Sávia Gavazza dos Santos

Project Manager , Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance, Brazil

Sávia Gavazza dos Santos is a Brazilian civil engineer, academic, and public official, currently serving as Advisor for the Ecological Transformation Plan in the Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance. In April 2025, she was elected President of the Board of Directors (Consad) of Banco do Nordeste (BNB), becoming the first woman to hold this position.

She holds a PhD in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Hydraulics and Sanitation from the University of São Paulo (USP) and completed postdoctoral research at Cornell University in the United States. She is a Full Professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and holds an associate status (status-only) appointment at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Her research and professional work focus on sustainable water management, sanitation, environmental protection, and the anaerobic treatment of wastewater and pollutants. At UFPE, she has taken on several leadership roles, including Vice-Director of the Institute of Petroleum and Energy Research and Coordinator of Institutional Partnerships.

Sávia mentors Pluvi Ambiental, a startup incubated at UFPE that builds on her scientific research to expand access to potable water through rainwater harvesting technologies. The startup has gained international recognition, receiving the Bayer Women Empowerment Award in 2023 and the BRICS Innovation Award in 2025.

Her recent appointment to lead the BNB board represents both a symbolic and practical milestone, reinforcing inclusion, regional development, and sustainable finance across Brazil’s Northeast.