Business
"We Are Just One Person," Says Luiz Scavarda
The executive details how he shifted from a technical mindset to people-centric business leadership.
In an interview with Bruno Gimenes, Luiz Scavarda explains his transition from an engineering background to leadership centered on health and people management. The discussion covers his career at Shell, Whirlpool, Vale, and his tenure as president of Fundação Renova.
Luiz Scavarda, CEO and partner at Human SA, discussed shifting perspectives on leadership and integrating personal and professional life throughout his executive career during a conversation with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast.
In the video above, Scavarda shares how his analytical engineering background made way for a management model focused on people and corporate well-being, following years of leading operations at major corporations.
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Integrating the Individual and the Professional Role
Looking back at the beginning of his corporate career, Scavarda recalls how the market used to demand a strict separation between personal life and work responsibilities. He mentions receiving guidance from past leaders to switch personas depending on whether he was entering or leaving the office—a concept he always found unnatural.
Scavarda emphasizes that this divide does not reflect the reality of human behavior: "We are just one person. And within that evolution, right? We talk a lot about culture, right? Culture is not static. It changes and evolves according to conditions." For Scavarda, the more a corporate environment allows professionals to feel comfortable being themselves, the greater the positive impact on daily well-being and engagement.
A Journey Through Major Industries and Social Impact
Before taking charge of socio-environmental initiatives, Scavarda built his career across industrial and corporate operations. At Shell, he concluded his cycle working in the energy efficiency division about two decades ago. Later, at Whirlpool, he led the water business, and at Vale, he structured the Partilhar program, aimed at driving social impact in the mining company's host communities.
Scavarda explains that these steps led him naturally to Fundação Renova, where he joined as executive director of sustainability and later became president: "For me, it was so obvious that I was—what? Reaping what I had sown. I mean, ever since my time at Shell, I always concluded my journeys within the organization."
From Technical Sustainability to Mental Health Care
During his time at Fundação Renova, which began in January 2021 amid the ongoing pandemic, Scavarda realized that the core of his role lay not merely in the technical aspects of projects, but in developing and supporting teams under intense pressure.
This realization prompted Scavarda to pursue further education in healthcare at Einstein, combining his engineering background with studies in physical and mental health: "Learning firsthand that when a person feels good about themselves and within the organization, you achieve productivity." In 2024, Fundação Renova earned recognition through workplace quality-of-life programs and was featured among notable places to work.
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