CADE holds farewell ceremony for Superintendent General Alexandre Barreto

On 10 June, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) held a ceremony to pay tribute to Superintendent General Alexandre Barreto, marking the end of his almost nine-year career at the agency.

Mr Barreto is one of the long-serving civil servants in the institution’s recent history, acting as President of CADE from 2017 to 2021, and subsequently as General Superintendent for two consecutive terms. Over the years, he witnessed significant changes in competition policy, contributing to the agency’s institutional strengthening, modernisation of its processes, and improvement of its technical operations.

During the ceremony, authorities, civil servants, and representatives of the antitrust community highlighted key aspects of his tenure, such as the pursuit of efficiency, reduction of review times, promotion of innovation, emphasis on economic analysis, and ability to build teams committed to achieving results and fulfilling CADE’s institutional mission.

Recognition from the antitrust community

The event was attended by Maurício Bandeira, lawyer and former commissioner at CADE, Alexandre Cordeiro, the agency’s former president, Flávia Chiquito, director of the Brazilian Institute of Studies on Competition, Consumer Affairs and International Trade (IBRAC), Felipe Mundim, assistant superintendent, Lílian Severino, chief economist, and Diogo Thomson, interim president of CADE, among others.

During the ceremony, Mr Barreto's leadership qualities were highlighted, besides his commitment to technical excellence, constant pursuit of efficiency, and ability to achieve consensus on institutional goals.

Mr Maurício Bandeira emphasised his combination of technical expertise, public-spiritedness, and management skills. “Barreto combines, like few others, technical ability, sharp intelligence, insight of a great leader, and an incomparable human touch”, he stated. Similarly, Alexandre Cordeiro mentioned Mr Barreto’s contribution to CADE’s ongoing development. According to him, the

Superintendent helped to establish a culture of continuous improvement, based on responsibility, hard work, and respect for individuals.

Speaking on behalf of IBRAC, Ms Flávia Chiquito noted the progress made in the structure and organisation of the Office of the Superintendent General (SG), particularly in reducing processing times, modernising procedures, and building teams. In her view, his legacy is also reflected in the way he exercised his leadership “with seriousness, integrity, a sense of public duty, and the ability to bring people together around common goals”.

Assistant Superintendent Felipe Mundim made one of the most moving speeches, emphasising the importance of building a team committed to technical excellence that delivers results for society. Recalling personal moments from his time in office, he said that Alexandre Barreto was a “mentor and professor”, as well as a turning point in his professional career. Chief Economist Lílian Severino stressed the importance placed on economic analysis throughout his tenure, in addition to the increased cooperation between the SG and the Department of Economic Studies (DEE). According to her, the increasing incorporation of economic evidence helped to strengthen the technical quality of the agency’s decisions.

Furthermore, Interim President Diogo Thomson highlighted Barreto’s contribution to strengthening CADE as an institution, mentioning his achievements, such as the increased cooperation with other public authorities, the agency’s enhanced international profile, the budgetary autonomy, and the improvements to human resources management processes. “On behalf of myself and CADE, I would like to thank you for your dedication, leadership, and daily commitment over the past eight years”, he concluded.

While expressing his gratitude for the ceremony, Mr Barreto recalled his arrival at the agency and stated that the results achieved were the consequence of the collective efforts of CADE’s civil servants, managers, and employees. According to him, the principles that guided the work of the Office of the Superintendent General, such as the ongoing pursuit of efficiency, creation of value to society, and commitment to delivering ever-better results without compromising technical quality, were even more important than the targets achieved. “I am very pleased to look back and know that we have managed to lay a few bricks in the construction of Brazil’s competition policy”, he concluded.