Businessman has used his workforce to help people through social projects.
By Osvaldo Lyra
Co-founder of MRV Engenharia, founder of CNN Brasil and founder of Banco Inter, Minas Gerais businessman Rubens Menin has used his workforce to help people through projects and social work. For him, “philanthropy was very sharp” during this pandemic. “I really believe that philanthropy changes the world.” When talking about the priorities that the next president of the Republic should have in Brazil, Rubens Menin says that efforts must be made to unite the country. “We need to unite the nation. We have to have a nation project. Only then can we begin to change.” When assessing the housing deficit affecting Brazilians, the businessman says that the country needs to build 35 million homes for its population over the next 20 years. He checks out:
You are the co-founder of MRV Engenharia, founder of CNN Brasil, founder of Banco Inter and have used your workforce a lot to help people through projects and social work. How did you decide to dedicate yourself to the philanthropic cause?
In reality, it's the following, there is no exact date, no. I think philanthropy has been within us since we were born. And it happens little by little, it takes over… I say that philanthropy is like drugs, it’s addictive. I think that philanthropy was very heightened in this crisis that we are experiencing now, solidarity during the pandemic was very great. So it is going through a moment of great publicity in Brazil and around the world. I really believe that philanthropy changes the world, is changing the world and will change even more. So I think people don't realize how strong they are in being able to change the world, and very quickly, you know, Osvaldo? When everyone joins hands, when everyone helps a little, it's a huge strength. There's no point in having one person with a lot of help, but the strength of everyone's union together is unbeatable.
You are one of the founders of the Bem Maior movement, which has the mission of promoting philanthropy in Brazil. In addition to raising awareness, engaging and mobilizing resources, this movement and you supported several initiatives throughout the pandemic. How did you see and experience this period that we are going through today?
I respond in two ways. The first is this, I'm going to talk a little about the Greater Good movement. The Bem Maior movement emerged to be an instrument to convince people to donate more, and that this will be the great revolution in philanthropy in Brazil. Brazil is a country… Brazilian society is very good, very supportive, but it still has little habit of donating. Philanthropy in Brazil unfortunately still has very low numbers. It's just 0.2% of our GDP. Very little. In more developed countries like the United States it is 2% of GDP, in England 1.7%. So we want to increase this GDP value. To do this, people obviously have to make donations, but it is important that the entire population gets involved in this movement. Secondly, when we did Bem Maior, we knew that there are things that are urgent in Brazil, problems, unfortunately, and that these numbers are large. And we won't be able to solve everything, let's try, we can, at first, try to improve this. I thought, when we founded Bem Maior, that the most important thing would be a cash donation. The Greater Good is divided into two pillars. One is donations and projects: I give you the money and you do projects. They are doing wonderful projects, they have a series of projects that really make a difference in people's lives, they change them for the better. But today I am convinced that perhaps the second pillar, which is convincing society to donate, is the most important pillar for society. That's why I see that this type of discussion we are having now is very fruitful and we do it with great pleasure, because each step we climb is a victory that we achieve, it is a battle that we win . And a war is won with several battles. So let's convince society of the importance of philanthropy. This will make a difference.
Are Brazilians a generous people or do you believe that the pandemic has shown people to be more individualistic and selfish?
I think Brazilians are very generous, and have tried it several times. Brazilians are friendly, warm and supportive people. When I talk about philanthropy, it's because we need to bring philanthropy into the lives of Brazilians. It's just a matter of culture. But I have no doubt that Brazilians are very generous people.
In addition to philanthropy, you stand out as one of the biggest businesspeople in Brazil, with businesses in several areas. In the real estate market, for example, you were one of the founders of MRV, which became the largest developer in Latin America. How do you evaluate the real estate market in Brazil today?
Brazil is a country that offers many opportunities. It is a continental country, with more than 200 million inhabitants, with a lot to be done in this country. We are talking about housing. Housing is one of the pillars of the Brazilian economy. But there's a lot. I saw the case of Banco Inter, the digital bank. We opened 700 thousand accounts here in one day. In 10 days, the population of Portugal would be gone. In Brazil you have a lot of ground to cover, so I say that Brazil is a country of opportunities. And that's why I also think that in the same way that it provides opportunities, we have to return a little to society what Brazil gives us. To be fair. It is what is very fashionable today which is ESG, the three pillars: “environment” which is the environment, “social” which is social, and “governance” which is the company’s governance. So I think it's part of this ESG group for companies to take advantage of the fact that they have this chance in a country like Brazil, a country that will certainly be a rich nation, we hope that as quickly as possible, but that we will somehow can also give back a little to society.
Check out the full interview on the Jornal A Tarde website .
