While it is arguably one of the greatest cliché used today, the phrase “good things come to those who wait,” is often true in a lot of situations. It certainly applies to current Bradesco president, Luiz Carlos Trabuco. After working at the Brazilian bank for more than close to four decades, he was finally selected for the top seat in 2009. He has come close to taking the seat a decade prior, only for the board to choose the more experienced, Marcio Cypriano. Despite being offered numerous opportunities away from the bank, including an offer to become Brazil’s Finance Minister, Luiz Carlos Trabuco stayed loyal to Bradesco. Since taking over, his performance has exemplified why he waited his turn and why Bradesco did not risk waiting too long – the two are a perfect fit for each other.
Luiz Carlos Trabuco has been a great servant to the Bradesco brand. He joined the bank at the age of 18 and has not left since – he is currently aged 65. For his first two years at Bradesco, he served as a clerk at the bank’s Marilia branch. Still young, he then had the exciting but scary honor of being promoted to work at the bank’s head offices in Sao Paulo. From then on, he just blew up. He went on to serve as a department manager, executive vice president of Bradesco Seguros, and president of Bradesco Seguros before being named the bank’s president in 2009, aged 57. Today, even as president, he remains as committed to the bank as on the first day he walked in as an employee. In fact, he still pulls half-day shifts at the office every single day.
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However, the relationship between Bradesco and Luiz Carlos Trabuco has not just been one sided – the bank has also of great service to him. Bradesco gave him a start in the banking industry despite not having an academic background in banking-related field or any work experience. Additionally, during his journey rising up the ranks at the bank, he was assigned differing roles corresponding to the various facets of banking. Consequently, he matured into an all-round banker. Additionally, he also had the privilege of learning from some of the best bank executives the country has seen. That is, his three legendary predecessors: Amador Aguiar, Lazaro Brandao and Cypriano. The said, the greatest services Bradesco has granted him is trusting him. The bank trusted him with numerous positions of responsibility that many thought to be ahead of his years. The greatest, perhaps, being named the head of the bank’s biggest subsidiary, Bradesco Seguros in 2003.
Given how perfectly they fit, it is not unsurprising that Luiz Carlos Trabuco has had his mandate at Bradesco extended by two more years. With the mandatory retirement age for Bradesco’s employees previously set at 65, Luiz Carlos Trabuco was meant to retire in 2016. However, the bank’s shareholders deemed him too important to let go just yet and consequently voted in a proposal to extend the retirement age to 67. Even when he does retire, Luiz Carlos Trabuco will still retain his executive vice chair position on Bradesco’s board and will likely takeover when the older Brandao vacates the seat of chairman.
Both Bradesco and Luiz Carlos Trabuco have their roots in Marilia. The bank was founded there in 1943 while Luiz Carlos Trabuco was born there in 1951. Unsurprisingly, both Bradesco and Luiz Carlos Trabuco have over the years remained strongly involved in the small city they call home. In fact, Trabuco’s appreciation for his roots was in 2009 recognized by being granted the title of meritorious citizen of Marilia – his hometown.
