Today’s guest is the authentic Goiana Brunna Viana, who currently resides in São Paulo and works in the financial market, in the heart of the famous Avenida Faria Lima peninsula. From humble origins and lower middle class, Brunna emphasizes that nothing was easy: “I learned early on that discipline, courage, and persistence would be my greatest assets to transform my reality. My brother Eberth Viana, my mother Neuma Viana, and my stepfather Ezio Carneiro are my true pride and safe harbor, an essential part of who I am.”
Graduated in Business Administration and holding a postgraduate degree in Financial Markets from Yale University, Brunna combines over 15 years of practice in the financial market with a strategic vision that has given her assertive tools to connect agribusiness and capital markets in an innovative way.
Aryane Garcia – During your adolescence, did you ever imagine being in the position you are today?
BRUNNA – I was always ambitious, never limited myself to the obvious, and always believed in the impossible. I sacrificed much of my personal life for my career, and today I can say with conviction that I am where I always wanted to be.
AG – Still in your childhood, which artists influenced you who have now lost relevance with the digital revolution and the advent of the internet?
BRUNNA – Balão Mágico with Simony, Sandy & Junior, and Rouge (Brazilian Spice Girls).
AG – After years of learning, becoming a recognized professional in your field brings you work advantages to opine on other areas/companies in the segment?
BRUNNA – I still have a lot to learn—and that’s exactly what gives me strength to move forward. Over time, I realized that experience doesn’t just deliver technical security, but also the ability to navigate between different areas. Being close to so many agribusiness entrepreneurs and companies and financial market players has given me a broad view of business that goes beyond the limits of my own specialty. This allows me to contribute strategically in other fronts, seeing connections, opportunities, and risks that are often not visible to those who look only from within a single sector. It’s the combination of practical experience with the ability to integrate different worlds.
AG – Among your productive habits during the week, are there precepts you adapted and incorporated into your routine that you now advise to your other collaborators and younger colleagues?
BRUNNA – In addition to physical exercise, which I consider essential to maintain energy and mental clarity, I adapted to my routine one of the most important habits I carry: genuine networking.
I strongly believe in the power of connections, but not forced networking—true relationships, helping whenever possible, and bringing people together who can generate business and prosperity together.
I often say that my greatest pleasure is seeing my clients and the people around me grow, and being a link in that construction is something I practice daily and always encourage young people to cultivate as well.
AG – What is your overview of Brazil’s economic situation over the last 20, 10, and 5 years?
BRUNNA – Over the last 20 years, Brazil had a period of significant growth, but the last decade was practically lost, with stagnant GDP and fiscal deterioration. We persisted in an environment of legal uncertainty and excessive labor costs that deter investments. Even so, agribusiness consolidated itself as the engine of the economy, carrying the country and showing that, even in adverse scenarios, Brazil remains a land of opportunities.
AG – Among the various difficulties and opportunities you encountered throughout your career, being part of agribusiness, the most profitable sector in Brazil, helps you understand the country’s social situation? What are your plans to collaborate with the inclusion of youth and more women in the sector?
BRUNNA – I am passionate about agribusiness, and my role is to connect the countryside to Faria Lima, translating the financial market inside the farm gate. I want to expand the inclusion of young people and women in the sector because I believe diversity is synonymous with innovation and the future for Brazil.
AG – Your daily and active participation with agribusiness economic statistics delivers a variety of growth opportunities. In your opinion, how will agribusiness remain strong in the coming years—according to your field of expertise?
BRUNNA – Agribusiness moves Brazil and feeds the world. My role is to connect this sector to Faria Lima, ensuring that the financial market is a strategic partner in its growth.
AG – According to your experience, on a global level, does agribusiness face challenges in communicating to the world its importance in the impact on the entire production chain?
BRUNNA – Brazil has the capacity to feed the world with innovation and sustainability. Our challenge is to communicate this clearly and constructively, demystifying Brazilian agribusiness on the global stage.
AG – How to convince society that agribusiness is not primarily responsible for global warming? What news or headline needs to be debunked for having falsely harmed the sector?
BRUNNA – The debate on climate change brings enormous challenges to agribusiness. At the same time that livestock farming is affected by climate effects, the sector seeks ways to produce more with sustainability and environmental responsibility.
It is important to deconstruct the narrative that agribusiness is the villain of global warming; on the contrary, Brazil is already recognized worldwide for its leadership in sustainable solutions, such as the carbon market, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate new business opportunities.
Headlines reporting that ‘agribusiness is primarily responsible for global warming’ need to be refuted. This simplistic view ignores data, technological advances, and practices already incorporated by the sector, such as crop-livestock-forest integration, use of bioinputs, and pasture recovery. Agribusiness is not part of the problem; it is an essential part of the solution.
AG – Is the popularity of rural producers at risk, and what would be the reasons for the demonization of the ruralist composition?
BRUNNA – The rural producer should be seen as a hero, not a villain. There is no room for demonization in a sector that drives GDP, guarantees jobs, and puts food on Brazilian families’ tables.
Unfortunately, political or media narratives often distort reality and create a negative image of the ruralist, without recognizing their relevance to the country. Governments and society need to look at the producer with more caution and respect, understanding that it is from him that Brazil’s sustenance and the strength that projects us in the world come.
AG – What are the biggest names in Brazilian agribusiness that influenced your life, and which main ones in the world made you change your vision and dynamics to explore the path?
BRUNNA – In Brazil, I had the honor of being influenced by great names in agribusiness.
One of them was Gerhard Bohne (in memoriam), with whom I worked at Bayer CropScience. He was an extraordinary human being, with deep knowledge and who left an important legacy for the sector. Another important name is Edison Ticle (Edinho), CFO of Minerva Foods, one of the brightest executives in agribusiness. His strategic vision and ability to transform businesses are inspiring and motivate me to always seek more professionalism and forward-thinking.
In addition to them, I consider all my agribusiness clients and partners as influencers, who in their different phases teach me daily to see the strength and diversity of the sector.
On the international scene, I see leaders and producers who transformed not only the way of producing but also communicating agribusiness to the world. They are examples that inspire me to blaze my own trail, connecting Brazil to global trends with responsibility and innovation.
AG – The common thread of agribusiness success is the economy; do you think it is possible for Brazil to reduce purchasing power and go through an economic recession? How can Brazil shield itself from a food crisis?
BRUNNA – Yes, Brazil can face recession in agribusiness if there is no predictability and incentive. To avoid this and shield itself from a food crisis, we need to act on essential fronts:
- Stable agricultural policy – competitive rural credit, robust insurance, and legal security.
- Productive efficiency – ILPF, precision agriculture, and adaptation to climate change.
- Infrastructure – efficient logistics, storage near production, and reliable energy.
- Diversification – support for small producers, cooperatives, and local industrialization.
- International insertion – trade agreements, traceability, and certifications.
- Social network – income transfer programs, public purchases, and emergency response.
Without predictability, there is no production. With credit, logistics, and legal security, Brazil ensures affordable food and global leadership in food security.
AG – If you could create some social rules that favor the productive dynamics of agribusiness and the Brazilian people, what would your bill proposals be?
BRUNNA – I would create tax incentives and structured credit for agribusiness, always tied to innovation and sustainability. I would also prioritize investments in logistics and energy, bases for productivity. Nothing in the sector works through dilettantism—we need serious, long-term policies.
AG – Among the various attitudes that accelerate Brazil’s growth, what is the greatest contribution this generation can deliver that will impact the next 30 years?
BRUNNA – Without a doubt, the greatest contribution this generation can leave is the ability to act together, with empathy and collective responsibility. Thinking of the next person is no longer a choice; it is a matter of survival. We are all in the same boat, and we need to act today thinking about the future of our children, grandchildren, and the world we want to leave them.
AG – If you could choose a Brazilian city to live in until your last day, which one would it be and why?
BRUNNA – My heart is divided between Goiânia and São Paulo. Goiânia is where I find my roots, my history, and my essence. São Paulo is my career, intensity, and transformation. If I could choose, I would choose both—because, in truth, they are complementary and together they define Brunna Viana.
ARYANE GARCIA
Journalist