Once the owner of Vilejack jeans factory and a school, Sergio Machado was the man who left it all to build a better shipping industry in Brazil. The president of Transpetro, Sergio Machado, was the president of the Ceará Industrial Center (CIC) just before entering politics in 1986. He disposed off all other business responsibilities to his children and became an exclusive lover of politics.

Son of Machado Bridge, Minister of Transportation and Public Works of João Goulart at the time of the military coup of 1964, Machado was 16 when he accompanied his father in exile in France. This was the time when his father taught him a great lesson; a lesson which stayed by Sergio all through his life, that power was transient. Sergio was wise enough to realize that power could never be stores forever. So he decided that as long as he holds power to do something, he will do all he can to make people’s lives better.

Machado achieved a milestone when his first ship Suezmax tanker was launched.

“I cried the whole world. It was not easy to get here. That’s what excites me to know that we are transforming lives, generate opportunities. That is the oxygen that feeds me.”

These were his marvelous words. The twinkle in his eyes was priceless.

When started in Transpetro, to meet the business, Sérgio Machado traveled the world visiting shipyards, mainly in Asia. He is described by officials as a workaholic, enough to start meeting at 22 hours and would sleep five hours a night. Such was his passion towards his work. He was a visionary who is credited with the revival of Brazilian Naval Industry.