Carlos Souza
Professional Biography
Carlos is an experienced finance executive, with more than 20 years developing his career in multinational companies, like Mondelez Intl, where he successfully exceeds the objectives in diverse positions.
His strong technical knowledge combined with his strategic thinking and leadership has been instrumental in his ability to deliver superior results across multi categories, functions, and geographies.
Carlos is known as a trustable business partner and advisor, relentless searching for business issues understanding and alternative solutions to driving significant value creation and capture.
High ethics and values set his standard, while transparency, simplicity, and guidance captivate multi-functional teams to work at his side along his career. Carlos has built high-performance teams and talents that today play key leadership roles in Brazil and abroad.
Relevant accomplishments
Lead Category Defense Effort / 2015-2019 / CFO Mondelez Intl. Chocolates LA
Implementing a structural profitability defense effort for the Chocolate category in Brazil. Beyond the traditional focus on costs productivity, which generated savings of 6% p.a., the team was able to perform a category strategic revenue management, eliminating its derailleurs and non-growth investments, improving Net Revenues by 5% p.a., avoiding pricing in a portfolio with very high elasticity level.
The efficiencies allowed the company to offset the soaring cost inflation, securing the consumer price points while defending the business scale and profitability.
Support Strategic Sourcing Strategy Initiative / 2011-2014 / CFO Mondelez Intl. BU North/Northeast Brazil
Designing and recommending a new Beverages production footprint strategy that ends to deliver extra 3pp of gross margin. Cost competitiveness was optimized and jointly with the maximization of the tax benefits provided to the company a sustainable competitive advantage. Additionally, Carlos participated in the definition and implementation of the new agenda for the Supply Chain in Brazil.
Lead Beverages Business Turnaround / 2008-2010 / Category Finance Partner Mondelez Intl. (Kraft Foods) Brazil
During 2007/2008, the Beverages segment was suffering, with double digit decline in revenue, material market share loss and inability to price (high volume attrition). Carlos co-lead multi-functional team to perform business assessment and implement turnaround plan. By the end of 2008 beginning of 2009 the plan execution delivered solid category and shares recovery, improved profitability, via strategic pricing, superior product formulation, world class trade execution and outstanding consumer communication. A Strategic plan was built with strong innovation pipeline, creating perceived value to consumers and trade, which allowed the continuity of category growth.
Profile
Carlos is graduated in Business Administration at FAE Business School, with specialization in Finance at University of California – Berkeley.
He continues developing his capabilities and knowledge beyond on the job with modern-day articles, business cases and by direct contact with young professionals.
His passion is his family. Father of two girls, Carlos loves to spend quality time with them during weekends and holidays.