Dalberto Adulis (current LEAD Brazil director) shares his thoughts:
"I had the opportunity to interact with the teacher for some years, especially during the Pronord seminars, a program allowing the disseminatation of the ideas and principles of great LEAD fellows who worked in northeastern Brazil.
Yesterday was a day very sad for the LEAD Community: Henrique Rattner, the first director of LEAD Brazil, passed the way.
Dalberto Adulis (current LEAD Brazil director) shares his thoughts:
"I had the opportunity to interact with the teacher for some years, especially during the Pronord seminars, a program allowing the disseminatation of the ideas and principles of great LEAD fellows who worked in northeastern Brazil.
Professor Rattner believed that upon replication, dissemination or adaptation of LEAD, it would be possible to strengthen the leadership that would be ahead of the development of the country. After nearly twenty years since the first class of LEAD, we see a community of more than 300 fellows, that despite all the diversity, share common values and principles. As much as sustainable development, leadership, systemic and dialogue are common words today, we know we learned in fact their true meaning through practice, which may have occured during leadership training programs such as LEAD.
Perhaps one of the great merits of Professor Rattner was to overcome the traditional boundaries of academia to promote innovative educational processes, based on reflection, exchange, dialogue and experiences, capable of transforming individuals, communities, organizations and society.
I'm sure that Henry planted seeds in each one of the Brazilian LEAD Fellows that will grow for many years."
Andres Falconer, LEAD Brazil Director 2001-2007:
"I had the honour of working alongside the 'Professor', as he was often called, for more than five years. His contribution to LEAD Brazil was defining. As the first Director and leader for seven years, he gave the direction and set the tone of a program that built an extraordinary network of leaders in the field of sustainable development. Rattner, or simply Henrique, as he always preferred, also set an entrepreneurial path for ABDL, LEAD Brazil's host organisation, at the time LEAD was simply a program of an international foundation. He first saw the potential for replication of this global program within continental and regional platforms. Thus, PROLIDES, a Latin American version of LEAD and PRONORD, in the Brazilian Northeast, were born. Following his retirement as head of ABDL and LEAD Brazil, for years he continued involved its new initiatives, and tirelessly worked toward further goals, such as his dream for a LEAD Program for the Amazon region. Not everyone agreed with his positions, which were always principled, solid and eloquently defended, but he was respected and admired by generations of his students and Fellows.
One aspect that most impressed me was the respect which he commanded among our most prestigious and high profile speakers at LEAD events – all invariably seemed to have been students of Professor Rattner. Much of the quality of the LEAD program, and its related initiatives was due to his enormous personal reputation. I speak only from my personal experience within ABDL, but it was clear that his influence spanned generations.
Years ago, for his 80th birthday, we organized a special event in his honour at the University of Sao Paulo, also coinciding with the launch of a new book. Between authorities and scholars, I addressed the audience as director of ABDL and LEAD. I remember saying that one of the most important things I learned when I joined LEAD was that my only chance of success in my new job was not to ever try stepping into the shoes of my remarkable predecessor. Having him as an adviser, supporter and friend was my greatest privilege. Although much has changed in the LEAD network, his legacy is permanent.
My nostalgia for Brazil only increases as I see that a part of the Brazil I knew is no longer there. I will miss the Professor."
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