Apex extends benefits to the board and facilitates hiring abroad – 06/10/2023 – Politics

The Apex (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) has made several changes to its rules since the beginning of the Lula (PT) government, among other points, ending the need for a selection process for positions abroad. In addition to the headquarters in Brazil, the agency has nine offices in seven countries.

Before the change, the agency opened a public selection process to recruit people, in which interested parties applied and competed for the position based on the requirements for the vacancy. Salaries at these offices are paid in local currency. The lowest salary in Miami, in the United States, is US$ 3,623 per month (about R$ 17,000 at current exchange rates). The highest is US$ 10,704 per month (approximately R$ 52,000).

The agency also increased the benefits for the directors, with the body’s obligation to pay two tickets per month – one way and one return – for directors who do not live in Brasília to return home. Before, there was no such benefit.

The Apex board is made up of the president, former senator Jorge Viana (PT), and two directors, Ana Paula Repezza and Floriano Pesaro, who is close to vice president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB).

The Apex president’s salary is R$65,500 per month. Directors earn R$56,600 each.

Another decision allowed the board to adhere to Apex’s private pension plan, something that was previously restricted to the agency’s other employees. The plan has Apex contribution parity, which means that for every dollar put in by the client, the agency puts in the same amount. Another benefit of the plan is the administration fee, which is 0%.

Private pension plans are common in companies and work as an employee retention policy.

The information was obtained by Sheet based on the analysis of the nine resolutions enacted by the Apex Deliberative Council since the beginning of the year. The documents are available on the agency’s transparency page.

The Apex Deliberative Council is formed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, by four other representatives of the Executive from the Ministry of Agriculture, the MDIC, the special secretariat of the Investment Partnerships Program and the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social). In addition, there are four representatives from the private sector.

When contacted, the Apex stated that it “decided to improve hiring possibilities to recruit professionals in the labor market who better meet the needs of promoting Brazilian products and attracting investment abroad.”

According to the Apex, even without the selection process, those hired abroad must meet criteria: 1) postgraduate degree requirement; 2) fluency in English and the language of the country in which the firm operates; 3) knowledge of the market, environment and business culture in Brazil and in the country of assignment; 4) proven experience of five years in business or international relations; and 5) spotless reputation”.

Regarding the purchase of tickets, Apex said that the new norm follows what was done at Sebrae (Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Companies) in 2021.

“ApexBrasil was born within Sebrae and, as a non-profit civil association governed by private law, of collective interest and public utility, it follows the provisions and norms of the S System”, stated the entity.

“Since taking office, ApexBrasil’s new management has followed a rigorous austerity program, with a significant reduction in administrative travel,” he continued.

According to the agency, BRL 648,393 were spent on administrative travel in the first quarter of 2022 and BRL 104,052 in the same period this year.

In relation to private pension, the Apex advisor stated that “the decision is based on isonomy in offering benefits to the agency’s employees”.

“The reason they weren’t eligible for ApexPrev, even if they wanted to, was merely temporary. The statute that governs directors’ benefits predates the creation of ApexPrev itself,” he added. In this case, Apex also followed a Sebrae rule adopted in 2021.

To place Viana at the head of the agency, the Apex rules were changed to remove the requirement for proof of fluent English for the position.

This caused the Federal Court in the Federal District to annul Viana’s appointment through an injunction. The request for an injunction was made by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ). The court decision was later reversed and Viana returned to the post.

The former senator was appointed to the agency on January 3. The agency’s salaries are equivalent to those of Sebrae.

In the period at the head of the agency, Viana appointed allies to positions in the body: the architect Madson Willander Melo de Sá was appointed as advisor to the Business Directorate and the lawyer Antonio Siqueira e Silva Neto, as advisor to the presidency.

Melo de Sá was once a manager at a former senator’s company, while Silva Neto is Viana’s former partner. Information about the nominations was revealed by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

At the time, the Apex said in a note that the hiring was carried out in accordance with the legislation and in compliance with the regulatory requirements of the institution itself.

In addition to defending the changes made in the current administration, the Apex advisory attacked appointments to the body made during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

“In the recent past, professionals from outside the body of the agency were allocated to units abroad without having any experience related to ApexBrasil’s mission. This was the case of general Mauro Cid and doctor Ricardo Camarinha, in Miami. Both were hired by the government But that won’t happen anymore,” he said.