G – Corporate Governance

Governance structure

The Concepción Group is one of Paraguay’s leading meat exporters. Frigorífico Concepción, which is also the company headquarters and main unit, located in Concepción, Paraguay, is the umbrella under which its other units operate, not only in Paraguay but also in Bolivia (BFC) and in Brazil, where it operates as BMG Foods, a subsidiary of BFC USA LLC. Purchased in 2022, BMG Foods expanded the group’s operations with meat packers units, as well as beef and pork distributors. Know more about the consolidated structure of the group below:

 

Consolidated Group

According to its Bylaws, the group’s Corporate Governance is led by the Board of Directors, comprised of at least three and no more than nine members, up to two of whom may be independent. Members are elected at an Ordinary Shareholders Meeting for two-year terms and may be reelected. The company is a privately held corporation with limited liability.

Currently the BoD has seven members, one of them independent.

Jair Antônio de Lima

Mr. de Lima is the founder and controlling shareholder of Frigorifico Concepcion and has been the Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2010. Mr. de Lima has over 40 years of experience in the meat industry. In 1986, he oversaw wholesale and retail sales at Frivale-Frigorífico Vale do Ivinhema Ltda before  commencing his specialization in the meatpacking and trading sector in Dourados, Brazil in 1987. Between 1987 and 1990, Mr. de Lima oversaw the opening of operations at several refrigeration plants in various Brazilian cities, and he later expanded his business outside of Brazil in founding Frigorifico Concepcion in Paraguay in 1997. In 2010, Mr. De Lima assumed his current role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Frigorifico Concepcion. Mr. de Lima holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Santana São Paulo in Brazil.

Pedro Cassildo Pascutti

Mr. Pascutti is Chief Operating Officer of Frigorifico Concepcion. He was promoted to his current position from Vice President in 2019, prior to which he served as General Manager for over six years. He has been with Frigorifico Concepcion since its founding in 1997. Mr. Pascutti has 24 years of experience in the meat packaging and marketing industry, primarily operating in Brazil. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Pascutti was a professor of accounting and mathematics at the Fernando Correa Da Costa State School in Amambai, Brazil. He has a degree in Accounting Sciences from UNESPAR University-Paranavaí Campus, a degree in Auditing from Don Bosco University (Campo Grande -MS) and an MBA from Getulio Vargas University (Maringá), both in Brazil. He also holds an MBA from the American University of Paraguay.

Marcos André Hermann

Mr. Hermann is Chief Executive Officer of Frigorifico Concepción. He has been working at Frigorifico Concepción for the past 17 years, and has over 23 years of experience in the meatpacking and trading industry as well as in commercial management, obtaining experience while working for several meat packing and trading companies in the Brazilian market. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción – Sede Concepción and an MBA from the American University of Paraguay.

Corina Elizabeth Meza Salomoni de Alarcón

Ms. Meza Salomoni de Alarcón serves as Chief Administrative Officer of Frigorifico Concepción and has been with the Company for 11 years. She has extensive professional experience with corporate accounting, where she has specialized in accounting, taxes, external audits, and corporate administrative practices for over 20 years. She has professional experience in both the financial sector and in the meatpacking industry. She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

Adao Afonso Pereira Da Cruz

Mr. Pereira Da Cruz serves as Director and Administrative Manager of Frigorifico Concepción’s main production plant. He has extensive knowledge and experience in the meatpacking and trade industry, primarily in the areas of logistics and production. Mr. Pereira Da Cruz also has extensive experience with billing, inventory and administrative procedures. He has been with the Company for 16 years.

Renan Prado Duran de Lima

Mr. Renan Prado Duran de Lima is Chief Commercial Officer of Frigorifico Concepción. He has extensive knowledge and experience in commercial trading, especially on beef trade from South America to Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. He is the founder and owner of Mundaka Trading Unipessoal Lda., a commercial trading company based in Portugal. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad at Pontifícia Universidade Católica, São Paulo, Brazil.

Jorge Daniel Usandivaras

Mr. Usandivaras is Chief Financial Officer at Frigorifico Concepción. He is the founding partner of Verbank Securities, a Paraguay-based brokerage company. Mr. Usandivaras has been a Managing Director at JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank and Merrill Lynch, as well as a Senior Executive with Banco Itau. He Holds degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School of Government with a joint Master’s Degree in fiscal policy and international taxation.

Jose Carlos Mongelos

Commitment to Ethics

The Concepción Group safeguards its reputation and credibility through the ethical principles that guide its activities. The group created a Compliance Department to help maintain its image of a solid and reliable organization among customers, third parties, shareholders, employees, and society in general. This area is responsible for promoting ethics and integrity, and for fostering measures to fight corruption, fraud, and money-laundering, among others. 

This  topic is addressed at the executive level, and by the Board of Directors’ supporting committees, such as Ethics and Compliance, and Internal Audits (see further details).

The Group’s Code of Conduct is available here.

 

Supporting Committees

The Internal Auditing, Ethics and Compliance, and Sustainability Committees support the BoD and help create an environment of cooperation and control of those material topics to the Group. These forums are comprised of Board members and company executives, and aim to further debates and contribute to a good decision-making structure to meet its ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals. 

These committees may solicit the advice and opinions of consultants and experts on specific topics to help the decision-making process, reporting their activities directly to the Board of Directors.

 

Internal Audit Committee

Among the topics addressed are continuous improvement of the Group’s internal control systems, compliance with the legal standards that govern the accounting system, and the recommendations of the independent auditors.

Internal Audit Committee
Internal Audit Committee
Pedro Cassildo Pascutti Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee
Marcos Rotela Finance Department Manager and Secretary
José Quintana Internal Audit Manager – Vocal
Delia Britez Accounting Manager – Vocal
Corina Meza Member of the Board of Directors – Vocal

 

Ethics and Compliance Committee

Part of internal controls, this committee was created to monitor implementation and check the policies that are part of good governance, and Company’s alignment with the legislation of the various countries where we operate. One of its responsibilities is to foster measures to prevent money laundering.

Ethics and Compliance Committee
Ethics and Compliance Committee
Corina Meza Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Ethics Committee
Aníbal Gomez de la Fuente Legal –  Secretary
Marcos Hermann Member of the Board of Directors – Vocal
Jodair Pereira Human Resources Manager – Vocal
Fabíola Alderete C. Compliance Officer – Vocal

 

Sustainability Committee

Responsible for implementing mechanisms that support company leaders, allowing them to balance economic growth, social well-being, and responsible use of natural resources. It is also responsible for creating, implementing, analyzing, and monitoring the Sustainability Policy and strategy, ensuring that the company’s commercial operations are more sustainable in the short, medium, and long terms.

Sustainability Committee
Sustainability Committee
Renan Prado Duran de Lima Member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Sustainability Committee
Ana Moller Sustainability Manager and Secretary
Jane Dourado Quality Control Manager – Vocal
Aníbal Gomez de la Fuente Legal – Vocal
Marcos Hermann Member of the Board of Directors – Vocal

GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

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