Haroldo A. Antunes

Class of 2004

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1928, Haroldo attended Escola de Comercio school. After one year of military service, he began work as a salesman at Laboratorio Raul Leite at age 17.

He was promoted to accounts receivable manager and, in 1953, moved on to Grupo Andrade Gutierrez where he served as a board assistant and director of administration and finance.

The same year he married Arlette and the couple has raised three sons, Haroldo Jr., Alexandre and Hamilton.

At the time of his induction, he was co-owner of Embare Industrias Alimenticias S.A, a leading South American supplier of milk and one of the world’s top caramel producers. He cites the purchase of Embare as the most memorable moment in his career.

Throughout his career, Haroldo has been recognized for his dedication to Embare’s employees. Their benefits, unknown to many Brazilian workers, include private medical care, loans, life insurance, secondary education, profit sharing, retirement plans and social activities. For the children of his employees, Haroldo instituted free milk and school supplies.

In addition, the Arlette Antunes Children Center provides daycare and schooling for the region’s poorest children. He is also a partner of the Abrinq Foundation, a group dedicated to protecting the rights of Brazilian children.

His advice for success is: “Work, work, and when you think it is enough, work again. No business is built without hard work, it is the only way I know to succeed.”

In his spare time, Haroldo enjoys listening to classical music, reading, traveling and riding horses at his coffee and dairy farm.