Ricardo Semler (born 1959) is the chief executive officer and majority owner of Semco Partners, a Brazilian company best known for its radical form of industrial democracy and corporate re-engineering.
Time featured him in its Global 100 young leaders profile series published in 1994 while the World Economic Forum also nominated him.
Rather than see this happen, Antonio Semler resigned as CEO and vested majority ownership in his son in 1980 when Ricardo was 21 years old.
[4] In the late 1980s, three engineers at Semco proposed setting up a Nucleus of Technological Innovation (NTI) to develop new businesses and product lines which Semler endorsed.
An assessment of Semler's business philosophy through phenomenological analysis (within the radical change of Semco's management style), led Bombała to conclude that it was an "...excellent exemplification of good leadership.
Performing multiple roles during the crisis gave workers greater knowledge of the operations and more suggestions on how to improve the business.
The company's units include: As Semco grew, Ricardo Semler received a great deal of recognition.
A high-profile committee appointed by CIO Magazine featuring Tom Peters, Jim Champy and Michael Hammer selected Semco as one of the most successfully re-engineered companies in the world.