Norberto Odebrecht () (October 9, 1920 – July 19, 2014) was a Brazilian engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder of

Odebrecht Odebrecht S.A. (), officially known as Novonor, is a Brazilian conglomerate, headquartered in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, consisting of diversified businesses in the fields of engineering, construction, chemicals and petrochemicals. The company w ...

Early life

Norberto Odebrecht was born on October 9, 1920 in

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, Brazil. He was the son of the pioneer and a grandson of , a German geodetical engineer and

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, who emigrated to Brazil in 1856. He studied at the Polytechnic School of Bahia.

Career

Odebrecht founded a construction company from which the Odebrecht Group in

Salvador da Bahia Salvador (English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisine ...

was created in 1944. Today, the company has become an international

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

and employs more than 167,500 people in over 60 countries around the globe. In 1991, he passed the presidency of Odebrecht to his son

Emílio Odebrecht Odebrecht S.A. (), officially known as Novonor, is a Brazilian conglomerate (company), conglomerate, headquartered in Salvador, Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, consisting of diversified businesses in the fields of engineering, construction, chem ...

, and remained as chairman. Norberto Odebrecht's "thoughts" have been compiled in three volumes distributed to all employees of the group.

Philanthropy

Odebrecht was the founder of the Brazilian

Odebrecht Foundation The Odebrecht Foundation (Portuguese ''Fundação Odebrecht'') is a private Brazilian institution created in 1965. It was launched by Norberto Odebrecht, a Brazilian engineer and businessman, who in 1944 founded the Odebrecht company, in order to p ...

(

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: Fundação Odebrecht).

Death

Odebrecht died on 19 July 2014, aged 93, in

Salvador, Bahia Salvador (English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisine ...

References

Brazilian engineers Brazilian businesspeople 1920 births 2014 deaths Odebrecht family Brazilian people of German descent Brazilian billionaires {{Brazil-engineer-stub