Doctoral research analyzes impacts of ESG programs in Brazilian auto industry brasileira

In his dissertation, Ricardo Augusto Martins, a professional doctorate in administration student at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP), set out to measure the impacts of ESG programs in the Brazilian automotive industry.

In his corporate career, which spans more than 30 years, Ricardo has used a combination of theory and practice to analyze and measure the impacts of sustainability and ESG programs implemented by different companies. For this reason, he chose to look at these effects in the context of the Brazilian automotive industry in his doctoral research.

Ricardo is the managing director and vice president of the administrative division of Hyundai Motors in Central and South America, with responsibility for corporate affairs, government and institutional relations, ESG and sustainability, among other areas. His doctoral research encompasses automakers, the dealer network and the supply chain.

He says that the doctorate has been an opportunity to enhance his analytical skills. “Constant changes in corporate management models and my need for rapid improvement, especially focusing on the development of high-performance teams under my management, led me to invest in this doctoral program,” he said.

Read on to see the full interview with the student:

Your doctoral research is looking into the impacts of ESG programs in the Brazilian automotive industry. Could you tell us more about this?

The Brazilian automotive industry has been challenged to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas and carbon emissions through programs such as Inovarauto, Rota 2030 and, more recently, Mover. These programs bring with them the need to measure the impacts that not only cars, but also the entire automotive production chain, must achieve year after year, otherwise their production will be banned.

What are your research objectives?

The goal is to provide the Brazilian automotive industry with a tool that makes it possible to measure the impacts of ESG programs across their entire scope and enhance decision making on investments in more environmentally sustainable products that contribute to society and corporate governance. The research involves the Brazilian Automotive Quality Institute as a certification and evaluation organization for systems such as QS and ISO, to test and validate the tool. The research also involves automakers, the dealer network and the supply chain.

Could you tell us more about your doctoral dissertation?

The dissertation argues that ESG investments generate other corporate benefits, in addition to the potential financial returns sought by executives and stakeholders.

What insights has your research found?

So far, my research has revealed that 16 auto makers, six auto parts manufacturers and four dealer networks are all looking for a way to measure the impacts of their ESG programs and they are awaiting the results of this research and the details of the tool that will be offered.

What motivated you to explore this subject?

For more than 30 years, I have witnessed the need for this kind of thing. I have been working on sustainability programs aimed at reducing costs while yielding clear benefits for the environment, society and the governance of companies in the automotive sector.

Do you have any professional connections with the subject?

In my many years of experience, I have always focused on the need to analyze and measure the impacts of sustainability and ESG programs implemented by companies.

Why did you decide to do a doctorate?

Constant changes in corporate management models and my need for rapid improvement, especially focusing on the development of high-performance teams under my management, led me to invest in this doctoral program. The opportunity to increase my analytical capacity through the subjects taught in the doctoral program has exceeded my expectations.

This article is part of our Transformative Ideas series.

Also read: Transformative ideas: Study assesses better performance in climate risk management

To find out more about FGV EAESP’s Professional Doctorate in Administration Program, click here.