Usina Coruripe, one of the largest companies in the sugar-energy sector in Brazil, made a series of changes to its executive board this year. Among the changes, the company now has Rafael Venâncio de Oliveira as CFO, Toni Santos as Agricultural Director, and César Pimenta as Executive Supplier Manager, marking progress in the integration of units and the strengthening of strategic areas.
With over two decades of experience in finance, including four years as Planning and Investor Relations Manager at Coruripe, Rafael Venâncio took over as CFO with solid expertise in strategic planning, risk management, and governance. "My career at Coruripe has given me a deep understanding of corporate strategy and stakeholder engagement. This allows me to connect operational demands with market expectations, sustaining growth with discipline and a long-term vision," he states.
Among his priorities, Rafael highlights strengthening financial discipline, consolidating management controls, supporting strategic investments, and continuously improving risk management processes. "The finance department acts as an enabling agent for the strategic objectives defined in the corporate plan, ensuring efficient resource management aligned with capital discipline," Venâncio emphasizes.
More recently, Toni Santos, an agronomist and specialist in Agricultural Management in the Bioenergy Sector, joined Usina Coruripe's executive team as its new Agricultural Director. With over two decades of experience in the sugarcane industry and experience at major groups such as Raízen, BP Bunge Bioenergia, and Odebrecht Agroindustrial, Santos is tasked with strengthening the company's agricultural operations and preparing it for a new cycle of growth.
"Taking this position is a strategic decision with purpose. Coruripe has solid assets, agricultural potential with potential for further exploration, and growth targets. This is the ideal time to contribute my experience and, together with the team, shape the company's future in the sector," explains the executive. Among the established goals, Toni highlights restoring stability in sugarcane supply and restructuring harvest and transportation planning as short-term priorities. In the medium and long term, the focus will be on modernizing the operation with the use of technologies, expanding the production area, and training a high-performance technical team.
Toni Santos states that the success of his management will be measured by indicators such as productivity (TCH and TAH), agricultural cost per ton delivered, predictability in raw material delivery, and the development of the irrigated and technologically equipped area. "We don't just want to produce more. We want to produce better, with consistency and intelligence," summarizes Santos.
The recent organizational restructuring of the Coruripe Mill also brought important changes to the management of the Sugarcane Suppliers and Leases area. This entire area, previously subordinate to the Agricultural Directorate, now has its own structure, now led by César Pimenta, who takes over as the new Executive Supplier Manager. With the change, Pimenta now reports directly to the CEO.
This means that the management of the supplier portfolio for the Alagoas and Minas Gerais hubs is now integrated into the executive function. With 22 years of experience with the company and extensive dedication to agricultural planning and control, César Pimenta has in-depth knowledge of the challenges and potential of this area. According to him, the unified management brings significant operational gains. "With a unified corporate structure, we now operate with greater synergy, standardized processes, and aligned guidelines, allowing us to increase the level of efficiency and professionalism in managing the supplier area across the group," Pimenta emphasizes.
In practice, the priorities involve strengthening governance in supplier contracting and leasing, standardizing practices across units, and increasing predictability in commercial relationships. He also invests in the use of digital tools to ensure greater transparency, agility, and efficiency in management.
Strengthening relationships with suppliers, however, remains a central focus. "Coruripe is already recognized as a solid and reliable company. Now, we want to reinforce this trust with actions that solidify lasting partnerships and bring concrete results for everyone," he states.