Rogerio Manso

Executive MBA 1990

For Executive MBA alumnus Rogerio Manso, the decision to pursue the NYU Stern Executive MBA in 1988 continues to have an impact on his professional and personal life. While studying in the program, Rogerio worked at Petrobras, Brazil’s largest company, and he became a director and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. In class, he found the concepts explored were immediately applicable to his work at Petrobras. “I would not go a single work day without using something I had learned during the Executive MBA program,” Rogerio said. “The things I learned made a difference in my work, from acquiring financial and communication skills to feeling more equipped with the tools to address challenges as a result.”

In 2007, Rogerio co-founded Brenco, a Brazilian Renewable Energy company, specializing in the production and distribution of ethanol. Since then, Brenco has invested US $1.25 billion in four greenfield ethanol plants in addition to agricultural and logistical infrastructure. Rogerio’s MBA studies contributed to successful management at the new company Brenco, just as they had at Petrobras. “The most significant impact the MBA had on my career is that it transformed me from a technically-oriented manager into one more concerned with the construction and functioning of a successful and efficient team,” Rogerio explained. “In a start-up like Brenco, this skill is fundamental, from the selection of collaborators, to the management of conflicts.”

After graduating from the Executive MBA program in 1990, Rogerio remained an active alumnus, meeting with colleagues from his study group every other year, a tradition that continues to this day. He recently spoke about his experiences at Brenco to a group of visiting Executive MBA students on a Global Study Tour to Brazil. Just this year, Brenco and ETH merged to create a single company with the intention of building the world’s largest sugar-cane ethanol producer. Rogerio is currently working on a new venture, leveraging his experience in the oil and bio energy industries, and still benefitting from the skills he acquired from his Executive MBA studies. “Would I make the decision to earn the MBA again?” he asks. “No doubt!”