Head for Brazil!

When talking about Brazil we usually think of an exotic country – a country of football, coffee, soap operas and wild monkeys. Although if you look deeper you’d see one of most rapidly developing markets, a country of entrepreneurs and great leaders. And it’s not for nothing that this year’s Executive MBA international assignment will take place in Brazil where the group of students had already left for this weekend. The students will see Brazil of all kinds: first of all they will have an opportunity to get acquainted with the Brazilian business environment and make a deep dive into the country’s culture and every day life.

One of the EMBA students, Dmitry Rubanenko, shared his thoughts about the trip with us.

What is Brazil assosiated with for you?

Brazil for me is about Amazon River and its selva jungle; about Sao Paulo with its skyscrappers, smog and Moscow-like intense life; about the postcard view over the Rio harbor from the Cristo Redentor hill; about the blocks of Rio de Janeiro I can remember from the Cidade de Deus movie…

What are your goals for the trip? What would you like to learn, try, and feel?

I have a feeling that Brazil and Russia should be similar in some respect, and I would like to figure out my own answer to the question, is Brazil the same as Russia but with the palm trees, or not. It will be very interesting to meet people who represent the Brazilian business community. Brazil and Russia have a lot in common regarding key industries for our economies: extractive industries, oil&gas, timber, and agriculture. Having some comparable industry expertise can become a prerequisite for creating industry alliances and stimulate mutual portfolio investments in a medium and long run.

We are happy also to present you the interview with Brazilian professor Aldemir Drummond who gave an introductory course on the Brazilian business environment and other specifics of the country to our students.