O Reputation Feed published, in recent weeks, a series of interviews with leaders in the HR area of large companies. The conversations with Ricardo Burgos, from the Amil Group, Patricia Pugas, from Magazine Luiza, Marie Antoinette Russo, from TIM Brasil, and Marcia Costa, then at Aegea Sanitation*, resulted in rich content on the challenges organizations face in the face of transformations in work and society and on the impact of people management on the business's strategy and reputation.
Check out below a summary of the main points of the series' set of interviews People at the heart of the strategy, which delves into aspects of the survey “Senior leadership priorities for 2025”:
1. People challenges for strategy, culture and reputation
Executives agree that people are – and have always been – at the center of the strategy of major leaders and companies, and that employees are important for reputation, culture, and business. The difference now is that the challenges for people management have increased in the face of transformations, whether technological, behavioral, or related to new work models, among other issues. Companies need to know how to prepare people and what profile is needed for them to work in a world that is constantly changing.
“The company’s competitiveness and people’s engagement need to be maintained while they are prepared to face these transformations. It is at these times that there may be a misalignment between the perception of values, culture, engagement and business.”
Maria Antonietta Russo, Vice President of People, Culture and Organization at TIM Brasil
“Skills are becoming obsolete every two to three years. How do we deal with this within organizations? What profile do we want in a situation like this? How do I prepare these people? Today, more important than knowing, is knowing how to learn.”
Patrícia Pugas, Executive Director of People Management at Magazine Luiza
“In this contemporary, connected world, we need to keep our people absolutely up to date. In addition, time is increasingly limited. A trainee who completes an 18-month program, a young person aged 25–26, is already leading an asset and people at the age of 30. It is a challenge to keep the person up to date and able to respond to all market demands.”
Márcia Costa, then VP of People Management at Aegea
“I try to alleviate the anxiety people have about digital transformation. What functions will no longer exist? We don’t have that information. But the human factor will continue to be fundamental. In general, the process is necessary to maintain the company in the segment.”
Ricardo Burgos, VP of People and Security at Amil Group
2. Responsibility in building and preserving reputation
All employees must ensure that the company is well-regarded, say executives, with some emphasizing the responsibility of leadership. They also note the importance of a well-established culture as the basis for a positive perception of the organization.
“Reputation is the company’s and the person’s. These things are very intricate. Obviously, they are based on our culture. Everyone (are responsible for reputation). Leadership as an example, as an ambassador, as a representative of the role that is given to him, is someone fundamental.”
Marcia Costa
“(The responsibility is) of everyone. From the CEO to the apprentice. Each one has their own responsibility in creating, building the company's reputation, as well as (he can) damage the company’s reputation.”
Marie Antoinette Russo
“The main people responsible (by reputation) are the leaders. The role of leadership, especially in a decentralized company, is fundamental, because the company is materialized in that leader, as well as in the employee. The role of leadership is fundamental not only to maintain the essence of the culture; it is reflected in the reputation itself.”
Patricia Pugas
“The result of a company’s brand is the result of the daily behavior of all of us; we represent the brand. The way we behave, how we work and deliver the mission will be reflected in the brand.”
Ricardo Burgos
3. People management that builds and strengthens reputation
According to executives, companies that promote the development of their employees and provide an environment aligned with the organization's values, culture and business strategy engage and build their reputation in a positive way. This is a reputation that is forged from the inside out. Today, companies are also beginning to encourage their employees to understand their individual role in their careers.
“If we are not well, we cannot take care of our teams, customers, patients. The importance of the employee and how they deliver care is fundamental (for reputation). It is a very present agenda with indicators. We have well-defined policies, expectations of conduct, of attitude, because this impacts the reputation, the way we deliver care.
Ricardo Burgos
“The best way to know what a company is is to ask the people inside. That’s how (the look at people) is reflected in reputation. (…)
A company's reputation is only built through the people who work there. And the responsibility of the people management area to ensure that this works well is fundamental. It involves a specific focus on leadership, on their development, and the work of bringing all these people together. onbording to make it happen. Strengthening culture and communication. And, in the end, lending people’s perspective to strategic discussions and, through this perspective, highlighting what is needed to have a better environment, a happier company. Only then will we have a better perceived company, and therefore, a stronger reputation.”
Patricia Pugas
“When I say that we are an innovative company, it also means a company with an inclusive culture, with a culture of tolerance for mistakes and that provides a environment where people can express their thoughts. An environment that offers these types of characteristics and values impacts on increasing the quality perceived by the customer of the value of the product and the brand. And, if a value is declared, everything has to respect it. This also means a system of rules, policies and processes that are very clear, well communicated, in which everyone knows what is and what is not allowed and what is valued.”
Marie Antoinette Russo
“Leadership, culture and reputation are intertwined. If you don’t pay attention to the development of your leadership, the culture becomes fragile and the reputation can be impacted. Reputation is a reflection of this well-executed culture and only exists because, behind it, there is a leadership that makes it exist. (…) When we talk about a strong culture, we are talking about processes, governance systems, rituals that help to establish this culture. And attitude. We invest in an evaluation system that assesses all our people in relation to these behaviors. This is value in the company.”
Marcia Costa
4. Action against risks and reputational crises
Education and training, especially for leaders, and strengthening the company's culture are two of the main strategies for managing people to reduce reputational risks, say executives. Companies also have strong processes for mitigating reputational risks and crises established in their Communications and Institutional areas. Everyone agrees on the strategic role of reputation for the business.
“The main risk to our reputation is practices that are not aligned with what we promote and defend. Anything that deviates from this, from a practical point of view, (coming from) Any of our employees, especially our leaders, is a reputational risk. Our biggest concern, or rather, our job, is to ensure that our people are fully aligned with our values, beliefs, practices and causes so that there is no such dissociation.”
Patricia Pugas
“There is no reputation without reputational risk. Even with policies, processes, initiatives, a person’s behavior is enough to generate reputational risk. But having built a consistent path shows how solid and coherent your agenda is.”
Marie Antoinette Russo
“When you think about risk in the healthcare sector, there are risks of all kinds. There are many offenders that a people culture is not enough to prevent. You need a strong compliance program, a robust supply program, close and active management. And you need a lot of retraining of your staff.”
Ricardo Burgos
“As we are a very exposed business (climate change), there is a very strong operational vision in this aspect. What do we do at this time? We seek to act within our institutional vision. We use all of our communication and institutional strengths and, more than that, our operational presence, which is what guarantees, in fact, that things can be resolved.”
Marcia Costa
* Márcia Costa gave the interview for the series while she was Vice President of People Management at Aegea, a position she held until June 2025.
. Click to read or revisit the full interviews from the People at the Center of Management series, with Márcia Costa, then VP of People Management at Aegea, Ricardo Burgos, VP of People and Security at Amil Group, Patricia Pugas, Executive Director of People Management at Magazine Luiza and Maria Antonietta Russo, Vice President of People, Culture and Organization at TIM Brasil
