When Claudio Pracownik arrived at Flamengo in 2013, he found the club on the brink of collapse. A professional with extensive experience in the financial market, he held four vice-presidencies—Administration, Fla-Gávea, IT, and Secretariat—before taking over as Finance Minister in August 2015. At that point, as he himself puts it, Flamengo was a "patient who was still hospitalized and required care, but was no longer at risk of dying." From then on, after much work, it was time to strengthen Flamengo to prevent a relapse. And the objective was achieved: Pracownik leaves his position—it's worth remembering, an amateur and unpaid position—leaving the Mais Querido with organized cash flow, controlled liabilities, positive net equity, and a balance sheet boasting one record surplus after another.

 

"Today, most of our debt is public and is being paid off over the next few years. We are leaders in the Brazilian soccer market, and now Flamengo can pursue dominance in the Americas," the former executive celebrates.

 

A lawyer by training, Claudio Pracownik was a partner and CEO of Brasil Plural Banco Múltiplo SA and other financial companies within the group, a member of the Board of Directors of Terra Brasis Resseguros, a partner and CEO of Ágora Corretora and Banco Pactual, and Vice President of Finance at Empresas Brasif and Chief Operating Officer at Banco Santander Brasil, Banco Bozano-Simonsen, and Banco Meridional. Now, the Flamengo fan is embarking on a new challenge as CEO of Genial Investimentos.

 

"My partners invited me to take on this role at Genial Investimentos – our group's open investment platform. It's a market with many competitors, and our company is experiencing rapid growth. I was invited to accelerate this growth. It's a very exciting challenge, and for at least the next six months, I need to be very focused on this task. I'm excited, and even though I'm stepping down as vice president, I remain available to help the club whenever needed. As I've always said, Flamengo doesn't invite, it summons!" said Pracownik, who is somewhat sad to be leaving the club as a director, but also doesn't hide his joy at being "just" a fan again.

 

"I think it will be lighter (laughs). As much as we try to separate our professional obligations from our emotions, it's difficult to do so. Being able to support my beloved team again without the weight of positive and negative results directly interfering with my daily professional life will certainly be lighter. I'm happy to be able to rejoice, suffer, and vibrate with the lightness and pure passion of a fan again. My love for the club has always been the reason for everything, but I leave Flamengo with the feeling of having contributed my utmost effort to achieving the goals that unite 40 million fans. More than a sense of duty fulfilled, it was an honor to contribute to Flamengo. Now it's time to sit in the stands and cheer on the team and the colleagues who continue to help the Club reach its destination, which is the top of the podium in every competition it competes in," he concluded.