The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce announced Martín Escobari as the American honoree of the 2023 Person of the Year Award.
For 51 years, the Chamber has honored as “Person of the Year” two prominent leaders, one from Brazil and one from the United States, who have been particularly instrumental in forging closer ties and enhancing the relationship between Brazil and the United States. The Brazilian Person of the Year for 2023 is Walter Schalka, President & CEO of Suzano S.A.
Martín Escobari is Co-President and Head of Latin America at General Atlantic. He also chairs the Global Investment Committee of General Atlantic.
Born in Bolivia, Mr. Escobari immigrated to Brazil and later moved to the United States. He began his career at the Boston Consulting Group in New York, later joining the private equity firm GP Investments. In 1999, he co-founded Submarino.com, a Brazilian online retailer, and held various positions, including Chief Financial Officer (2004-07). In 2007, he joined Advent International as General Director, leading the firm’s successful investment in CETIP, Brazil’s fixed income exchange.
In 2012, Mr. Escobari became General Director and Head of Latin America at General Atlantic, based in the firm’s São Paulo office. During his tenure in the region, General Atlantic supported Brazilian companies such as XP Inc., Arco, QuintoAndar, Hotmart, and Gympass, and continues to expand its operations in the region today. In January 2017, he was appointed Chairman of the Global Investment Committee of General Atlantic and moved to New York. In January 2020, he became Co-President of the firm, also serving on the Management and Portfolio Committees and overseeing value creation teams.
Mr. Escobari is a board member of General Atlantic portfolio companies Arco, dLocal, Grupo Axo, Incode, Sanfer, and XP Inc. He also serves on the boards of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Endeavor, and the Brazilian educational entity Primeira Chance. He is a member of the Brazil Advisory Group of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.
Mr. Escobari is co-author of Sucesso Made in Brasil, which addresses notable Brazilian companies that thrived during the turbulent 1990s, as well as articles in Harvard Business Review Latin America, Harvard Strategy and Innovation, and Sloan’s Business Strategy Review. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar.
Mr. Escobari’s nomination as Person of the Year 2023 was widely proposed by Chamber members and unanimously approved by the Board of Directors. The Board consists of a broad spectrum of leading Brazilian and American companies active in both countries.
“The Board’s selection of Mr. Escobari recognizes his prominent and influential role in driving growth and excellence at General Atlantic. His leadership and commitment to investing in and supporting entrepreneurship in Brazil, while being a leader in a global investment organization, have brought measurable and lasting change, factors that align with the values promoted by the Chamber,” the chamber said in a press release.
Mr. Escobari will be honored at the 2023 Person of the Year Award Gala, which will take place at The Glasshouse, in New York, on Wednesday, May 10. Over 1,000 leaders from the international business, financial, and diplomatic communities gather annually in New York at this traditional gala to pay tribute to the honorees.