Henrique Meirelles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henrique Meirelles
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Secretary of Finance and Planning of São Paulo | |
| In office 1 January 2019 – 1 April 2022 |
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| Governor | João Doria |
| Preceded by | Luiz Cláudio de Carvalho |
| Succeeded by | Tomás Bruginski de Paula |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 12 May 2016 – 6 April 2018 |
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| President | Michel Temer |
| Preceded by | Nelson Barbosa |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Guardia |
| President of the Central Bank | |
| In office 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2010 |
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| President | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Preceded by | Arminio Fraga |
| Succeeded by | Alexandre Tombini |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Henrique de Campos Meirelles
31 August 1945 Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil |
| Political party | UNIÃO (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse |
Eva Missine
(m. 2003) |
| Alma mater |
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| Signature |  |
Henrique de Campos Meirelles (born August 31, 1945) is a Brazilian manager and former government official. He has worked in important roles in both Brazilian and international finance. He was the president of the Central Bank of Brazil from 2003 to 2011. He also served as the Minister of Finance.
Meirelles was a candidate for president of Brazil in the 2018 elections. He is known for his work in managing the Brazilian economy.
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About Henrique Meirelles
Henrique Meirelles was born in Anápolis, Brazil. His father was a lawyer for a state bank, and his mother designed wedding dresses.
He moved to São Paulo to study civil engineering at the University of São Paulo. He graduated in 1972. In 1974, he earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
His career in banking started in 1974 at BankBoston. He worked there for 28 years, handling business in Brazil and other countries. In 1984, he became the president of BankBoston in Brazil. He held this position for 12 years.
Later, in 1996, Meirelles moved to Boston, USA. He became the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of BankBoston worldwide. In 1999, BankBoston merged with another company, and Meirelles became president of the new company's global banking division.
He retired from banking in 2002 and returned to Brazil.
Political Career
In 2002, Henrique Meirelles started his political career. He ran for a position as a congressman in the state of Goiás and was elected. He received the most votes in the state.
Because of his success and his strong connections in the international financial world, President Lula chose him to be the president of Brazil's Central Bank. This bank is very important for managing the country's money. In 2003, Meirelles left his role as congressman to take on this new job.
He led the Central Bank for eight years, throughout President Lula's time in office. He left the role in 2010. During his time, he was the first Central Bank president to also have the status of a State Secretary.
In 2011, President Dilma Rousseff invited Meirelles to join the Public Olympic Council. His job was to help coordinate all the investments for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He worked on this project until 2014.
In 2016, when Michel Temer became the interim president, Henrique Meirelles was named Minister of Finance. This role is like being the head of the country's money department. In 2018, he became a candidate for president of Brazil.
In 2022, Meirelles supported the presidential campaign of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Later that year, he was hired by a cryptocurrency company called Binance.
Leading the Central Bank
Henrique Meirelles was the longest-serving president of Brazil's Central Bank. He was in charge during a challenging time for the country's economy. When he started in 2003, inflation was high, and the country's money reserves were low.
His main goal was to control inflation and stabilize the economy. He worked to raise interest rates to slow down price increases. Even though some people wanted him to lower interest rates faster, he focused on keeping inflation under control.
During his time, Brazil saw a long period of economic growth. The country's economy grew steadily for more than five years. Inflation rates also decreased significantly. By the end of his time, Brazil's international money reserves had grown a lot. Experts say his work helped Brazil get through the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 without major problems.
Work at J&F Holding
After leaving the Central Bank, Meirelles was invited to lead the board of directors at J&F. This is a large company that owns several businesses, including JBS, which is one of the world's largest meat companies.
His job was to help make the company more professional and improve its decision-making. He also worked on plans for the company to grow both in Brazil and internationally.
One of the companies owned by J&F is Original Bank. Meirelles led a project to turn it into a fully digital bank, meaning it would operate online without physical branches.
Other Important Roles
Henrique Meirelles has held many other important positions:
- Chairman of J&F Investimentos.
- Board member of Lloyd's of London.
- Member of the board of directors of Azul Brazilian Airlines.
- Advisor at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- Chairman of the Society for Revitalization of the City of São Paulo.
- Founder and President of the Brazilian Association of Leasing Companies.
- President Emeritus of the Brazilian Association of International Banks.
- Director of the São Paulo Chamber of Commerce.
- Board member of several educational institutions.
Personal Life
Meirelles is known for being very dedicated to his work. He often works late and sleeps only about five hours a night. In the 1960s, he even took a course to learn race car driving skills.
Awards and Honors
- Brazilian of the Year in Economy – IstoÉ magazine.
- Best Central Banker of the Americas – The Banker magazine, London.
- Best Banker in Latin America of 2006.
- 2008 – Bravo Awards – Financier of the Year.
- 2008 – Emerging Market Awards – Best Central Banker for Latin America.
- 2010 – Personality of the Year – Prêmio Lide.
See also
In Spanish: Henrique Meirelles para niños
