About

With operations in 14 countries across three continents, Porto Alegre-based Gerdau is one of the largest steel producers in Latin America and among the largest producers of specialty and long steel globally. Andre Brickmann Areno was appointed as Gerdau’s chief legal counsel in May 2016 following nearly a decade working in the company’s legal team. Areno’s appointment was announced shortly after a period of intense pressure descended on Gerdau, with negative headlines, falling stock and corruption investigations circling around the company. His ability to keep a cool head under these unfortunate circumstances led nominators to tip him as one of the country’s rising legal stars. In particular, he is praised for trying to inject a dose of pragmatism into the company’s operations by following a ‘business-as-usual’ approach, bringing much needed comfort to those around him.