Roberto Rodrigues on growth
“This is very exciting time in a very exciting business. I love TNT and I love this excitement. We fight against time and against all these obstacles every second. It can’t get much more fun than that.”
“Seize the opportunity”
When you first encounter Roberto Rodrigues, you might find it difficult to imagine that he’s ever in a playful mood. A tall, lean and unassuming man, Rodrigues comes across as a rather serious business type. And that’s true. Market share figures and customer profiles are rarely far from his mind, and he’s never at a loss for words for explaining TNT’s strategy.
But sit down to a meal of authentic Brazilian churrasco and a couple of caipirinhas with Rodrigues and you’ll soon discover his more light-hearted side. In fact, once you spend a little time with Rodrigues, you might even say he approaches his work like a kid in a candy store. And you wouldn’t be far off. Rodrigues actually began his career working for Estrela, the leading chain of toy stores in Brazil—at the age of just 13, when the constitution allowed youngsters to get an early start on their careers. But that’s not the only reason for the comparison. Behind the serious exterior, Rodrigues, now 39, approaches every new challenge like a kid with a new toy, figuring out how it works, what each bell and whistle does—and how to have the most fun with it.
It’s the combination of hard-nosed business approach and spirited antics that made Rodrigues the perfect choice to lead TNT Express in Brazil. And while integrating Mercúrio has opened up a whole new box of fun for Rodrigues, he was enjoying himself even before the acquisition. He joined TNT in 1996, shortly after the Brazilian economy opened its doors to the rest of world. After 15 years at Estrela, he was ready to make a move, and a new role in an international company seemed like the right ticket. Though all his experience had been in a family-owned, product-driven, national company, Rodrigues’ thirst for a new challenge impressed TNT. There was only one real hurdle: Rodrigues spoke no English, a requirement for serving TNT’s international customer base. “The first thing the general manager said to me was ‘You have one year to learn to speak English,’” recalls Rodrigues, “I said, ‘I can do it.’” And he did.
Rodrigues attended English courses each evening after a full day’s work. It was difficult, but also exhilarating. “I have always been eager to learn and to try new things,” he says. “Whenever I’ve been presented with a new task or a problem to solve, I’ve always been open to finding solutions.”
That eagerness propelled Rodrigues along an ascending career path. After mastering a series of sales positions including customer service manager, regional sales manager and sales manager for São Paulo, he became national manager for sales. In October 2004, he was appointed general manager of the business in Brazil.
Today Rodrigues is concentrating on his latest challenge. “Now we have to seize the revenue opportunities, the market opportunities, the sheer size of the Brazilian market,” he says. Mercúrio brought some 35,000 customers, mostly users of domestic services, to the table and TNT brought about 5,000 customers, concentrated in the international segment. “Most of these companies have both domestic and international needs so we now offer them more than either company could independently.”
But Rodrigues sees the playing field as larger than just the combined customer portfolio. He believes TNT can have a positive influence on the development of the region’s express industry. “With our combined size and expertise, we can influence this market,” he says. “If we do the right things in the right way and at the right time, we can help these economies become more connected to each other and to the rest of the world.”
Rodrigues knows his job is not all fun and games, however. There are tough issues that must be dealt with. Like the need for high-level security on vehicles and in facilities in order to attract the high-value products coming into the country. And the need to provide leading-edge IT solutions that support Brazil’s specific customs and tax requirements. For these issues, Rodrigues’ serious side serves him well. He’s put in place serious initiatives to meet these demands.
“We now have all the tools we need to seize this market’s growth,” he says. “It won’t be easy. In fact, it will require a lot of hard work and a lot of energy and investment, but if we can strengthen our leading position here in Brazil, the rest of South America will be our playground.”