Rodolfo Landim appointed as chairman of Brazil’s Petrobas

Brazil’s government has appointed former Petrobras executive Rodolfo Landim to chair the state-controlled oil producer’s board.

The appointment of businessman Luiz Rodolfo Landim Machado (pictured) as chairman of Petrobras by Brazil’s mines and energy ministry MME is seen as controversial by sources in the oil and gas industry.

Despite acknowledging his technical experience in the industry, many are concerned about his proximity to the federal government and possible governance issues.

Landim has a degree in civil engineering, and post-graduate degrees in petroleum engineering from Petrobras (1980) and the University of Alberta (1985), and in business administration from Harvard University (1994). He joined Petrobras in 1980, where he worked for 26 years and held several managerial positions in the exploration & production area.

Between 2000 and 2003, he was president of Gaspetro and, in the following three years, he led Petrobras Distribuidora (now called Vibra Energia).

After leaving Petrobras, he served as managing director of MMX Mineração e Metálicos (2006-2008), was founder and later CEO of OGX Petróleo e Gás Participações (now OGPAR, from 2008 to 2009) and CEO of OSX Brasil (2009-2010).

Between 2010 and 2020 he was chairman and CEO of Ouro Preto Óleo e Gás and since 2019 he has been the president of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, the soccer club with the highest market value in Brazil, with annual revenues of 950mn reais ($187mn). Landim is also known for his political alignment with president Jair Bolsonaro.