Usiminas’ Sérgio Leite talks about the importance of communication in the management

Usiminas’ CEO, Sergio Leite, was the special guest of the seventh meeting of the LiderCom group held by Aberje in 2018. Leite addressed the theme “The role of communication in the construction of the present and future of Usiminas”.

The group learned about Usiminas’ trajectory, from its creation in 1956, until it came to the unfolding of the crisis that began in 2015, when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. Sergio Leite – who took over the presidency of Usiminas in May 2016 – spoke about the results-building work and stated that “communication was extremely important for the company’s recovery.”

Leite talked about the importance of having communication as a strategic factor in the company. He also highlighted actions taken in this direction, such as changing the culture of relationship with stakeholders, routine visits to the media, resumption of proactive disclosure, and alignment with the company’s management efforts, among others. All of these initiatives have contributed, for example, to Usiminas’s reversal of the media favor scenario – shifting the focus of the conflict of interest coverage to recovery efforts – even in the face of crises such as the recent explosion of a steel gasometer in the city of Ipatinga-MG. Sergio also defended that “if the communication does not have the support of the CEO, it will not be effective”, and that is why the topic is on its priority list.

LiderCom is an exclusive forum of corporate communication leaders, created in 2016 by Aberje, with the aim of being a space for dialogue and relationship among members.