VILSON ANTONIO SIMON
ACC, MBA, MS
United States, Latin America & Brazil
BACKGROUND
Vilson Simon is an executive coach, strategic advisor, board director, entrepreneur, and former global executive with more than 35 years of leadership experience across the pharmaceutical, animal health, food, beverage, agriculture, and biotechnology sectors. Having led businesses and teams throughout the United States, Latin America, and Brazil while collaborating extensively with global organizations and multicultural leadership teams, he brings a unique cross-cultural perspective to leadership, organizational transformation, and human development.
Throughout his career, Vilson held senior executive positions with organizations including Merck Animal Health, Kerry Group, Chr. Hansen, Cargill Animal Nutrition, Perstorp, and Phibro Animal Health. He has led global growth initiatives, complex turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions, organizational redesigns, and cultural transformations across multiple industries and markets. Known for his ability to connect people, build trust, and align diverse stakeholders around a common vision, he believes that sustainable business performance begins with people.
Today, Vilson serves as Strategic Advisor to CresCere Treinamentos in Brazil and as a Board Member of Agrivalle and Rúmina, organizations helping shape the future of agriculture through innovation, sustainability, and artificial intelligence. He is also a founder and investor in several entrepreneurial ventures spanning food processing, agricultural technology, and specialty vegetable oils. His experience across multinational corporations, family-owned businesses, entrepreneurial startups, and governance roles provides a broad perspective on leadership at every stage of organizational growth.
As a coach, Vilson combines executive experience, strategic insight, and genuine curiosity about people. He helps leaders navigate complexity, strengthen self-awareness, and align personal values with professional impact. Increasingly, his work focuses on helping leaders and organizations navigate the intersection of artificial intelligence, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. Drawing from both business and human-centered perspectives, he helps clients cut through the noise surrounding AI, identify meaningful opportunities, and develop practical roadmaps that align technology, people, culture, and business objectives.
His coaching philosophy is rooted in servant leadership and in the belief that leadership is ultimately about enabling others to thrive. He is particularly passionate about helping organizations embrace innovation while preserving the human qualities that drive engagement, trust, collaboration, and long-term success.
Born in southern Brazil and now residing in Wisconsin, Vilson is a dual citizen of Brazil and the United States and is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. In 2011, he was awarded the Grand Croix Medal by the Brazilian Society of Veterinary Medicine, one of the profession’s highest honors, recognizing his contributions to leadership and the advancement of the industry.
Guided by his Christian faith, Vilson places family, integrity, service, and continuous learning at the center of his life. Married for more than twenty years and the proud father of two daughters and a son, he enjoys mentoring emerging leaders, gardening, traveling, and building meaningful relationships across cultures and generations.
His personal mission is simple: “Impacting communities and businesses by helping people thrive.”
