaptarlos a las circunstancias específicas de cada
empresa.—EL DESAFÍO EN LA IMPLEMENTACION ESTÁ EN QUE
CADA EMPRESA INDENTIFIQUE EL CAMINO Y LAS SOLUCIONES
QUE MEJOR SE AJUSTEN A SUS NECESIDADES;
n El compromiso de los gerentes y principales accionistas es requisito sine qua non
para lograr un programa sostenido de mejoramiento del gobierno corporativo.
—LA EMPRESA DEBE CONTAR CON PERSONAS EN SU INTERIOR
QUE PROMUEVAN EL BUEN GOBIERNO CORPORATIVO;
n Para ser completamente exitoso, un programa de buen gobierno corporativo debe
comunicar de manera eficaz que la empresa, su administración y los socios mayori-
tarios están comprometidos irrenunciablemente con las metas de buen gobier-
88 Companies Circle
no corporativo.—LA CREDIBILIDAD ANTE EL MERCADO ES FUNDA-
MENTAL;
n Las recompensas obtenidas tras esfuerzos iniciales y de limitado enfoque pueden
generar un gran impulso para esfuerzos más amplios que contribuyan a la creación
de un virtuoso círculo de adopción de mejores prácticas.—EL BUEN GOBIERNO
CORPORATIVO ES UN VIAJE, NO EL DESTINO FINAL; y por último,
n Las experiencias de los miembros del Círculo de Empresas prueban que el buen
gobierno corporativo puede contribuir al rendimiento operacional y al acce-
so/costo de capital.—MEJORAR EL GOBIERNO CORPORATIVO SE
TRADUCE EN RETORNOS POSITIVOS REALES.
Los capítulos sobre las experiencias de los miembros fundadores del Círculo de
Compañías (Buenaventura, Cementos Argos, CCR, CPFL Energia, Natura, NET,
Suzano and Ultrapar) han sido ampliados y completamente actualizados en esta segunda
edición. En la séptima reunión de la Mesa Redonda Latinoamericana de Gobierno
Corporativo, celebrada en junio de 2006 en Buenos Aires, se distribuyó una versión en
inglés de los casos de los nuevos miembros del Círculo (Atlas Eléctrica, Embraer,
Ferreyros, ISA y Marcopolo). Todas las versiones de los casos, así como otros documen-
tos públicos del Círculo de Empresas están disponibles en los sitios web de la División de
Asuntos Corporativos de la OCDE (www.oecd.org/daf/corporateaffairs/roundtables) y
del Departamento de Gobierno Corporativo de la Corporación Financiera
Internacional/Banco Mundial (IFC) (www.ifc.org/corporategovernance).
Como fue el caso de la primera edición, con la publicación de este libro el Círculo de
Empresas espera compartir con una amplia comunidad de empresas latinoamericanas
algunas soluciones prácticas a los desafíos de buen gobierno corporativo que enfrentan en
la región. Agradecemos el gran aporte de los miembros del Círculo a la Mesa Redonda y
los felicitamos por su labor destinada a divulgar los argumentos comerciales a favor del
buen gobierno corporativo para las empresas en toda América Latina y demás.
En nombre de la Mesa Redonda, quisiéramos expresar nuestra gratitud a los directi-
vos y al equipo de cada uno de los miembros del Círculo de Empresas por su contribu-
ción en la preparación de los casos presentados en este libro. En nombre del Círculo de
Empresas y el nuestro, quisiéramos también extender nuestro agradecimiento a la seño-
ra Sandra Guerra, quien ha ejercido con gran dedicación y profesionalismo su cargo
como coordinadora del Círculo desde su fundación.
Esperamos continuar trabajando con el Círculo de Empresas en sus futuros esfuerzos
por identificar y promover las buenas prácticas para la implementación de un mejor
gobierno corporativo en Latinoamérica.
Mike Lubrano Daniel Blume
Jefe, Práctica Corporativa e Inversionista Administrador Principal
Departamento de Gobierno Corporativo División División de Asuntos Corporativos
Corporación Financiera Internacional Organización para la Cooperación
y el Desarrollo Económicos
Case Studies 89
90 Companies Circle
Atlas Eléctrica
Los orígenes de Atlas Eléctrica S.A. (Atlas) se remontan a una pequeña cabaña en
1961; pero ya en 1976 la empresa había crecido y era la primera en cotizar acciones
en la Bolsa Nacional de Valores (BNV), de Costa Rica. Los fundadores de la compa-
ñía estaban conscientes de que esta oportunidad de cotizar sus acciones en la bolsa les
permitiría financiar y mantener el potencial de crecimiento, situación que es valida
hasta el día de hoy. A fines de septiembre de 2005, la capitalización de mercado de
Atlas era de US$ 17,2 millones, una disminución de 11,8% respecto de los US$ 19,5
millones vigentes el 30 de septiembre de 2004.
Atlas es una empresa manufacturera con sede en Costa Rica que también tiene
subsidiarias de venta de sus productos en América Central y República Dominicana.
En la actualidad, Atlas produce refrigeradores y cocinas para uso doméstico bajo sus
propias marcas Atlas y Cetron, pero también fabrica para marcas privadas como
Sunbeam y Nedoca, y anteriormente ha fabricado bajo las marcas White
Westinghouse, Kelvinator, Frigidaire y Blue Point.
Se calcula que las ventas de Atlas en América Central, México, Estados Unidos,
Jamaica, Puerto Rico y otras islas del Caribe arrojarán ingresos combinados totales por
US$ 100 millones en el ejercicio fiscal de 2006. Con 50% de participación en el mer-
cado, Atlas es la empresa en su sector más importante en la región de América Central
y compite a la par con productos provenientes de Asia y las Américas. En años recien-
tes, varios modelos de productos Atlas recibieron certificación bajo las normativas de
Estados Unidos y Canadá, lo cual ha permitido a la compañía incursionar en el merca-
do de exportación. Atlas espera poder capitalizar esto en los próximos años, en especial
en el marco de los recientes acuerdos de libre comercio suscritos por la región. De hecho,
ampliar el mercado de exportación forma parte del plan de crecimiento estratégico de la
compañía y a estas alturas, explica la mayor parte del incremento de 28,5% registrado
por las ventas de Atlas en 2005 en comparación con el mismo período del año anterior.
Los principales atributos que explican el éxito de la compañía son:
n Años de cultivar una imagen de marca basada en calidad y excelente servicio
de post-venta para los consumidores; y
Case Studies 91
n Creación de productos de valor con diseños de buen gusto al alcance del bol-
sillo de los clientes.
La estructura patrimonial de Atlas se presenta en el cuadro a continuación.
92 Companies Circle
El mismo Directorio determina la compensación que recibirán sus miembros,
siempre con el espíritu de mantenerse dentro de límites razonables que se ajusten
a las prácticas remunerativas usuales en otras empresas. Se paga remuneración
por asistir a cada una de las reuniones del Directorio, que suelen realizarse una
vez al mes. Para determinar la compensación que reciben los ejecutivos, se con-
sidera información comparativa del mercado, la cual es examinada y aprobada por
el Comité de Renumeraciones del Directorio. Aproximadamente 20% de la com-
pensación total que reciben los gerentes está vinculada al desempeño. En la
actualidad, no se asignan opciones de compra de acciones a los gerentes o miem-
bros del Directorio. El próximo informe anual de la compañía divulgará el
monto total, no desglosado, de las remuneraciones que reciben los Directores y
gerentes.
El Directorio de Atlas tiene dos comités:
n El Comité de Auditoría consta de cuatro miembros: tres Directores (uno
interno y dos externos y ninguno de ellos es el Presidente del Directorio) y el
Fiscal. A las reuniones de este Comité se invita a un representante de los
Auditores Externos, un representante del auditor interno y el Gerente
General; y
n Comité de Remuneraciones: consta de dos Directores (uno interno y uno
externo y ninguno de ellos es el Presidente del Directorio).
Case Studies 93
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, y en el Gerente de Finanzas de la compañía1. Como
objetivo final, este proyecto apuntaba a dar garantías adicionales al Presidente del
Directorio y al Gerente General de que toda información financiera entregada al
público general estaría libre de omisiones sustanciales y de la existencia de un sólido
sistema de control interno, ya que ambos personeros desean poder atestiguar perso-
nalmente estos hechos.
Muchas compañías registradas quedaron inconformes con la manera en que se
aplicaba esta reciente medida de CONASSIF. El proceso de elaboración y adopción
de la normativa reguladora se realizó sin mediar un proceso de plena consulta con el
sector privado y el resultado fue que algunos de los artículos promulgados son inclu-
so más severos que los de la ley Sarbanes-Oxley de Estados Unidos. Como era de
esperar, el sector privado reaccionó y algunas compañías interpusieron de inmediato
una demanda alegando violaciones jurisdiccionales y de privacidad. Otras decidieron
que era hora de salirse de la bolsa. Los miembros del Directorio de Atlas, en tanto,
estimaron que de las normas procesales surgiría algún arreglo equitativo y que los
beneficios de mantenerse cotizando en la BNV compensarían cualquier inconvenien-
te temporal. En este momento, la Corte Constitucional suspendió la aplicación de
algunas normas promulgadas por CONASSIF y el juicio sigue en espera de la resolu-
ción definitiva. Algunas de esas normas suspendidas se refieren al Comité de
Auditoría. El Directorio de Atlas considera que es conveniente cumplir con las nue-
vas exigencias formales del Comité de Auditoría y mantiene su funcionamiento como
si tales normas siguieran en pie, pese a que fueron suspendidas.
Atlas le otorga gran valor a la transparencia y sus prácticas son coherentes con ello.
La compañía debe presentar información financiera trimestralmente, la cual es recopi-
lada de conformidad con las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera
(NIIF). Una vez presentada, esta información se publica en el sitio en Internet de la
Superintendencia General de Valores (SUGEVAL) y pasa a ser de dominio público. La
información financiera auditada de fines de año también se publica en la misma red.
Los estados financieros de Atlas son auditados por la empresa de auditoría externa
KPMG Peat Marwick, quienes rinden cuentas al Comité de Auditoría y al Directorio.
Además, una compañía externa califica a Atlas una vez al año desde la perspectiva del
riesgo y realiza actualizaciones trimestrales. Por último, el Jefe de Auditoría Interna
de la compañía eleva sus informes directamente al Comité de Auditoría.
En otra iniciativa para poner más énfasis en la transparencia, la política del
Directorio de Atlas requiere a todo el personal clave de la compañía, así como a los
miembros del Directorio, firmar y certificar anualmente haber leído y comprender el
1 En este momento, Atlas realiza esfuerzos enormes para redactar y difundir numerosas políticas y procedimientos de
control en toda la Compañía. Para este fin, recurre al modelo utilizado en las certificaciones ISO 9000 de la International
Organization for Standardization las cuales fijan normas en relación con garantías y gestión de calidad. La Compañía
ya ha sido certificada en sus procesos de producción, venta y distribución. Ahora, se usa esta misma metodología (si bien
todavía no la certificación) para que la Compañía adopte procedimientos de gobierno corporativo.
94 Companies Circle
Código de Ética de la compañía. Este Código aborda temas como conformidad con
las leyes, conflictos de interés y uso de información confidencial. El Código de Ética
se encuentra en proceso de revisión y su adopción está prevista para una fecha poste-
rior durante este año.
En términos generales, la responsabilidad de velar por las prácticas de gobierno
corporativo de Atlas y emprender cualquier mejora incumbe al Gerente General y al
Gerente de Finanzas.
Case Studies 95
remiten al problema de la credibilidad del mercado local. Se trata de un problema
que ha dañado las comunicaciones y las relaciones entre ambos sectores, es decir, el
sector normativo y el sector privado (compañías registradas). En vista de esta reali-
dad, el BNV lanzó tres iniciativas con la ayuda de algunas compañías registradas,
entre éstas Atlas. La primera está destinada a preparar directrices de gobierno corpo-
rativo de adhesión voluntaria (cumplir o explicar), similares a aquellas vigentes en el
Reino Unido y Hong Kong. Si esta iniciativa tiene éxito, las normativas de CONAS-
SIF impugnadas por el Tribunal Constitucional podrían ser sustituidas por el sistema
de adhesión voluntaria. La segunda iniciativa, que intenta elaborar directrices volun-
tarias para el programa de Relaciones con los Inversionistas, se lleva a cabo para
aumentar la transparencia del mercado.
La tercera iniciativa, que también se aplicaría por primera vez en Costa Rica, es un
mecanismo de “market maker” para las acciones de Atlas. Para lograrlo, se aseguró la
participación de tres casas de corretaje para un plan piloto de tres meses y SUGEVAL
garantizó condiciones de “puerto seguro”. La idea es que los inversionistas tengan la
alternativa de vender o comprar acciones de Atlas en cualquier momento en estas
casas de corretaje. Cada una de las casas de corretaje que participa en el plan piloto
ha asumido el compromiso y entregado garantías al mercado de que siempre dispon-
drá de un determinado número de acciones en su inventario para vender o comprar.
Así, los inversionistas no estarían expuestos al factor de riesgo generado por la incer-
tidumbre de no saber si habrá un posible comprador (vendedor) para las acciones de
Atlas. El resultado de los primeros dos meses de este plan ha sido la menor volatili-
dad del precio de mercado de la pequeña cantidad de acciones de Atlas que se transa-
ron, si bien todavía su precio está por debajo del valor contable.
96 Companies Circle
n Efectivo neto:
• 2004 - 2.336,92 millones de colones costarricenses / US$ 5,2 millones; y
• 2005 - 2.563,32 millones de colones costarricenses / US$ 5,6 millones.
Desde el año 2000, la compañía ha sido analizada trimestralmente por una empre-
sa calificadora local de riesgos independiente (que siempre le ha otorgado a Atlas la
máxima calificación triple AAA) debido a la emisión de bonos por US$ 10 millones
utilizados para financiar la adquisición de una empresa manufacturera competidora
en El Salvador. Atlas se ha ganado esta alta puntuación porque ha demostrado siste-
máticamente a los tenedores de sus bonos y a otros su gran capacidad de amortizar el
capital y pagar los intereses en los plazos acordados.
Atlas está consciente que deberá incursionar en otros mercados financieros para
seguir creciendo. En este sentido, mejorar aún más la transparencia, uno de los aspec-
tos intrínsecos de la compañía, coincide con el plan estratégico. Los nuevos reglamen-
tos en materia de auditoría forman parte de la actual experiencia global que aprove-
cha la compañía. Coherente con esta perspectiva, Atlas pone cada vez más énfasis en
los mercados de exportación, donde ya se llevan a cabo con todo éxito más de 80%
de sus ventas. Al concentrarse en las exportaciones, Atlas también adopta la doctrina
de responsabilidad social empresarial tanto en el mercado local como en los nuevos
mercados extranjeros, donde ya cosecha calificaciones superiores en los índices locales
y regionales por sus prácticas sostenibles y socialmente responsables.
Atlas busca persuadir a sus accionistas actuales y futuros del valor de la compañía.
Asimismo, intenta demostrar que es una empresa que pretende mantener su presen-
cia en el mercado y competir en un mundo globalizado por muchos años más, tal
como lo ha hecho en el pasado, pero con mejores activos intangibles, solvencia, trans-
parencia y buenas prácticas de gobierno corporativo en el futuro. En términos de
mejorar su gobierno corporativo, Atlas intenta perfeccionar sus procedimientos de
control interno para responder a las exigencias de los organismos normativos y del
para que la información financiera publicada está libre de omisiones sustanciales, pero
también como medio para garantizarse a ella misma y a sus accionistas de que la admi-
nistración realiza acciones conforme a las políticas aprobadas. En este sentido, las
directrices que rigen este proyecto son aquellas definidas por COSO para las prácti-
cas y procedimientos de control interno.
Case Studies 97
Buenaventura
Crecer es más que un simple componente de la misión y la visión de Buenaventura.
Crecer es el lema diario de la compañía minera líder de Perú y una de las producto-
ras de oro y plata más grandes del mundo.
Hoy, Buenaventura explota cuatro grandes minas de Perú (Orcopampa,
Uchucchacua, Antapite y Colquijirca) y cuenta con un agresivo programa de explora-
ción. La compañía, con 2.127 empleados, es propietaria de 43,65% de Minera
Yanacocha S.R.L., uno de los productores de oro más grandes del mundo, y de 18,5%
de Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde, una importante cuprífera peruana.
Con operaciones en una industria con gran necesidad de capital y en un entorno
geográfico no tan acogedor para las inversiones, la compañía tiene que ser perseveran-
te para mantener el éxito que ha logrado a través del tiempo.
Con el fin de lograr su objetivo de continuo crecimiento, Buenaventura acudió a
la formación de asociaciones, cotizaciones en la Bolsa de Valores de Lima y emisión
de certificados norteamericanos de depósito de acciones extranjeras (ADR, por sus
siglas en inglés) en la Bolsa de Nueva York. No obstante, cuando se trató de crear
valor sostenible a largo plazo para los accionistas, sólo había una forma de proceder:
mejorando las prácticas de gobierno corporativo.
98 Companies Circle
(IPO, por sus siglas en inglés) de ADR en la Bolsa de Nueva York en 1996, gracias a
la cual pudo generar aproximadamente US$ 150 millones de capital.
Esta decisión reflejó el compromiso del Directorio y de la gerencia de
Buenaventura de cumplir con las normativas de la Comisión de Valores y Bolsas de
Estados Unidos (SEC). Antes de la oferta pública inicial, la compañía tomó varias
medidas importantes destinadas a mejorar su gobierno corporativo:
n Modernizó el Directorio incorporando miembros independientes y creando
comités directivos;
n Implementó un Código de Ética; creó un Comité de Información al Público; y
n Convirtió todas las acciones a una clase única con derecho igualitario a voto,
eliminando la estructura fundada en dos clases de acciones.
Antes de la oferta pública inicial de ADR en la NYSE en 1996, los fundadores, la
familia Benavides, eran propietarios de 42% de la compañía. Hoy, tienen el 27%.
Aparte de la familia Benavides, existen varios accionistas institucionales, fondos de
pensiones, empresas industriales y bancos con inversiones en Buenaventura. La actual
estructura de propiedad se presenta a continuación.
Hoy, el capital flotante de la compañía alcanza a 65%. El 55% del total de accio-
nes en circulación de la compañía forman parte del programa de ADR; las acciones
de Buenaventura se cotizan y tranzan en la Bolsa de Valores de Lima y las ADR se
cotizan en la NYSE. Las acciones de Buenaventura no forman partede ningún índi-
ce de acciones.
Case Studies 99
Por ejemplo, la decisión de convertir todas las acciones a una clase única sirvió
para mantener unido al grupo controlador y, a la vez, se la consideró la mejor forma
de continuar aumentando el valor de la compañía. Los accionistas respondieron en
forma positiva a esta decisión lo cual se puso en evidencia con el reforzamiento de la
liquidez de las acciones.
De igual manera, si bien a los accionistas minoritarios no se les ofrecen derechos
de venta preferente de acciones (o tag-along), existen otras salvaguardias en caso de
que surja una oferta de adquisición. Específicamente, el Directorio debe evaluar la
propuesta de oferta, comunicarla y hacer recomendaciones a todos los accionistas
sobre las condiciones específicas que ésta implica. A su vez, se les pide a los accionis-
tas que tomen su propia decisión respecto de si aceptarla o rechazarla. En la prácti-
ca, esto significa que el Directorio da a todos los accionistas la misma oportunidad de
participar en la oferta en condiciones similares. Este es sólo un ejemplo de que
Buenaventura toma el proceso de votación muy en serio.
Para facilitar la participación de todos los accionistas en las Asambleas Generales,
la compañía las convoca con 25 días de anticipación y distribuye la agenda de temas
a discutir. Los titulares de ADR reciben poderes a través del banco depositario y se
han tomado medidas especiales para asegurar que (i) éstos tengan tiempo suficiente
para considerar su voto y (ii) estén debidamente representados en todas las Asambleas
Generales de la compañía.
Los ejecutivos de Buenaventura supervisan los negocios y son responsables de poner
en práctica las decisiones del Directorio en materia de políticas. El Presidente y Gerente
General es elegido por el Directorio. El Vicepresidente y Gerente General de Finanzas,
el Vicepresidente y Gerente de Desarrollo Comercial, el Vicepresidente de Operaciones
y el Vicepresidente de Exploraciones son elegidos por el Comité de Nominaciones. Dos
de cada cinco miembros de la plana ejecutiva son miembros de la familia.
Buenaventura cuenta con un programa de apreciación de capital a 10 años, plazo
que permite a ciertos ejecutivos recibir remuneraciones en efectivo equivalentes a
excedentes del valor de mercado a una fecha futura fija por sobre el precio declarado
de una cantidad definida de nuestros ADR. Esta información sobre compensaciones
por gestión se pone a disposición de los accionistas y del mercado en la memoria anual
y en el archivo 20-F ante la Comisión de Valores y Bolsas de EE.UU. Por su parte,
los miembros del Directorio reciben un porcentaje del ingreso neto anual de la com-
pañía hasta un límite máximo, el cual es fijado por los accionistas en la Asamblea
General Anual. Esta información también se hace pública en la memoria anual de la
empresa y en el archivo 20-F.
Para la compañía, la mejor decisión es mantener altos niveles de responsabilidad
social a fin de asegurar el éxito a largo plazo de sus actividades. En particular, los gas-
tos del programa de responsabilidad social de Buenaventura alcanzaron los US$ 2,8
millones en 2005 e incluyen apoyo para:
El Directorio
El Directorio de Buenaventura está compuesto por siete miembros, cinco de los cua-
les son independientes. En virtud del compromiso de transparencia de la empresa
para con sus accionistas, una persona designada por los fondos de pensiones de Perú
forma parte del Directorio y participa en las actividades del comité directivo. Para la
gerencia de la empresa, el Directorio es un recurso de valor agregado en tanto presta
dirección y asesoría.
Cuatro comités apoyan la labor del Directorio: Auditoría, Compensaciones,
Nominaciones y Gobierno Corporativo. Cada uno de estos comités esta compuesto
en su mayoría por directores independientes, con el Comité de Auditoría compuesto
únicamente por miembros independientes del Directorio. Por su parte, el Comité de
Gobierno Corporativo asume la responsabilidad de todas las iniciativas vinculadas al
gobierno corporativo en Buenaventura.
Los cargos de Presidente del Directorio y de Gerente General de Buenaventura
están separados para así asegurar la imparcialidad del Directorio al momento de eva-
luar y supervisar la gerencia.
Finalmente, Buenaventura lleva a cabo evaluaciones periódicas del Directorio, las
cuales se llevan a cabo por un Director principal en conjunto con los directores inde-
pendientes.
Para Buenaventura es primordial informar en forma correcta y oportuna al merca-
do. Con este fin, creó un Comité de Información al Público para dar a conocer al
mercado toda la información pertinente apenas finalicen las reuniones del Directorio
y así evitar posibles retrasos que podrían generar oportunidades de que se dé mal uso
de la información de la compañía por parte de personal interno con acceso a infor-
mación privilegiada.
Asimismo, para abordar temas de integridad y conducta, el Directorio aprobó un
Código de Ética que se encuentra disponible para todas las partes interesadas y cuya
lectura es obligatoria para todos los empleados de la compañía y miembros del
Directorio. Este código se refiere principalmente a conflictos de interés y transaccio-
nes relacionadas. El oficial encargado de ética, quien reporta al Comité de Auditoría,
tiene la misión de supervisar que los empleados, los gerentes y los directores cumplan
con las normas establecidas. Tanto este oficial como el Presidente del Comité de
Resultados
Buenaventura reconoce que debe seguir perfeccionando sus bases de gobierno corpo-
rativo al mismo tiempo que se esfuerza por maximizar las ganancias de sus accionis-
tas. Sus mejoras en cuanto a gobierno corporativo son ampliamente reconocidas en
el mercado, como quedó demostrado con el desempeño general de la compañía. Más
digno de mención es la triplicación de de su capitalización de mercado, la cual incre-
mentó de US$ 400 millones en 1995 a US$ 3.600 millones a fines de 2005. Por su
parte, el precio de las acciones de la compañía incrementó en 23,6%, de US$ 22,9 el
31 de diciembre de 2004 a US$ 28,3 el 31 de diciembre de 2005.
La compañía también informó ingresos netos por US$ 337 millones en el año
2005, lo cual representa un aumento de 1% desde 2004 (US$ 334 millones). De
igual manera, el ingreso neto de 2005 aumentó en 31% hasta un total de US$ 274
millones, en comparación con US$ 209 millones en 2004. Otras cifras financieras
incluyen:
n Costos y gastos netos:
• 2004 – US$ 125 millones;
• 2005 – US$ 63 millones;
El Directorio
El Directorio de Cementos Argos se compone de cinco Directores no ejecutivos,
dos de los cuales son independientes. También cuenta con la asistencia de tres
comités: Auditoría y Finanzas, Nominaciones y Remuneraciones, y Asuntos del
Directorio.
El Comité de Auditoría y Finanzas, compuesto por cuatro directores (dos indepen-
dientes), el Gerente General, el Gerente de Finanzas y el Auditor Interno, se encarga
de supervisar los procesos de control interno, para así asegurar transparencia y preci-
sión en la divulgación de información financiera, supervisar las actividades de audito-
ría interna y apoyar las decisiones del Directorio relacionadas con los controles.
El segundo comité, Nominaciones y Remuneraciones, compuesto por tres direc-
tores, establece políticas de contratación, compensación y desarrollo de personal clave.
Propone un plan de compensación vinculado tanto al desempeño personal como
empresarial y está a cargo de revisar los planes de sucesión de los altos cargos de la
compañía. Por su parte, las remuneraciones del Directorio son aprobadas por la
Asamblea General Anual de Accionistas, instancia que puede destituir y reelegir a los
Directores incluso antes de que finalice su período.
Al comité de Asuntos del Directorio, compuesto por tres directores y el Gerente
General, le conciernen los papeles y las responsabilidades de los Directores, la contra-
tación de nuevos miembros y la definición de políticas destinadas a asegurar la ade-
cuada composición del Directorio. Este comité también implementó un sistema de
Resultados
Al 31 de enero de 2006, Cementos Argos registraba una capitalización de mercado de
US$ 5.800 millones. Esta cifra es superior en comparación a la registrada el 31 de
diciembre de 2004 (US$ 930 millones), y a la cifra del año anterior (31 de diciembre
de 2005), donde la capitalización de mercado alcanzó US$ 4.800 millones, cifra que
dio pie al considerable aumento de 420% sólo en ese período
Cementos Argos prepara su informe financiero en conformidad con los procedi-
mientos contables generalmente aceptados (GAAP) en Colombia. En 2005, la com-
pañía obtuvo ingresos netos por US$ 722 millones, cifra que refleja un aumento de
63% en comparación con 2004 (US$ 442 millones). Los siguientes son otros resul-
tados en materia de desempeño económico:
n Ganancias operativas netas:
• 2004 – US$ 441,8 millones (consolidados);
• 2005 – US$ 721,7 millones (consolidados);
n Costos y gastos netos:
• 2004 – US$ 41,3 millones (consolidados);
• 2005 – US$ 115 millones (consolidados);
n Efectivo neto:
• 2004 – US$ 85,2 millones (consolidados);
• 2005 – US$ 17,7 millones (consolidados).
Es difícil medir con precisión los beneficios directos de llevar a cabo prácticas de
buen gobierno corporativo, pero Cementos Argos puede dar fe de resultados altamen-
te positivos. Las acciones han aumentado su valor en forma constante con un aumen-
to de 177% durante el año 2005. Una vez publicado el Código de Gobierno
Corporativo, la compañía aumentó en más de cuatro veces su número de accionistas.
Además, con la adopción del Código, Cementos Argos se adelantó a sus competi-
dores en el mercado, ya que los inversionistas recompensaron a la empresa en más del
triple (3,4 veces) con suscripciones superiores al monto de la emisión de bonos.
Resultados
El precio de las acciones de CCR en la OPA de febrero de 2002 fue de R$ 18 (US$
7,45), lo cual le otorgó a la compañía una capitalización de mercado inicial de R$ 1.500
millones (US$ 620 millones). En diciembre de 2004, el precio de las acciones llegó a
R$ 58,10 (US$ 21,88), con una capitalización de mercado de R$ 5.800 millones (US$
2.200 millones). En el período 2004 – 2005, las acciones de CCR se apreciaron en
27,37%, desde R$ 58,1 a R$ 74,0 (US$ 31,61) junto con su capitalización de merca-
do – de R$ 5.855,0 (US$ 2.205,7) millones a R$ 7.457,4 millones (US$ 3.185,9).
El mercado recompensó a CCR con una prima por sus políticas de transparencia y
derechos igualitarios a todos sus accionistas. Como muestran el cuadro y el gráfico a
continuación, las acciones de CCR se apreciaron en 351,8% desde febrero de 2002 a
diciembre de 2005, mientras que el Índice Ibovespa registró una rentabilidad acumula-
tiva de 193,6% en el mismo período. El desempeño de CCR superó incluso a IGC, el
Índice de Gobierno Corporativo de Brasil, el cual registró una rentabilidad de 313,9%.
El mercado reconoce los logros obtenidos por CCR en materia de gobierno cor-
porativo, tal como lo indican los premios otorgados por el Instituto Brasileño de
Gobierno Corporativo (IBGC) en 2005 y por el Centro de Gobierno Corporativo del
Fundação Dom Cabral en 2004-2007.
En el futuro, CCR apoyará un estudio detallado sobre las prácticas y recompensas
de adoptar políticas de gobierno corporativo en el Centro de Gobierno Corporativo
de la Fundación Dom Cabral. Los objetivos de esta colaboración incluyen mejorar
aún más las prácticas de gobierno corporativo de CCR a través del intercambio de
experiencias con las demás empresas que forman parte de este Centro.
Resultados Financieros
CPFL Energia divulga sus ingresos de acuerdo con las normas internacionales de con-
tabilidad GAAP de Brasil y GAAP de Estados Unidos (y concilia los GAAP de Brasil
con los GAAP de Estados Unidos). En 2005, CPFL informó ingresos brutos por con-
cepto de ventas de R$ 10.904 millones (US$ 4.660 millones), un aumento de 14%
respecto del año anterior. Los ingresos netos por este concepto sumaron R$ 7.739
millones (US$ 3.307 millones), 15% más que los R$ 6.736 millones (US$ 2.542
millones) de 2004.
El margen EBIDTA (ganancias antes de intereses, impuestos, depreciaciones y
amortizaciones) a su vez fue de R$ 2.100 millones (US$ 906 millones) en 2005, lo
que equivale a un incremento de 26% en comparación con los R$ 1.700 millones
(US$ 634 millones) de 2004.
De este modo, la compañía informó su mejor ingreso neto de todos los tiempos
con R$ 1.021 millones (US$ 436 millones) en 2005, incremento de 266% si se com-
para con los R$ 279 millones (US$ 105 millones) de 2004. Otros resultados finan-
cieros anuales incluyen:
n Costos y gastos netos:
• 2004 – R$ 4.306 millones (US$ 1.625 millones);
• 2005 – R$ 4.594 millones (US$ 1.963 millones);
Los Resultados
Sin lugar a dudas, el compromiso asumido por Embraer respecto de sus inversionis-
tas, su sólida estructura gerencial y la adopción de prácticas óptimas de gobierno cor-
porativo han tenido efectos muy positivos en el valor de mercado de la compañía en
estos últimos años. A fines de 2005, Embraer informó haber cumplido hitos de
importancia. Sus ventas netas aumentaron 11,3% entre 2004 y 2005 y alcanzaron la
suma récord de US$ 3.829 millones, la más alta registrada en la historia de la compa-
ñía. El ingreso neto fue de US$ 445,7 millones en 2005, 17,2% más que en 2004.
Al 31 de diciembre de 2005, el efectivo neto era de US$ 360,1 millones, en compa-
ración a US$ 22,1 millones a fines de 2004, esto es, se multiplicó más de 16 veces.
El total de gastos de explotación, incluida participación en las utilidades y gastos en
investigación y desarrollo fue US$ 650 millones al cierre del año 2005, 3.38% más
que el US$ 629 millones registrado el año anterior.
En este período, Embraer generó un patrimonio de gran magnitud para sus inver-
sionistas: la capitalización de mercado aumentó US$ 4.800 millones en los últimos
Gobierno Corporativo
Con el objetivo de incluir una gran variedad de perspectivas y fomentar la diversidad
de opiniones, los estatutos de la compañía disponen que el Directorio debe estar com-
puesto por entre 8 y 12 miembros. En la actualidad, el Directorio consta de 8 direc-
tores con diferente experiencia profesional que contribuyen a mejorar el proceso de
toma de decisiones en Ferreyros.
La compañía durante muchos años tuvo dos directores independientes, pero en la
elección de Directorio de 2005 se incorporaron tres directores independientes selec-
cionados por las administradoras de fondos de pensiones que sumados a uno de los
anteriores, elevó el número de independientes a cuatro. Por otra parte, los comités
del Directorio aumentaron de uno a tres a partir de 2005: el Comité de
Administración General y Gobierno Corporativo, el Comité de Auditoría y el Comité
de Recursos Humanos. Cada uno de los comités sesiona trimestral o semestralmen-
te y consta de cinco directores, de los cuales uno o dos son independientes.
El Directorio se reúne todos los meses y sus sesiones se protocolizan minuciosa-
mente. La totalidad de las sesiones del Directorio de los últimos años contó con una
asistencia superior al 80%. La remuneración del Directorio se determina sobre la base
de los resultados logrados por la compañía, ya que los estatutos estipulan que tiene
derecho a recibir el 6% de las utilidades de libre disposición de ésta. Es la única forma
Los Resultados
El éxito logrado por las emisiones de Ferreyros en el mercado de capitales de Perú y
la históricamente alta demanda de sus instrumentos se pueden atribuir en gran medi-
da a la estrategia corporativa de combinar planes de sucesión eficientes con la adop-
ción de un modelo de negocios basado en la gestión profesional y en un gran respeto
por los principios de gobierno corporativo. Para Ferreyros, esto significó realizar los
cambios necesarios para:
n Defender los derechos de los accionistas;
n Asegurar trato igualitario a todos los accionistas;
n Proporcionar acceso irrestricto a la información;
n Garantizar información transparente, de calidad y su divulgación oportuna; y
n Establecer un Directorio eficiente y profesional.
De acuerdo a las Normas de Contabilidad Peruanas, las ventas netas durante el
primer semestre de 2006 sumaron US$ 221 millones, con un aumento de 43,6% res-
pecto del mismo período del año anterior. Los ingresos netos se incrementaron ágil-
mente de US$ 3,1 millones en el período de seis meses de 2005 a US$ 14,5 millones
durante este año, es decir, 376% desde el mismo período del año anterior. En el pri-
mer semestre de 2006, el EBITDA (ganancias antes de intereses, impuestos, deprecia-
ciones y amortizaciones) ascendió a US$ 30 millones, en comparación con US$ 15,4
millones en el mismo período del año anterior, un aumento de 96% en un año2.
Otras cifras financieras son:
n Ingresos netos de explotación:
• 2004 – 929 millones de Nuevos Soles / US$ 282 millones;
• 2005 – 1.115 millones de Nuevos Soles / US $338 millones;
n Costos y gastos netos:
• 2004 – 169,8 millones de Nuevos Soles / US$ 51,5 millones;
• 2005 – 168,6 millones de Nuevos Soles / US$ 51 millones.
En los 84 años de su existencia, Ferreyros ha sido testigo y ha vivido las muchas
crisis económicas que han afectado al Perú, por lo demás una situación habitual en
toda la región. En más de alguna ocasión, ha visto que sus competidores y clientes
2 Todas las cifras indicadas aquí, expresadas en dólares americanos, son aproximadas y no reflejan con precisión las fluctuaciones de
la divisa. Se trata de cifras en nuevos soles peruanos para el primer trimestre de 2006 expresadas en dólares americanos y calculadas
según el tipo de cambio de junio de 2006.
Resultados Financieros
De acuerdo con los principios de GAAP en Colombia, Durante el año 2005, el Grupo
ISA tuvo ingresos por valor de US$ 472 millones, un EBITDA de US$ 307 millones,
una Utilidad Operativa de US$ 214 millones y una Utilidad Neta de US$ 88 millo-
nes. El Margen EBITDA del Grupo es del 65% y el Margen Neto es del 18,6%. A
junio de 2006, el Grupo ISA tiene activos por US$ 5,0 billones, pasivos por US$ 2,3
billones y patrimonio de US$ 1,3 billones. Los resultados financieros históricos de la
compañía se muestran a continuación:
n Ingresos netos:
• 2004 – En Pesos Colombianos: 140.015 millones / US$ 59 millones;
• 2005 – En Pesos Colombianos: 187.179 millones / US$ 82 millones;
n Ingresos operacionales netos:
• 2004 – En Pesos Colombianos 712.206 millones / US$ 298 millones;
• 2005 – En Pesos Colombianos 708.281 millones / US$ 310 millones;
n Gastos y costos operacionales:
• 2004 – En Pesos Colombianos 341.406 millones / US$ 143 millones;
• 2005 – En Pesos Colombianos 347.515 millones / US$ 152 millones;
n Caja disponible final (net cash):
• 2004 – En Pesos Colombianos 151.868 millones / US$ 64 millones;
• 2005 – En Pesos Colombianos 56.294 millones / US$ 25 millones; y
n Excedentes de caja projectados, de acuerdo con el presupuesto estimado para el
año 2006, será de 3.237 millones de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 1,5 millones.
El Comienzo
Natura es la empresa brasileña líder en el sector de cosmética, productos de perfume-
ría e higiene personal. Comprometida con la calidad de sus relaciones con aquellos
Diez años después, la empresa tomó la decisión de vender los productos directa-
mente a sus clientes, estrategia que demostró ser uno de los principales motivos de su
constante éxito. En efecto, Natura creció en forma estable durante el decenio de los
ochenta, y luego experimentó un gran proceso de reestructuración.
A mediados de los noventa, Natura se expandió al extranjero abriendo centros de
distribución en países vecinos como Argentina, Chile y Perú.
El llamado tercer ciclo de la empresa comenzó desde el año 2000, con grandes
inversiones en infraestructura y capacitación, además de la construcción de un enor-
me complejo de fábricas, oficinas, centros de investigación (P&D) y desarrollo y
entretenimiento. A la vez, la empresa lanzó su línea Ekos, un nuevo concepto de pro-
ductos florales provenientes de la biodiversidad del Amazonas, utilizados de forma
sostenible.
3 Según las políticas de Natura, todos los datos financieros se elaboran y publican en la moneda oficial de Brasil. Por
lo tanto, todas las cifras están en Reais. Sin embargo, para referencia del lector de otros países, a continuación se mues-
tra el tipo de cambio (con relación al dólar estadounidense) vigente en la fecha correspondiente (fuente: The World
Bank Integrated Controller’s Systems – Sistemas Integrados del Controlador del Banco Mundial):
• Mayo 2004 – 2,9150;
• 31 de diciembre de 2004 – 2,6915;
• 31 de diciembre de 2005 – 2,3325;
• 15 de agosto de 2006 – 2,1595.
Resultados
El compromiso de Natura con sus inversionistas, sus confiables prácticas de gobierno
corporativo y su profunda preocupación por el desarrollo sostenible de sus procesos
condujeron a resultados operativos extraordinarios. Sus ventas crecieron un 33% en el
año 2004, y un 117% durante los tres últimos años, desde cifras que bordeaban los
R$ 1.200 millones en 2001, a aproximadamente R$ 2.500 millones en 2004. Sus ope-
raciones en el resto de Latinoamérica también evolucionaron en forma importante con
un crecimiento, en dólares, de un 52% para el año 2004 y un 107% durante los tres
últimos años: de US$ 11,6 millones en 2001 a US$ 24,1 millones en 2004. Por su
parte, el mercado accionario nacional aumentó de un 17,1% en el año 2003 al 19,2%
en el año 2004 y al 21,4% en 2005. Por último, el beneficio neto de Natura creció
más del 32%, de R$ 300 millones en 2004 a R$ 397 millones en 2005. Las siguien-
tes informaciones financieras adicionales ilustran el impresionante crecimiento:
n Ingresos operativos netos:
• 2004 – R$ 1.770 millones;
• 2005 – R$ 2.282 millones;
n Costos y gastos netos (COGS + SG&A):
• 2004 – R$ 1.371 millones;
• 2005 – R$ 1.750 millones;
n Efectivo neto:
• 2004 – R$ 97,2 millones; y
• 2005 – R$ 198,9 millones.
El precio de las acciones de NET aumentó 149% entre 2004 (R$ 0,43) a 2005
(R$ 1,07) con un desempeño considerablemente mejor que los índices de acciones
Ibovespa, IGC e IBrX50, según muestra el gráfico a continuación:
En 2005, la compañía recibió dos premios, uno de la revista Institutional Investor
y otro de APIMEC-RJ, en reconocimiento directo de las políticas de transparencia
adoptadas. Además, la compañía ha sido invitada a participar en varios grupos de
empresas que discuten y analizan prácticas óptimas en términos de gobierno corpora-
tivo con inversionistas y legisladores.
iniciaron proyectos de gran importancia, como las asociaciones con Cia. Vale do Rio Doce para implementar Bahia
Sul, integrada con Suzano en la industria de la pulpa y el papel, y Río Polímeros, el primer complejo petroquímico
completamente integrado de Brasil que utiliza fracciones de gas natural para producir polietileno.
Los Cambios
a) Suzano Papel y Celulosa S.A.
En 2003, Suzano Papel y Celulosa cotizó sus acciones en el Nivel 1 de los segmen-
tos especiales de gobierno corporativo de BOVESPA, con lo cual completó el primer
paso de su estrategia para el mercado de capitales con una fructífera oferta pública de
R$ 443 millones / US$ 151 millones, de los cuales R$ 150 millones / US$ 51,2 millo-
nes correspondieron a acciones de primera emisión.
5 El volumen promedio diario transado de sus acciones luego de la oferta pública aumentó de US$ 95.000 antes de
Empresarial, el índice de la Bolsa de Valores brasileña de empresas que se rigen por prácticas óptimas de sostenibili-
dad. Suzano Papel y Celulosa espera mantenerse en este Índice en 2006 luego de su revisión anual. Suzano
Petroquímica está trabajando para ser incluida. Además, las acciones preferenciales de Suzano Papel y Celulosa y de
Suzano Petroquímica también se cotizan en Latibex, el segmento especial de la Bolsa de Valores de Madrid para val-
ores de América Latina.
Hasta agosto de 2005, el vínculo entre los altos cargos de Suzano Petroquímica y
su Directorio estaba asegurado por la presencia de representantes de la sociedad de
inversiones Suzano en la gerencia principal de la compañía. Con la adquisición de
Polibrasil en septiembre de 2005, a través de la cual Suzano Petroquímica se transfor-
mó en líder en la producción y venta de polipropileno en América Latina y el segun-
do mayor productor de resinas termoplásticas en Brasil, se adoptó una estructura de
gestión y supervisión corporativa intermedia a fin de garantizar una fusión armónica
7 El volumen promedio diario acciones transadas aumentó de US$ 33.740 en 2003 al nivel actual de US$ 1.000.000
al día. En 2005, el volumen promedio diario transado fue superior a US$ 1 millón. Todas las acciones de las empre-
sas petroquímicas cotizadas en BOVESPA sufrieron bajas considerables en 2006 debido a los altos costos de produc-
ción que coincidieron con una fuerte apreciación de la moneda local. Si consideramos la posición de los últimos doce
meses antes de junio de 2006, las acciones preferenciales de Suzano Petroquímica sufrieron una pérdida de valor de
17,2% expresada en términos del dólar, mientras que sus pares industriales registrados en BOVESPA presentaron una
devaluación promedio de 22.8%.
8La adquisición de Ripasa consolidó el liderazgo de Suzano Papel y Celulosa en el mercado del papel de Brasil, tanto
en los segmentos de papel para imprimir y escribir como de cartoncillo.
9 En la actualidad, el Subgerente General de Suzano Petroquímica es el Presidente del Directorio de IBRI y el Gerente
El paso más reciente de Ultrapar en camino hacia el buen gobierno corporativo fue
la decisión de incorporarse al Nivel 1 de Gobierno Corporativo del BOVESPA, pro-
ceso que se llevó a cabo el 2 de octubre de 2005. Aunque Ultrapar ya era parte del
ITAG (Índice de Acciones con Tag-Along Diferenciado), su incorporación al Nivel 1
significó la incorporación de la compañía al IGC (Índice de Acciones con Gobierno
Corporativo Diferenciado). Así, las acciones de la compañía se desempeñan casi en
paralelo al Índice Ibovespa.
Resultados
Hoy en día, Ultrapar es uno de los conglomerados más exitosos de Brasil. Reúne a
tres compañías diferentes, como se muestra a continuación, cada una con una posi-
ción prominente en su respectivo segmento: Ultragaz, líder brasileño en el mercado
de la distribución de gas licuado de petróleo (GLP), dispone del 24% de las acciones
del mercado; Oxiteno, el mayor productor de productos químicos especiales de Brasil,
es el único fabricante de óxido etílico y derivados en el área del Mercosur (que abar-
ca Brasil, Argentina, Paraguay y Uruguay); y Ultracargo, el mayor proveedor de ser-
vicios integrados de transporte terrestre, almacenamiento y manejo de químicos y
combustibles.
El Futuro
Ha llegado el momento de empezar a pensar en el gobierno corporativo en forma más
seria. Actualmente, Ultrapar está trabajando para terminar de cumplir con los requi-
sitos correspondientes de la ley Sarbanes-Oxley. La empresa ya incorporó obligacio-
nes materiales de carácter contractual y operaciones fuera del balance en sus informes
financieros, según lo exige esta ley. Asimismo, la compañía creó un Consejo Fiscal, la
cual también actuará como comité de auditoría en conformidad con los requisitos de
la ley Sarbanes-Oxley. Este Consejo Fiscal cuenta con cinco miembros, dos de los
cuales representan a los accionistas minoritarios.
Con la aplicación de normas de correcto gobierno corporativo, Pery Igel pavimen-
tó el camino de Ultrapar hacia un desempeño fuerte y constante. Los procesos hoy
en marcha mantendrán a la compañía en un sendero de crecimiento exitoso y renta-
bilidad garantizada.
2a Edição
Case Studies
Corporação Financeira Internacional [International Finance
Corporation (IFC)]
A Corporação Financeira Internacional [International Finance Corporation (IFC)] é
integrante do Grupo Banco Mundial e foi fundada em 1956 para estimular o crescimen-
to liderado pelo setor privado em países em desenvolvimento. Isso é feito a partir do
financiamento de projetos do setor privado, auxiliando empresas a recrutar financiamen-
to em mercados internacionais, e oferecendo serviços de consultoria e assistência técnica
para empresas e governos. A experiência prática da IFC com a estruturação de investi-
mentos, avaliação de potenciais empresas que receberão aportes, assim como com a indi-
cação de conselheiros de administração coloca a organização em posição de implantar na
prática princípios de governança corporativa. Seu foco em práticas de boa governança
em seus clientes ajuda a administrar riscos, assim como a adicionar valor para essas
empresas em mercados emergentes.
Introdução 184
Atlas Eléctrica 187
Buenaventura 194
Cementos Argos 200
Companhia de Concessões Rodoviárias (CCR) 205
CPFL Energia 212
Embraer 219
Ferreyros 228
Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA) 235
Marcopolo 241
Natura 249
NET 255
Suzano 262
Ultrapar 271
toda a empresa. Para este fim, recorre ao modelo utilizado nas certificações ISO 9000 da International Organization for
Standardization que fixa normas em relação às garantias e gestão da qualidade. A companhia já foi certificada em seus
processos de produção, venda e distribuição. Agora, está usando a mesma metodologia (se bem que ainda não a certifi-
cação) para que a empresa adote procedimentos de governança corporativa.
Hoje, o free float (ações livremente negociadas em bolsa de valores) da empresa está
em 65%. Uma parcela de 55% do total das ações da empresa em circulação é man-
tida no programa de ADRs. As ações da Buenaventura são listadas e negociadas na
Bolsa de Valores de Lima, enquanto que as suas ADRs são negociadas na NYSE. As
ações da Buenaventura não estão incluídas em nenhum índice.
O Conselho de Administração
O Conselho de Administração da Buenaventura compõe-se de sete membros, cinco
dos quais são independentes. Dado que a empresa está comprometida com a manu-
tenção do mais alto nível de transparência diante de seus acionistas, uma pessoa
nomeada pelos fundos de pensão peruanos tem assento no Conselho e participa das
atividades de seus diversos comitês. O Conselho é visto pela direção executiva como
um recurso que agrega valor, provendo orientação e assessoria.
Quatro comitês dão suporte aos trabalhos do Conselho: Auditoria; Remuneração;
Nomeações; e Governança Corporativa. Cada comitê inclui uma maioria de conse-
lheiros independentes, sendo o Comitê de Auditoria composto somente por membros
independentes do Conselho. O Comitê de Governança Corporativa do Conselho é
responsável por todas as iniciativas da Buenaventura na área.
O Presidente do Conselho e o Presidente-Executivo da Buenaventura são pessoas
distintas. Isto assegura a imparcialidade do Conselho ao avaliar e supervisionar a ges-
tão da empresa.
Por último, a Buenaventura faz avaliações periódicas do Conselho. Há um
Conselheiro-Líder que, juntamente com os conselheiros independentes, efetua tais
avaliações.
É muito importante para a Buenaventura prover ao mercado informações precisas,
em tempo hábil. Seu Comitê de Divulgação foi criado para liberar todas as informa-
ções relevantes logo que se encerra cada reunião do Conselho, evitando assim janelas
de tempo que possam ensejar oportunidades para uso indevido de informação inter-
na da empresa.
Resultados
A Buenaventura reconhece que precisa continuar a aprimorar sua estrutura de gover-
nança, como parte de seu esforço para maximizar valor para seus acionistas. As
melhorias que já obteve em sua governança são claramente reconhecidas pelo merca-
do, como o demonstra seu desempenho geral. Notadamente, a empresa viu sua capi-
talização de mercado multiplicada nove vezes, passando de cerca de US$ 400 milhões
em 1995 para US$ 3,6 bilhões ao final de 2005. O preço de suas ações cresceu 23,6%
de um ano para outro, subindo de US$ 22,9 ( valor registrado em 31 de dezembro de
2004) para US$ 28,3 (valor de 31 de dezembro de 2005).
Ela também registrou receitas totais de US$ 337 milhões em 2005, representando
um aumento de cerca de 1% em relação ao número correspondente do ano preceden-
te (US$ 334 milhões). De modo semelhante, o lucro líquido em 2005 cresceu em
31%, atingindo um total de US$ 274 milhões, em comparação com os US$ 209
milhões de 2004. A seguir são apresentados outros números financeiros:
O Conselho de Administração
O Conselho da Cementos Argos é composto de cinco conselheiros não-executivos,
dois dos quais são independentes. O Conselho é apoiado por três comitês: de
Auditoria e Finanças; de Nomeações e Remuneração; e de Questões Relativas ao
Conselho.
Composto de 4 conselheiros (2 dos quais independentes), mais o Presidente, o
Diretor Financeiro e o Auditor Interno, o Comitê de Auditoria e Finanças se dedica
a supervisionar os processos de controle interno, a assegurar transparência na divulga-
ção de informações financeiras precisas, a acompanhar as atividades de auditoria inter-
na, e a prover suporte para tomadas de decisão pelo Conselho quanto aos controles.
O Comitê de Nomeações e Remuneração, composto de 3 conselheiros, estabelece
políticas de contratação, salários e desenvolvimento de pessoal-chave. Ele propõe um
plano de benefícios vinculado tanto ao desempenho individual como ao da empresa
como um todo. Este Comitê está a cargo de revisar o plano de sucessão da diretoria-
executiva da empresa. As remunerações concedidas ao Conselho são aprovadas pela
Assembléia Geral Anual dos Acionistas, que tem também o poder de demitir e reele-
ger conselheiros mesmo antes do final de seus mandatos.
Resultados
Em 31 de janeiro de 2006, a Cementos Argos tinha uma capitalização de mercado de
US$ 5,8 bilhões. Este número cresceu muito em comparação com o valor de 31 de
dezembro de 2004 (US$ 930 milhões), mas está abaixo do registrado ao final do ano
anterior (31 de dezembro de 2005),e quando a capitalização de mercado atingiu US$
4,8 bilhões – descrevendo um expressivo crescimento de 420% em apenas um ano.
A Cementos Argos elabora seu Balanço Financeiro de acordo com os GAAP
Colombianos. Em 2005, a empresa alcançou um lucro líquido de US$ 722 milhões,
refletindo um aumento de 63% em comparação com 2004 (US$ 442 milhões). A
seguir apresentamos outros resultados ligados a seu desempenho financeiro:
n Receitas operacionais líquidas:
• 2004 – US$ 441,8 milhões (consolidado);
• 2005 – US$ 721,7 milhões (consolidado);
n Custos e despesas líquidos:
• 2004 – US$ 41,3 milhões (consolidado);
• 2005 – US$ 115,0 milhões (consolidado);
n Disponibilidade líquida:
• 2004 – US$ 85,2 milhões (consolidado);
• 2005 – US$ 17,7 milhões (consolidado).
É difícil mensurar com precisão os benefícios diretos da adoção de boas práticas
de governança, mas a Cementos Argos aponta para resultados substanciais. Suas ações
vêm se valorizando constantemente: seu preço subiu 177% ao longo de 2005. Após
a publicação do Código de Governança, a empresa mais do que quadruplicou seu
número de acionistas.
Resultados
O preço das ações da CCR no IPO (Initial Public Offering – Oferta Inicial de Ações)
de fevereiro de 2002 estava em R$ 18,00 (US$ 7,45), dando à empresa uma capitali-
zação inicial de mercado de R$ 1,5 bilhão (US$ 620 milhões). Em dezembro de
2004, o preço das ações atingiu R$ 58,10 (US$ 21,88), com uma capitalização de
mercado de R$ 5,8 bilhão (US$ 2,2 bilhão). Durante o período 2004 / 2005, as ações
da CCR se valorizaram em 27,37%, passando de R$ 58,1 a R$ 74,0 (US$ 31,61)
cada, juntamente com sua capitalização de mercado – que cresceu de R$ 5.855,0
(US$ 2.205,7) milhões a R$ 7.457,4 (US$ 3.185,9) milhões.
O mercado recompensou a CCR com um prêmio adicional por suas políticas de
transparência e igualdade de direitos para todos os acionistas. Como demonstrado
pela tabela e pelo gráfico abaixo, as ações da CCR se valorizaram em 351,8% de feve-
reiro de 2002 a dezembro de 2005, enquanto que o Ibovespa registrou retornos
cumulativos de 193,6% no mesmo período. A CCR chegou mesmo a superar o
desempenho do IGC (Índice de Governança Corporativa), que mostrou um retorno
de 313,9%.
Atualmente, a CCR continua a aprimorar seu modelo de governança e a criar
valor para todos os acionistas. Os resultados dessa iniciativa de boa governança mos-
tram um indiscutível caso de sucesso: a CCR é a maior concessionária de estradas de
pedágio no Brasil. Operando seis rodovias, seus negócios cobrem 15% da malha
rodoviária brasileira, ou aproximadamente 1.452 quilômetros de estradas, e respon-
Resultados Financeiros
A CPFL Energia reporta seus resultados de acordo com o BR GAAP e com o US
GAAP (reconciliando o primeiro ao segundo). Em 2005, a CPFL reportou receitas
brutas de R$ 10.904 milhões (US$ 4.660 milhões), representando um aumento de
14% em comparação com o ano precedente. As receitas líquidas atingiram R$ 7.739
milhões (US$ 3.307 milhões), 15% acima dos R$ 6.736 milhões (US$ 2.542
milhões) registrados em 2004.
Os Resultados
O compromisso da Embraer com seus investidores, sua sólida estrutura de gestão e a
adoção de melhores práticas de governança corporativa são fatores que, juntos, têm
produzido um impacto importante no valor de mercado da companhia, nos últimos
anos. Ao final de 2005, a Embraer reportou marcos significativos nesta evolução. As
vendas líquidas cresceram 11,3% de 2004 a 2005, atingindo US$ 3,829 bilhões – o
maior valor alcançado na história da empresa. O lucro líquido chegou a US$ 445.7
milhões em 2005, 17,2% acima da de 2004. A disponibilidade líquida em 31 de
dezembro de 2005 era de US$ 360,1 milhões, em contraste com os US$ 22,1 milhões
registrados ao final de 2004 – tendo crescido, portanto, mais de 16 vezes! O total de
despesas operacionais, incluindo participação nos lucros e despesas com pesquisa e
desenvolvimento era de US$ 650 milhões em 31 de dezembro de 2005, uma eleva-
ção de 3,38% em relação aos US$ 629 milhões em 31 de dezembro de 2004.
Ao longo desse período, a Embraer gerou substancial riqueza para seus investido-
res – a capitalização de mercado aumentou em US$ 4,8 bilhões nos últimos seis anos,
passando de US$ 2,2 bilhões em dezembro de 1999 a US$ 7 bilhões em dezembro de
2005 (entre 2004 e 2005, a capitalização de mercado cresceu 16,67%, passando de
US$ 6 bilhões a US$ 7 bilhões). No mesmo período, a Embraer distribuiu US$ 943
milhões em dividendos a seus acionistas. Também no mesmo período, suas ações se
valorizaram em 157%, subindo de R$ 7,01 em dezembro de 1999 para R$ 18,00 ao
final de 2005, enquanto o Ibovespa se valorizava apenas 98% (entre 2004 e 2005, o
valor das ações ordinárias da empresa subiu 14%, de R$ 15,80 para R$ 18,00).
Governança Corporativa
De modo a tirar proveito de uma variedade de experiências e encorajar a diversidade
de opiniões, os estatutos da empresa determinam que o Conselho de Administração
deve ser composto de 8 a 12 membros. Atualmente, o Conselho é formado por 8
membros, cada um deles com uma formação profissional e especialização diferentes,
o que contribui para uma melhor tomada de decisões em prol da empresa.
Por muitos anos, a companhia teve dois membros independentes no Conselho.
Na eleição do Conselho de Administração em 2005, três membros independentes –
escolhidos pelos administradores dos fundos de pensão – juntaram-se à empresa.
Hoje há quatro membros independentes no Conselho. Além disso, a partir de 2005,
o número de comitês do Conselho aumentou de 1 para 3. São eles: o Comitê de
Resultados
As bem-sucedidas emissões da Ferreyros nos mercados de valores peruanos, assim
como o histórico de grande demanda por suas ações, podem ser em grande parte atri-
buídos à sua estratégia corporativa, que combina eficientes planos de sucessão com a
adoção de um modelo de negócios baseado na gestão profissional e no mais alto apre-
ço pelos princípios de governança corporativa. Para a Ferreyros, isto significa fazer as
mudanças necessárias para:
n Defender os direitos dos acionistas;
n Assegurar tratamento igual a todos os acionistas;
n Prover acesso irrestrito a informações;
n Garantir a transparência, qualidade e divulgação oportuna das informações; e
n Estabelecer um Conselho de Administração profissionalmente qualificado e
eficiente.
De acordo com as normas contábeis peruanas, as vendas líquidas da empresa no pri-
meiro semestre de 2006 atingiram US$ 221 milhões, o que representa um crescimento
de 43,6% relativamente ao mesmo período do ano anterior. A receita líquida pulou de
US$ 3.1 milhões no primeiro semestre de 2005 para US$ 14,5 milhões este ano, em um
estonteante salto de 376% em relação ao mesmo período do ano passado. O EBITDA
no primeiro semestre de 2006 foi de US$ 30 milhões, em contraste com os US$ 15,4
2Todos os valores aqui expressos em USD são aproximados, e não refletem com precisão as flutuações da moeda.
Estes são os novos números relativos às vendas no Peru, no primeiro trimestre de 2006, denominados em dólares dos
EUA, e calculados com base nas taxas de câmbio de junho de 2006.
Por meio do programa “ISA Acciones Para Todos”, 62.016 acionistas puderam
comprar 13,33% das ações da empresa por um valor total igual a US$ 60 milhões,
após sua primeira oferta pública de ações, ocorrida em 2001. Isto fez da ISA a pri-
meira concessionária de serviço público a ser registrada na Bolsa de Valores da
Colômbia, e a segunda maior no país em número de acionistas.
Governança Corporativa
A ISA atribui grande importância a seus acionistas. Em 15 de novembro de 2001, ela
adotou um Código de Governança Corporativa baseado em normas internacionais,
que visava assegurar a integridade ética da empresa e a gestão adequada de seus negó-
cios. Os objetivos do código são:
n Propiciar um ambiente de respeito para seus investidores;
n Estabelecer um modelo de gestão aberta para garantir a transparência de suas
operações e negociações; e
n Desenvolver sistemas e mecanismos para o monitoramento adequado e pre-
ciso dos seus controles de gestão.
O código reuniu e deu novo impulso ao desenvolvimento das práticas, medidas e
mecanismos de controle de gestão já existentes na empresa havia muitos anos. É
importante ressaltar que todas as subsidiárias do Grupo ISA que emitem títulos nos
mercados da Colômbia, Peru e Brasil estão em total conformidade com as políticas de
governança corporativa atualmente aplicadas em cada um desses países.
O Conselho de Administração da ISA possui sete membros, sendo cada um deles
eleito com base em critérios de aptidão, conhecimento, experiência e liderança. Cada
Resultados
Segundo o CO GAAP, em 2005 o Grupo ISA registrou um faturamento total de US$
472 milhões, um EBITDA de US$ 307 milhões, receitas operacionais de US$ 214
milhões e receita líquida de US$ 88 milhões. A margem do EBITDA da empresa foi
de 65%, com margem líquida de 18,6%. Em junho de 2006, os ativos da ISA tota-
lizavam US$ 5,0 bilhões, com os passivos representando US$ 2,3 bilhões, o que sig-
nificava um patrimônio líquido de US$ 1,3 bilhões. O histórico de resultados finan-
ceiros da ISA é apresentado abaixo:
n Lucro líquido:
• 2004 – 140.015 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 59 milhões;
• 2005 – 187.179 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 82 milhões;
n Receitas operacionais líquidas:
• 2004 – 712.206 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 298 milhões;
• 2005 – 708.281 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 310 milhões;
n Custos e despesas operacionais:
• 2004 – 341.406 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 143 milhões;
• 2005 – 347.515 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 152 milhões;
n Disponibilidade líquida:
• 2004 – 151.868 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 64 milhões;
• 2005 – 56.294 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 25 milhões; e
n O caixa projetado, de acordo com o orçamento da ISA para o exercício de
2006, é de 3.237 milhões de Pesos Colombianos / US$ 1,5 milhões.
Além dos resultados acima, os acionistas viram suas ações se valorizarem em mais
de 80% de ano a ano, tendo recebido substanciais dividendos desde 2001. De modo
especial, o preço das ações subiu 170%, passando de 2,090 Pesos Colombianos / US$
0,90 centavos, em 2004, para 5,650 Pesos Colombianos / US$ 2,47, em 2005. Os
acionistas receberam dividendos totalizando US$ 40,9 milhões para o exercício de
2005. Isto é consistente com a política de dividendos da ISA, a qual requer que pelo
menos 70% dos lucros distribuíveis de cada período retornem aos acionistas como
dividendos.
O Início
A Natura é a líder brasileira no setor de cosméticos, perfumaria e produtos de higi-
ene pessoal. Seu compromisso com a qualidade de seus relacionamentos com as
partes interessadas permitiu que a Natura estabelecesse um modelo de desenvolvi-
Resultados
O compromisso da Natura com seus investidores, suas práticas de governança confi-
áveis, e sua profunda preocupação com o desenvolvimento sustentável, tudo isso
levou a extraordinários resultados operacionais. Suas vendas cresceram 33% em 2004
e 117% ao longo de três anos, com os valores passando de aproximadamente R$ 1,2
bilhão em 2001 a cerca de R$ 2,5 bilhões em 2004. Suas operações no restante da
América Latina também evoluíram consistentemente, apresentando um crescimento,
em dólares, de 52% em 2004 e de 107% ao longo de três anos, passando de US$ 11,6
milhões em 2001 a US$ 24,1 milhões em 2004. Sua participação no mercado domés-
tico cresceu de 17,1% em 2003 para 19,2% em 2004 e para 21,4% em 2005. O
lucro líquido da Natura subiu mais de 32% de um ano para o outro, passando de R$
300 milhões em 2004 a R$ 397 milhões em 2005. Outras informações financeiras
também retratam um crescimento expressivo, como indicado abaixo:
n Receitas operacionais líquidas:
• 2004 – R$ 1.770 milhões;
• 2005 – R$ 2.282 milhões;
n Custos e despesas líquidos (COGS + SG&A):
• 2004 – R$ 1.371 milhões;
• 2005 – R$ 1.750 milhões;
n Disponibilidade líquida:
• 2004 – R$ 97,2 milhões; e
• 2005 – R$ 198,9 milhões.
A Natura chegou ao final de 2004 com um EBITDA de R$ 431,7 milhões, 46%
maior do que em 2003. A geração bruta de caixa atingiu R$ 385,6 milhões, o que
estava 60,6% acima do número correspondente de 2003. Só em abril de 2005, as
ações da Natura subiram 115%, em contraste com uma elevação de 31% no índice
BOVESPA (Ibovespa) no mesmo período. Entre 31 de dezembro de 2004 e 31 de
dezembro de 2005, o preço das ações da Natura se valorizou em mais de 38%, subin-
do de R$ 14,44 para R$ 19,94. De modo semelhante, a capitalização de mercado da
empresa cresceu mais de 37% ao longo do mesmo período, passando de R$ 6,2
bilhões em 31 de dezembro de 2004 para R$ 8,5 bilhões em 31 de dezembro de 2005.
Resultados
É sempre difícil se determinar com algum grau de certeza o que impulsiona o valor
de uma empresa no mercado acionário. No entanto, é difícil também evitar a con-
clusão de que, se a NET não tivesse implementado normas mais avançadas de gover-
nança corporativa, o preço de suas ações e seu valor geral de mercado certamente não
teriam apresentado aumentos tão expressivos.
Em junho de 2006, o valor de mercado da NET atingiu R$ 2,4 bilhões, com US$
115 milhões em EBITDA. A NET aprimorou sua estrutura de capital, e agora conta
com uma base financeira muito sólida, a partir da qual pode buscar novas oportuni-
dades de crescimento. O mercado tem reconhecido essas melhorias. Dois grandes
investidores institucionais já declararam publicamente que cada um deles possui agora
mais de 5% das ações preferenciais da empresa (sem direito a voto). Isto não só
demonstra seu apoio à atual estratégia da empresa, mas também sua concordância
com a nova estrutura de governança corporativa.
O preço de cada ação da NET subiu 149% de 2004 (quando valia R$ 0,43) a
2005 (quando atingiu R$ 1,07) – um desempenho substancialmente superior aos
índices Ibovespa, IGC e IBrX50, como mostrado no gráfico abaixo:
Em 2005, a empresa recebeu dois prêmios, um deles concedido pela revista
Investidor Institucional e o outro pela APIMEC-RJ, em reconhecimento pela política
de transparência adotada. A empresa vem sendo freqüentemente convidada por vários
4 As décadas seguintes marcaram uma fase importante na história da Suzano, quando importantes projetos foram
lançados, tais como a joint venture com a Cia. Vale do Rio Doce, que visava implementar a então Bahia Sul (do ramo
de papel e celulose), hoje integrada à Suzano Papel e Celulose, e a Rio Polímeros – o primeiro complexo petroquími-
co brasileiro totalmente integrado e baseado em frações do gás natural para produção de polietileno.
As Mudanças
a) Suzano Papel e Celulose SA
Em 2003, a Suzano Papel e Celulose registrou suas ações no Nível 1 do segmento
especial de governança corporativa da Bovespa, dando o passo inicial em sua estraté-
gia para o mercado de valores com uma bem sucedida oferta pública de ações que
alcançou R$ 442 milhões (US$ 151 milhões), dos quais R$ 150 milhões (US$ 51,2
milhões) representavam uma emissão primária.
5 O valor do volume médio das negociações diárias com suas ações listadas aumentou, após a oferta pública, de US$ 95.000 para os
6 Em dezembro de 2005, a Suzano Papel e Celulose foi listada na primeira edição do ISE - Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial, o
índice da Bolsa brasileira que congrega empresas que tenham adotado as melhores práticas de sustentabilidade. Para 2006, a Suzano
Papel e Celulose espera continuar nesse índice após sua revisão anual. A Suzano Petroquímica está trabalhando para também ser
incluída. As ações preferenciais da Suzano Papel e Celulose e da Suzano Petroquímica também se encontram listadas no Latibex, o
segmento especial da Bolsa de Valores de Madri para ações de empresas latino-americanas.
7 O valor do volume médio das negociações diárias com suas ações listadas subiu de US$ 33.740 em 2003 para os
atuais US$ 1.000.000. Em 2005, o volume médio negociado ultrapassava US$ 1 milhão. Todas as ações de com-
panhias petroquímicas listadas na BOVESPA sofreram declínios significativos em 2006, em resultado de altos custos
de produção coincidindo com uma forte valorização do Real. Considerando a sua posição nos 12 meses consecutivos
que vão até junho de 2006, as ações preferenciais da Suzano Petroquímica sofreram uma desvalorização de 17,2%, em
dólares, enquanto que seus pares listados na BOVESPA apresentaram uma desvalorização, em média, de 22,8% no
mesmo período.
8 A aquisição da Ripasa consolida a liderança da Suzano Papel e Celulose no mercado brasileiro de papel, nos segmen-
Ouvindo os Investidores
Um ano após a IPO de 1999, a empresa concedeu tag-along rights (direito a usufruir
das mesmas condições oferecidas aos acionistas controladores, no caso de venda do
controle da companhia) a todos os acionistas, garantindo tratamento igual a acionis-
tas minoritários no caso de mudança no controle societário. A decisão se baseou no
entendimento de que, para se tornar uma empresa verdadeiramente aberta, fazia-se
necessário alinhar os interesses de investidores externos com aqueles dos acionistas
Resultados
Hoje, a Ultrapar Participações S.A. é um dos mais bem sucedidos conglomerados bra-
sileiros. Ela reúne três diferentes empresas – como mostrado abaixo –, cada uma delas
com posição proeminente em seu próprio segmento: Ultragaz, líder brasileira na dis-
tribuição de Gás Liqüefeito de Petróleo (GLP), com 24% de participação no merca-
do; Oxiteno, maior fabricante brasileiro de produtos químicos especializados, e único
produtor de óxido de etileno e de seus principais derivados dentro do Mercosul (com-
posto pelo Brasil, Argentina, Paraguai e Uruguai); e a Ultracargo, líder na provisão de
serviços integrados de transporte rodoviário, armazenamento e movimentação de pro-
dutos químicos e combustíveis.
O Futuro
É chegada a hora de se começar a pensar sobre governança corporativa em um senti-
do mais amplo. A Ultrapar está atualmente trabalhando para completar sua confor-
midade com os requisitos da Lei Sarbanes-Oxley. A empresa já incorporou aos seus
demonstrativos financeiros as obrigações contratuais pertinentes e as transações não
cobertas no Balanço Patrimonial, como exigido pela citada lei. A firma também ins-
tituiu um Conselho Fiscal que irá igualmente agir como um Comitê de Auditoria,
como também é requerido sob a Lei Sarbanes-Oxley. O Conselho Fiscal possui cinco
membros, dois dos quais são representantes dos acionistas minoritários.
Ao implementar normas de boa governança, Peri Igel preparou o caminho para o
vigoroso e continuado desempenho da Ultrapar. Os processos agora já consolidados
na empresa certamente irão mantê-la na trilha do contínuo aprimoramento de práti-
cas de governança, com crescente lucratividade.
O Círculo de Companhias
O Círculo de Companhias da Mesa-Redonda Latino-Americana de Governança
Corporativa foi lançado pela OCDE, pela IFC e por seus membros-fundadores
durante uma reunião em maio de 2005. O Círculo reúne empresas líderes com
experiências concretas na implementação das melhores práticas em governança
corporativa, no contexto latino-americano. Seus objetivos são: (1) compartilhar entre
si e com a comunidade mais ampla de empresas latino-americanas soluções práticas
para os desafios de governança corporativa enfrentados na região; e (2) contribuir com
os trabalhos da Mesa-Redonda, apresentando as opiniões e experiências de empresas
que tenham empreendido reformas bem sucedidas de governança corporativa.