Viveo has decided to change its leadership as it begins to reap the rewards of the turnaround initiated in 2023. Effective January 15, 2026, André Clark , formerly of Siemens Energy, will assume the role of CEO, replacing Leonardo Byrro , who is leaving the position after nearly nine years at the helm of the company.
Clark's selection was made directly by the board of directors, chaired by Mario Sérgio Cunha Ribeiro, co-founder and partner at DNA Capital – the asset management firm is part of the controlling group and holds just over 37% of VVEO3 shares. With the help of headhunter Cidinha Fonseca, the directors evaluated the nominations and conducted the interviews – Byrro was also part of this process.
Clark, 54, built his career in highly complex industrial and infrastructure environments, with stints at Siemens Energy , Acciona, Votorantim Cimentos , Camargo Corrêa, and the consulting firm Booz Allen. The board members believe this profile is best suited for a cycle where the focus shifts to process execution and the pursuit of efficiency.
According to information obtained by NeoFeed , the transition is being treated as the conclusion of a cycle and not a management disruption. Byrro and the board had been discussing the succession since the beginning of this year. The perception was that the company was entering the right timing for a leadership change with the final phase of the recovery and deleveraging process.
Under Byrro's leadership, the company transformed from a hospital distributor into an integrated ecosystem, with over 25 acquisitions, an IPO in 2021, a follow-on offering in 2023, and a profound operational reorganization.
Starting in 2026, the manufacturer and distributor of materials and medicines for hospitals, clinics, and laboratories will be less focused on integrating acquisitions and reorganizing logistics, and more focused on efficiency, profitability, and capturing ROIC (return on invested capital).
The current CEO will remain with the company until the end of March, in a transition period alongside Clark. He will not move directly to the board. As the next board election will take place in April, this discussion has been left open and will be resolved after his departure from the day-to-day operations of the business.
Following Viveo's third-quarter results, it became clear that "this was the right time to revitalize management without disrupting the agenda." No changes to the company's C-level executives are planned at this time.
The leadership change will occur amidst improvements in a significant portion of the company's performance. In the third quarter, Viveo recorded a gross margin of 14.7%, the highest level since 2023; an adjusted EBITDA of R$ 172.9 million, up 13.1% from the same period of the previous year; and reversed losses with a net profit of R$ 226.9 million.
These results, reinforced by a positive internal expectation for the fourth quarter, help promote the transition in an "upward curve" moment - leverage was at 4.17 times at the end of September, a process that has been happening in recent quarters to reach 3.5x in June of next year and meet the covenant targets of its debt.
In a report published in early December, Santander reiterated its confidence in Viveo's operational recovery process. Analysts Caio Moscardini and Eyzo Lima raised their recommendation for Viveo from underperform (equivalent to sell) to neutral, emphasizing their belief that "the worst is over."
This year, VVEO3 stock has fallen 19.9%, while the Ibovespa index has risen 32%. Viveo has a market capitalization of R$ 520 million.
