Ricardo Semler

Semco Style, radical workplace democracy

Brazilian industrialist and CEO of Semco Partners, a São Paulo-based industrial conglomerate. He inherited the business in his twenties and dismantled its hierarchy, replacing it with self-management, transparent financials, and worker-controlled schedules — a model he termed Semco Style. His books 'Maverick!' and 'The Seven Day Weekend' codified the approach and influenced organisational design globally.