José Renato Ponte

Business leader, Engineer

José Renato Ponte is the CEO of Concessionária Porto Novo S/A. The company was granted a 15 year municipal concession in Rio de Janeiro, for refurbishing and providing all public services in a 5 million m2 neighbourhood, in Rio’s central area. The known Porto Maravilha project is part of the city’s Olympic agenda and comprises the rebuilding of all urban infrastructures such as water, sewage, drainage, gas, electricity and telecoms systems, as well as the demolition of the 5km Perimetral Viaduct and the construction of 8km of tunnels in the region. Additionally, the public services includes waste collection, paving and maintenance of streets , sidewalks, parks and gardens, public lighting and traffic control. Born in Recife, Brazil, in 1959, he graduated in Electrical Engineering from the Brasilia University, in 1983. He received his M.Sc. degree also in Electrical Engineering from the Santa Catarina Federal University, Brazil, in 1993, and a MBA diploma from the University of Warwick, UK, in 1998. From 1984 to 1996, José Ponte worked for Eletronorte, the power generation and transmission company in Northern Brazil, as a planning engineer. Still in 1996 he worked in the creation and structuring of ANEEL, the electricity sector regulatory agency. He joined CSN, a large integrated steel manufacturer, in 1998, as Energy Director, in charge of the implementation of the company’s power generation assets, among other duties. Between 2004 and 2007, he worked for BG Group, in the oil & gas sector, as Corporate Affairs Director for Latin America, with activities in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and Bolivia. In 2007 he joined Consórcio Estreito Energia, as the CEO, responsible for the implementation of Estreito 1087 MW hydro power plant project, completed in mid 2011, when he finally moved to his current position.

Rio de Janeiro city and its people. Refurbishing Rio's central area. Helping to change our people's lifes for the better.

As a distance follower of TED events, I'm really excited with the opportuny to participate in my first live Conference, which will be held just in my home town. This is simply great. I'm also proud to have my company as a main sponsor.