What we do

We combine the best of specialized investment banking and strategy consulting.

CORPORATE ADVISORY

RESTRUCTURINGS

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

FUNDING

What we do

We combine the best of specialized investment banking and strategy consulting.

CORPORATE ADVISORY

RESTRUCTURINGS

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

FUNDING

Luiz Kaufmann

Experience

Luiz Kaufmann is Managing Partner of L. Kaufmann Consultores, an investment bank boutique specialized in turn-around and M&A projects, since 2000. Through L. Kaufmann Consultores, he conducted the operational and financial turn-around and sale of several companies, acting as interim CEO or interim Chairman of the Board. Main projects included:

- Vésper (telecom), acting as interim CEO, led the operational turn-around and debt restructuring of the company, followed by the sale of the company.
- Primesys (telecom), acting as interim CEO, led the operational turn-around followed by the sale of the company.
- Prada (steel packaging) – acting as interim CEO, led the operational turn-around followed by the change of control of the company.
- Santelisa Vale (sugar & alcohol) – acting as interim Chairman of the Board coordinated the operational turn-around, debt restructuring and M&A process which led to the change of control of the company.
- Kroton Educacional (education) – acting as CEO led the turn-around of the company, acquisitions and the PMI (post-merger integration) processes.
- El Tejar (agricultural production) – Acting as CEO and Chairman of the holding company has conducted a major operational and financial restructuring of the business.

He was President and CEO of Medial Saúde from April 2006 to August 2008. He joined Medial, as its first independent Board Member in 2001, and took over as CEO in April 2006 to take the company public (first company in the health care sector in Brazil to go public).

He was a partner at GP Investimentos, a Brazilian private equity management company from 1999 to 2001.

Luiz Kaufmann was President and Chief Executive Officer of Aracruz Celulose (the world’s largest producer of eucalyptus pulp at that time, and the first Brazilian company to be traded at NYSE with ADRs Level III), from November 1993 to April 1998.

He was a Member of the Board and Executive Vice President of Petropar, a holding company active in petrochemicals and plastics transformation, from November 1990 to October 1993.

He was Chief Executive Officer of the Multiplic Group and Vice President of the Board of Directors of Banco Multiplic S.A. (later acquired by Lloyds Bank plc) from January 1985 to December 1990.

He was Managing Director of Arthur D. Little do Brasil and Vice President of Arthur D. Little International Inc., from 1977 to 1984.

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the following companies: Paccar Inc. and Pioneer Hi-Bred International in the USA; and Gol Brazilian Airlines, Vivo, Providencia Industria e Comercio, Petropar, Banco Multiplic, Lojas Americanas, Americanas.Com, All and São Carlos in Brazil.

He was a member of the following Advisory Boards: Endless Mobile in the USA and Nubank and Banco Modal in Brazil.

Restructurings

VÉSPER

As interim CEO led the turn around and sale of the company.

PRYMESIS

As interim CEO led the turn around and sale of the company.

PRADA

As interim CEO led the turn around and change of control of the company.

SANTELISA VALE

As interim Chairman led the operational turnaround, financial restructuring and sale of control of the company.

KROTON

Led the turn around of the company, the acquisitions and post merger integration of the acquired companies.

EL TEJAR

As CEO of the holding company led the operational and financial turn around and the sale of the assets in several South American countries.

CEO or Chairman

MEDIAL SAUDE

Was the first independent Board Member of the company in 2001. As CEO took the company public in 2016.

ARACRUZ CELULOSE

Was President and CEO of the first Brazilian company to be traded at the New York exchange.

GRUPO MULTIPLIC

Was CEO of the holding company and Vice Chairman of the bank (later sold to Lloyds Bank) from 1985 to 1990.

PETROPAR

Was Executive Vice President and a member of the Board from 1990 to 1993

ARTHUR D LITTLE

Was managing director of the Brazilian operation and Vice President of ADL International from 1987 to 1994.

AMERICANAS.COM

Was responsible for the start-up of the company and its first Chairman from 1999 to 2001.

Boards

2012 a 2018

Global leader in the manufacturing of heavy trucks.

1994 a 1999

Global leader in the production of agricultural seeds.

2004 a 2015

Larger airline in Brazil.

2005 a 2009

Larger mobile phone company in Brazil.

1999 a 2001

Large privatized railroad in Brazil.

1999 a 2001

Traditional retail chain in Brazil.

1999 a 2001

Real estate company in Brazil.

1990 a 1993

Polypropylene producer.

2008 a 2009

Plastics transformation company in Brazil.

Advisory Boards

Banco Modal

Investment bank in Brazil.

Endless

Technology start up in the USA.

NuBank

Financial services start up in Brazil.

M&A and Consulting

Previous Institutional Roles

IAMA

International Food and Agribusiness Management Association – Chairman 1998-1999

Egon Zehnder

Egon Zehnder International Global Corporate Governance Advisory Board

ABECEL

President of the Brazilian Association of Pulp Exporters

CEAPE-ES

Founder and first president of an ONG providing credit to micro entrepreneurs

Cases

Vesper

Operational and financial restructuring Vésper was a telecommunications company with operations in 17 states, 185 cities in Brazil, covering 130 million POPs. Vésper operated the largest wireless CDMA network in South America, covering 80 cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants. The company provided a wide range of telecommunications services for the corporate and consumer markets.…

Sequoia

Fund raising for a start-up GRUPO SEQUÓIA SOLUÇÕES LOGÍSTICA, was created in June 2010, by two experienced executives to provide integrated logistic solutions – fullfilment and distribution – mainly for e-commerce companies. COMPLETA LOGÍSTICA INTELIGENTE offers flexible fullfilment solutions – including receiving, warehousing, picking, packing and billing, – with service levels based on the specific…

Santelisa Vale

Financial & Operational Restructuring and Sale of Control L.KAUFMANN conducted the financial & operational restructuring of Santelisa Vale, followed by sale of control of the company, acting as interim Chairman of the Board. In 2009, Santelisa Vale, the second largest producer of sugar & alcohol in Brazil, with 8 crushing plants and 18 million/tons year…

Petropar

Strategic and Business Portfolio Restructuring Petropar (now EVORA) was a public company, with strong family control, active in petrochemicals, transformation of polymers (nonwovens, packaging, fibers and fabrics), fertilizers and some agricultural activities. Kaufmann joined Petropar in 1990, as the Senior member of the Office of the President, with a mission to: improve ROI by optimizing…

Medial

IPO and Consolidation In 2006 Medial was a conglomerate of healthcare businesses, including a healthcare plan with 1.5 million members, 11 hospitals, 50 clinics and a diagnostic chain. The role of L.Kaufmann was to take the company public and raise funds to support a consolidation strategy. Medial was the first company in the healthcare sector…

Kroton

Strategic and Operational Restructuring, Acquisition & Integration In 2009 KROTON wan an educational company in Brazil, with two business segments: (a) a post-secondary business with 39 campuses and almost 90,000 students and (b) a K-12 learning system with 720 associate schools serving 265,000 children. L KAUFMANN was retained by the controlling shareholders of KROTON to…

Aracruz

Strategic, Operational and Financial Restructuring Aracruz Celulose S.A. was the world’s leading producer of bleached eucalyptus market pulp, and the first Brazilian company to be traded with ADRs Level III at the NYSE. Mr. Kaufmann joined Aracruz as CEO in 1993, at a time that the company was highly leveraged and pulp prices were at…

El Tejar

Strategic, operational and financial restructuring and sale El Tejar was a leading producer of agricultural commodities in several South American countries, focused on the production and trading of soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat, sunflower and chia. Created in 1987, the company received over US$ 1 billion in equity and US$ 750 million in debt to become…