I have always trusted people and seen how far they can go when they reach their full potential. We are working to improve the quality of public education in Brazil because it is the best way of expanding everyone’s potential and, consequently, realizing the country’s full potential. At the same time, we are focused on developing young talent and leaders because we believe in the multiplying effect they can have.
Both of these objectives are at the core of our foundation’s motivation. They have the same underpinning principle and go hand-in-hand in our mission of transforming Brazil through educational excellence and the development of critical social sectors.
Before founding the Lemann Foundation, I believed that fulfilling my entrepreneurial calling was enough to repay Brazil for the opportunities it had afforded me. However, I came to the conclusion that I could go further, taking my big dreams beyond the corporate world. The Lemann Foundation is my way of doing more to give back to society. Even though its efforts are only a drop in the ocean of all that must be done to address Brazil’s current needs and challenges, I believe it will be a meaningful drop.
About our Founder
Jorge Paulo Lemann is a Swiss-Brazilian entrepreneur and the founder and chairman of the board of the Lemann Foundation. Mr. Lemann believes that people are the most important asset for either a company or a society and has brought this philosophy to life in all his business and philanthropic endeavors.
He is the one of the controlling shareholders of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Kraft-Heinz Company, and Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons) as well as co-founder and member of the Investment Committee of 3G Capital and LTS Investments.
Born in 1939 in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Lemann earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard in 1961. He was founder and Senior Partner of Banco Garantia and later became director of the Gillette Company, Lojas Americanas, and AmBev in Brazil. He served as Chairman of the Latin American Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange and a member of the DaimlerChrysler International Advisory Board.
Founded in 2002, the Lemann Foundation drives social change by guaranteeing access to high-quality public education for Brazilians of all backgrounds and supporting the development of leaders committed to the social transformation of Brazil.
