Mr. Barbosa is widely recognized as one of the earliest and most successful banking executives to integrate environmentally and socially conscious practices into his leadership.
He is based in São Paulo, Brazil, where he serves as Chief Executive Officer of Abril S.A., one of Latin America’s largest and most influential media enterprises. Presently he is a member of Ayrton Senna Institute, a non-profit organization that researches and produces knowledge to improve the quality of education, and the Endeavor Enterprise Institute, an NGO that fosters entrepreneurship in Brazil. For 8 years, Barbosa was board member of Petrobrás.
He was previously President of the Board of Directors of Banco Santander Brasil, one of the largest banks in Brazil. His vision of a transparent financial market that supports societal aspirations led him to the presidency of the Brazilian Banks’ Association (FEBRABAN). He also served for 12 years as President of Banco Real /ABN Amro in Brazil, before it was acquired by Santander.
As president of Banco Real, Mr. Barbosa introduced a transformative sustainability initiative that included social and environmental risk analysis, ethical investment funding, microcredit operations, and a diversity programme, which led the Financial Times to name the bank Sustainable Bank of the Year in 2007. Mr. Barbosa’s initiative became the object of a study at Harvard and earned Banco Real other sustainability awards from the UN, the International Chamber of Commerce and The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum.
Mr. Barbosa continues to be recognized for his efforts to integrate philanthropic and sustainable practices into business models. In 2010 he was named Leader of Social Change by the Foundation for Social Change in partnership with the UN, and in July 2011, the UN Foundation announced he had joined its Board of Directors.
“Fábio Barbosa has a proven record of bringing together leaders in the Western hemisphere, the business community and the people of Brazil to focus on global problems,” said Ted Turner, Founder and Chairman of the UN Foundation’s Board of Directors.
