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Companies seek professionals for emission reduction projects, clean energy adoption, and credit negotiations

04/10/2025


A new “green” industry is gaining momentum in Brazil and beginning to recruit professionals for strategic roles. The regulated carbon market—which allows companies and countries to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by purchasing credits tied to environmental initiatives—was established by a government bill at the end of 2024 and is expected to be fully operational by 2030.

According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Brazil), the sector could attract up to $120 billion in investment over the next five years, potentially generating 3.4 million jobs by 2040.

Professionals in this segment, which has been active in other countries for more than two decades, are recruited to lead projects aimed at reducing GHG emissions, such as the adoption of clean energy and reforestation efforts. They may also calculate an organization’s carbon footprint, advise leadership on sustainable practices, and facilitate carbon credit negotiations between companies.

“In the last two years, we’ve seen an 18% increase in the number of projects recruiting for this area,” says Kleber Bonancio, senior associate manager at Talenses, an executive search firm that has specialized in carbon market hires for six years. “The number reflects growing interest in the topic in Brazil, especially after progress on regulated market discussions and projections of sector contributions.”

Mr. Bonancio notes that the positive outlook is heating up the job market and prompting more companies to form dedicated teams. “Hiring is happening mainly in the energy sector—both renewables and oil and gas—along with agribusiness, chemicals, and manufacturing,” he explains. However, as the market is still emerging, companies will likely face difficulties filling roles due to a shortage of qualified candidates. “That’s making the talent search extremely competitive and demanding CVs with strong technical skills,” he says.

This is the case of Maria Belen Losada, head of carbon products at Itaú Unibanco, who joined the bank in 2022. With more than two decades of experience in the treasury departments of global institutions such as BNP Paribas and Morgan Stanley, the São Paulo-based Argentine executive has spent the last three years immersed in the carbon market. She was recruited by Itaú’s HR team to take on the role. “My responsibilities include advising on carbon project generation, credit commercialization, and market advocacy,” says Ms. Losada, who holds a degree in economics and a specialization in sustainable finance from the University of Cambridge.

Among her notable achievements is the creation of a carbon credit trading and custody platform developed in partnership with eight international banks, including BNP, UBS, and BBVA. “The goal is to connect credit supply and demand across the banks’ client bases,” she explains.

Leading a team of four, Ms. Losada believes the sector in Brazil urgently needs more professionals. “The new accounting and reporting obligations for publicly traded companies, along with the growing need to plan for climate-related risks, will require specialized talent,” she says. “We’ll need professionals skilled in greenhouse gas emissions measurement, climate transition consulting, environmental and international law, and data science.”

At Bichara Advogados, partner Patrícia Mendanha Dias—who holds a master’s degree in environmental engineering—has worked with carbon-related cases for about a decade. “My legal practice has always focused on environmental matters, and I transitioned to the climate agenda because of its growing relevance and increasing client demand,” she explains.

Ms. Dias provides legal counsel on environmental issues and assists companies in structuring credit transactions, reviewing contracts, and monitoring sector-specific legislation.

With a team of five employees dedicated exclusively to carbon projects, she’s currently involved in initiatives in northern Brazil that bring together investors and riverside communities. “To do this work well, you need to be ready for constant change,” she says. “The sector’s regulations and project viability criteria are continually evolving. In this field, the ability to offer well-directed, proactive guidance is essential.”

Soraya Dias Pires, head of decarbonization at the Brazilian environmental solutions multinational Ambipar, emphasizes the need for both technical expertise and a strategic mindset. “In addition to being able to connect sustainability, economic viability, and business development,” says the agronomist, who was recruited by a headhunter in 2022.

Her background in innovation and deep understanding of the low-carbon economy helped open the door to the sector, says the executive, who previously served as business development manager at BP Bunge Bioenergia, in the sugar and ethanol industry. “I worked on structuring projects with both environmental and financial impact, linking environmental regeneration with a sustainable economy,” she explains.

Reporting directly to CEO Tércio Borlenghi Jr., Pires leads a 70-person team and oversees the certification and sale of carbon credits, the development of corporate decarbonization plans, and the application of geotechnologies for project monitoring. “Our mission is to make decarbonization accessible to companies by securing funding sources that make implementation feasible,” says Ms. Pires, who works on environmental conservation and restoration projects in states such as Amapá, Pará, and Rondônia. “What drives me is knowing that my work contributes to the global climate agenda and creates a legacy for future generations.”

*By Jacilio Saraiva — São Paulo

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/

Emissions must be priced even in activities in countries still lacking a regulated carbon market, like Brazil, executive says

06/20/2022


Charles Fernandes — Foto: Leo Pinheiro/Valor

Charles Fernandes — Foto: Leo Pinheiro/Valor

Companies that want commitments to sustainability need to start including the cost of carbon emissions in their operations, said Charles Fernandes, managing director and country chair for Brazil at TotalEnergies.

The executive believes that emissions must be priced, even in those activities in countries like Brazil that still lack a regulated carbon market.

“Every company with commitments to sustainability has to price in this matter. That way, it sends a message about which is the right direction for the capital,” he said.

Estimating costs associated with carbon in each project helps companies not to push to the back burner matters that may turn them less viable in the future, Mr. Fernandes said.

The French company’s executive also highlighted that pricing emissions forces every investment to be as efficient as possible.

“When we launch a project today, we estimate the price of carbon to evaluate if the initiative is still robust in a scenario in which emissions have a price. In our view, companies have the responsibility to start pricing in the vision that carbon will have a price five or 10 years from now. This way, investment decisions will be aligned to that,” he said.

The debate about voluntary and regulated CO2 markets is related to the transition to a low carbon economy in search of tackling climate changes.

The executive believes that the debate about taxing carbon will gain ground in Brazil in the next three years. “Brazil does not price emissions yet, but companies need to start setting a price for that,” he said.

Last month, the federal government published the decree that created a carbon market in Brazil. Mr. Fernandes said that it is still unclear when companies will start to effectively pay for emissions in the country. Yet, this is an “unavoidable” trend, he said.

“In Europe, there is already a market and, depending on the level of emissions, the company has to pay a given cost for the emissions, which changes according to the carbon price in the market. This is the trend in the world,” he said.

In the context of the energy transition, TotalEnergies defined that it will set aside 25% of global investments to renewable energies. Another slice of 25% will be injected into projects for the transition to a low-carbon economy, which is the case of liquefied natural gas projects.

As a result, the investments to maintain the current businesses in the oil and gas industry will receive only 50% of the total investments.

In Brazil, TotalEnergies currently produces 66,500 oil barrels a day and 2.5 million cubic meters of gas a day, data by the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP) show.

The low cost and the low rate of emissions of oil and gas produced in Brazil turn the country into a key region in the company’s portfolio, Mr. Fernandes said.

In the renewables segment, the company works through subsidiary Total Eren, which totals 300 megawatts in solar and wind generation assets in operation in the country.

The company has also shown interest in investing in offshore wind power generation and has a team tasked with studuying opportunities in this segment here. Brazil does not have offshore wind power projects, and regulations for the segment are still in the making.

“We are interested, and we count on regulation to be defined to move forward with that,” said Fernanda Scoponi, senior business developer at TotalEnergies, at an industry event this week in Rio.

*By Gabriela Ruddy — Rio de Janeiro

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/business