Board of directors
Thomas Cauchois, Chairman, 54 Mr. Cauchois is a founder of FondElec Capital Investors (“FondElecCI”) and has spent 12 years investing in global emerging markets and twenty-two years in the global advisory and finance areas. FondElecCI is an emerging markets private equity investment firm. Affiliates of FondElecCI were early participants in investing in privatizations from Russia to Latin America and successfully exiting, and managing about $150 million in direct investment capital from a wide variety of instSanta Anitations, corporations and governmental entities. Mr. Cauchois was on the Board of Cia Força e Luz Cataguazes-Leopoldina in Brazil, and is on the Boards of Chispa Dos Inc. in El Salvador, and NexTep in France. Prior to founding affiliates of FondElecCI, Mr. Cauchois was a Managing Director at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Mr. Cauchois has an S.M. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts InstSanta Anitate of Technology and an A.B. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Alicia Návar Noyola, Vice Chairman, 56 Mrs. Noyola's career has been centered on complex asset finance, including the energy and infrastructure sectors, working both in the U.S. and throughout Latin America. Prior to founding FondElecCI and having a management role with its affiliates, she was Vice President for Latin America Development for Calpine Corporation, an affiliate of Electrowatt Ltd., a Swiss multi-national, and earlier was a partner in the law firms of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges and Lillick and Charles. Mrs. Noyola received her J.D. from Hastings College of the University of California, and a B.A. degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alexandre Tadeu Nunes Kume, CEO, General Manager-Ethanol, Director, 43 Mr. Kume comes from a family that has been an active player in the Brazilian fuel market since early 1960’s, and he was instrumental in the development of the family’s businesses since 1984, when he became partner and director of Novoeste Com. Petroleo Ltda. The family business was for twelve years the second largest fuel retailer under the Ipiranga chain in Brazil, and currently the family has its own fuel distribution company (Novoeste), in addition to interests in fuel transportation. Mr. Kume is a board member of all the businesses of the family, and has been responsible for managing Canitar since thee family’s investment in Canitar in 2002. Mr. Kume has a degree in Economics from Unimar - Universidade de Marilia. Mr. Tadeu Kume is the brother of Mr. Ricardo Kume.
Jose Ricardo Nunes Kume, Vice President Operations, General Manager-Bio-Diesel, 41, Mr. Kume comes from a family that has been active in the fuel distribution market since the 60’s and most recently was the CEO of a fuel distributor. Mr. Kume has an accounting background at PW Coopers. Mr. Kume is a graduate of FEA-USP with an MBA from IBMEC. Mr. Ricardo Kume is the brother of Mr. Tadeu Kume.
João Eduardo Pesciotto de Carvalho, Vice President Finance, 28 Mr. Pesciotto grew up in the major sugar cane producing area of São Paulo state and has experience in this industry as well as seven years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategic consulting and operational management, Mr. Pesciotto started his financial career in the Investment Banking area of Banco Brascan, working in M&A and Capital Market transactions, and worked as a senior analyst for the Corporate Finance area of BNP ParBahias. He then founded an independent financial advisory boutique, and developed several successful projects in the M&A, strategic consulting, and project development (business planning, implementation and initial management). He is a Production Engineer graduate from the Escola Politécnica of the Universidade de São Paulo - Poli/USP.
Delmo Vilhena, Member of the Board of Directors, 53, Mr. Vilhena is a Brazilian national with a degree in business administration. He is an entrepreneur with thirty years of experience in the fuel, passenger transportation and trucking sectors. He has been involved in the last fifteen years in the supply of chemical and oil derivative products to large industrial consumers.
Mark Abrams, Member of the Board of Directors, 53, Mr. Abrams` 30 year investment banking career includes his responsibilities as Deutsche Bank’s Head of Brazil Investment Banking (1999 – 2001), Head of Brazil Corporate Finance for Bankers Trust (1990 – 1999), executive positions at Bear Stearns (1988-1990) and BankBoston where he began his career in the areas of Latin American Management Reporting and the Comptrollers Office. In 2001 Mark formed investment banking boutique, Integritas Partners, which merged with Stratus Investimentos, a Brazilian venture capital and advisory group in 2005. Currently Mr. Abrams is a senior advisor to Stratus and Sr. VP for International Development for Boys Hope Girls Hope a St. Louis based NGO that assists academically capable and motivated children-in-need in the US and Latin America. Mr. Abrams is a resident of Brazil. Mr. Abrams earned his MBA, with Honors, from the Garvin School of Management – Thunderbird in 1976 and a BA in Economics from the University of Connecticut in 1975.
Sanjay Pai. Member of the Board of Directors, 45 Mr. Pai has extensive experience in the areas of private placements, project finance, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and cross border transactions. He has worked extensively in Europe, Latin America, North America and South East Asia. Mr. Pai holds an MBA and is also fluent in Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. In 2005, Mr. Pai founded the Monetae Group Inc. a privately held corporate finance boutique based in New York City, specializing in private placements in middle market sectors in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and India. His vision for Monetae Group is to build upon his 20+ years experience in the financial industry worldwide to provide tailor made solutions to both private and publicly held mid-market companies, who are seeking expansion capital to build upon existing operations or to develop new lines of business. Through his career, Mr. Pai has developed extensive relationships with domestic and international hedge funds, private equity and mezzanine funds.
Alicia Návar Noyola, Vice Chairman, 56 Mrs. Noyola's career has been centered on complex asset finance, including the energy and infrastructure sectors, working both in the U.S. and throughout Latin America. Prior to founding FondElecCI and having a management role with its affiliates, she was Vice President for Latin America Development for Calpine Corporation, an affiliate of Electrowatt Ltd., a Swiss multi-national, and earlier was a partner in the law firms of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges and Lillick and Charles. Mrs. Noyola received her J.D. from Hastings College of the University of California, and a B.A. degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alexandre Tadeu Nunes Kume, CEO, General Manager-Ethanol, Director, 43 Mr. Kume comes from a family that has been an active player in the Brazilian fuel market since early 1960’s, and he was instrumental in the development of the family’s businesses since 1984, when he became partner and director of Novoeste Com. Petroleo Ltda. The family business was for twelve years the second largest fuel retailer under the Ipiranga chain in Brazil, and currently the family has its own fuel distribution company (Novoeste), in addition to interests in fuel transportation. Mr. Kume is a board member of all the businesses of the family, and has been responsible for managing Canitar since thee family’s investment in Canitar in 2002. Mr. Kume has a degree in Economics from Unimar - Universidade de Marilia. Mr. Tadeu Kume is the brother of Mr. Ricardo Kume.
Jose Ricardo Nunes Kume, Vice President Operations, General Manager-Bio-Diesel, 41, Mr. Kume comes from a family that has been active in the fuel distribution market since the 60’s and most recently was the CEO of a fuel distributor. Mr. Kume has an accounting background at PW Coopers. Mr. Kume is a graduate of FEA-USP with an MBA from IBMEC. Mr. Ricardo Kume is the brother of Mr. Tadeu Kume.
João Eduardo Pesciotto de Carvalho, Vice President Finance, 28 Mr. Pesciotto grew up in the major sugar cane producing area of São Paulo state and has experience in this industry as well as seven years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategic consulting and operational management, Mr. Pesciotto started his financial career in the Investment Banking area of Banco Brascan, working in M&A and Capital Market transactions, and worked as a senior analyst for the Corporate Finance area of BNP ParBahias. He then founded an independent financial advisory boutique, and developed several successful projects in the M&A, strategic consulting, and project development (business planning, implementation and initial management). He is a Production Engineer graduate from the Escola Politécnica of the Universidade de São Paulo - Poli/USP.
Delmo Vilhena, Member of the Board of Directors, 53, Mr. Vilhena is a Brazilian national with a degree in business administration. He is an entrepreneur with thirty years of experience in the fuel, passenger transportation and trucking sectors. He has been involved in the last fifteen years in the supply of chemical and oil derivative products to large industrial consumers.
Mark Abrams, Member of the Board of Directors, 53, Mr. Abrams` 30 year investment banking career includes his responsibilities as Deutsche Bank’s Head of Brazil Investment Banking (1999 – 2001), Head of Brazil Corporate Finance for Bankers Trust (1990 – 1999), executive positions at Bear Stearns (1988-1990) and BankBoston where he began his career in the areas of Latin American Management Reporting and the Comptrollers Office. In 2001 Mark formed investment banking boutique, Integritas Partners, which merged with Stratus Investimentos, a Brazilian venture capital and advisory group in 2005. Currently Mr. Abrams is a senior advisor to Stratus and Sr. VP for International Development for Boys Hope Girls Hope a St. Louis based NGO that assists academically capable and motivated children-in-need in the US and Latin America. Mr. Abrams is a resident of Brazil. Mr. Abrams earned his MBA, with Honors, from the Garvin School of Management – Thunderbird in 1976 and a BA in Economics from the University of Connecticut in 1975.
Sanjay Pai. Member of the Board of Directors, 45 Mr. Pai has extensive experience in the areas of private placements, project finance, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and cross border transactions. He has worked extensively in Europe, Latin America, North America and South East Asia. Mr. Pai holds an MBA and is also fluent in Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. In 2005, Mr. Pai founded the Monetae Group Inc. a privately held corporate finance boutique based in New York City, specializing in private placements in middle market sectors in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and India. His vision for Monetae Group is to build upon his 20+ years experience in the financial industry worldwide to provide tailor made solutions to both private and publicly held mid-market companies, who are seeking expansion capital to build upon existing operations or to develop new lines of business. Through his career, Mr. Pai has developed extensive relationships with domestic and international hedge funds, private equity and mezzanine funds.