Winner of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2018, Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza (Photo: Studio Phenix)
The EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 concluded in spectacular fashion on the night of June 17 as Brazilian Rubens Menin Teixeira de Souza took home the coveted award. The chairman of the Belo Horizonte-based property developer MRB Engenharia received his award from EY global chair Mark Weinberger in a glittering awards event in the Monegasque capital of Monte Carlo.
Rubens was picked from among 761 program participants that included the 56 country winners from 46 countries and regions vying for the title in Monaco. Rubens becomes the first ever EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year winner from South America. “This award is very important for my country, for Brazil,” Rubens said in a press conference after the awards ceremony. “I'm 62 years old and I've been working for 40 years. It’s my time to help things get better in Brazil. My work is to make homes for people, and this is the most important for families. Shelter is a main thing to provide to the world, and an award like this one will help me do my work better.”
It was Ruben’s own experiences as a child that inspired him to co-found the company back in 1979 — home ownership was a huge challenge to so many, and he set out to change things for the better. It is now Latin America’s largest residential real estate developer and Brazil’s leading low-income housing builder, enabling countless Brazilian families to take their first step on the property ladder. It employs more than 24,000 people and has built over 300,000 properties. Currently, one in every 200 Brazilians lives in a property built by MRV.
For our full report on the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018, pick up the June 25 issue of Options.
