Revista Veja Negócios held the first edition of the TOP30 – Best Companies in Brazil ranking, in partnership with Austin Rating, awarding companies from 30 sectors based on financial statements from 2022 to 2024. The event took place at Hotel Palácio Tangará in São Paulo, with Governor Tarcísio de Freitas in attendance. The awards recognized financial results, exemplary governance, and sustainable growth.
The award ceremony took place on Thursday, May 30, at Hotel Palácio Tangará in São Paulo, with the attendance of São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas. Austin Rating evaluated 10,000 companies individually, without consolidating economic groups, considering indicators such as net revenue, profit, operating margin, return on investment, and debt levels, based on financial statements from 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The ranking recognized one company per sector, including Inpasa (sugar and alcohol, CEO Éder Lopes), Três Tentos (agribusiness, CEO Luiz Dumoncel), Ambev (food and beverages, CEO Carlos Lisboa), Globo (communications, CEO João Roberto Marinho), WEG (machinery and equipment, CEO Alberto Yoshikazu Kuba), and Vale Metais Básicos (mining and cement, CEO Alfredo Santana). Sabesp (sanitation, CEO Carlos Piani) was among the awardees and a highlight in the governor's speech.
Tarcísio de Freitas opened the event emphasizing the state's role: “The role of the state is to try not to hinder the businessman. If we did that, we would already be doing well.” He compared running a business in Brazil to playing Pitfall on Atari, full of obstacles, and highlighted efforts to improve the business environment in São Paulo, such as reducing bureaucracy and digitalization, along with administrative reforms and fiscal control.
On the privatization of Sabesp, the governor cited advances: in one year, 480,000 potable water connections and 529,000 sewage connections were made, treating 5 billion more liters of sewage per month. Cities like Caieira, Franco da Rocha, and Francisco Morato went from 0% to nearly 60% sewage treatment, with universalization expected by 2029. In Guarulhos, treatment rose from 2% to 45% by year's end. The company's investments jumped from 5 billion to 11 billion reais annually, with plans for 16 billion and 35 billion contracted in works. This reduced the pollution stain in the Rio Tietê by 34 kilometers in one year.
The VEJA magazine issue hits newsstands starting Friday, May 31, featuring the champions, the best per sector, and a ranking of the country's 1,000 largest companies.