Luciana Silveira – Boston Metal Brazil

Luciana Silveira is building something rare—something that doesn’t yet exist. As legal and compliance director for Boston Metal Brazil, she’s not just writing policies or checking boxes. She’s architecting a comprehensive legal, governance, and risk and compliance infrastructure from the ground up, with the precision of a seasoned lawyer and the perspective of a global change-maker.

Luciana Silveira | Boston Metal Brazil | Legal & Compliance Officer

“We’re in a pre-operational phase,” she says, “and it’s our job to create the foundation that will enable long-term success.”

As a 39-year-old young professional, Silveira is a Brazilian leading a global department for a U.S.-based company and is helping drive Boston Metal’s mission in Brazil at a critical time, not just for the company but for the planet.

Pioneering green steel with global impact

Founded in 2013 as a spinout from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston Metal is revolutionizing the metals industry with its patented Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE) technology. Boston Metal is pioneering the use of MOE to revolutionize two areas of the metals industry: green steel production and the recovery of high-value critical metals. In Brazil, the subsidiary Boston Metal do Brasil is applying MOE to sustainably extract valuable metals from mining waste and metallurgical slags — materials traditionally considered unusable. This electrochemical process uses electricity inside a specialized cell to selectively recover metals from complex, low-concentration feedstocks, offering a profitable and environmentally responsible alternative for the mining and metallurgy sectors. Globally, Boston Metal is also deploying MOE to produce green steel by directly converting all grades of iron ore into high-quality molten metal using clean electricity, eliminating the need for coal, hydrogen infrastructure, carbon capture, or process water. This scalable, cost-effective technology creates a direct pathway to zero-emissions steel, transforming the entire value chain.

Backed by major investors like Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the company is based in Woburn, Massachusetts, and is expanding its footprint globally—including its vital operations in Brazil, the world’s third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide from iron and steel production. The Brazilian operation will be Boston Metal’s first industrial plant and will focus on the case use of processing mining and metallurgical waste.

Silveira leads the legal, corporate governance, investor relations, ERM and compliance functions for both the U.S. and Brazilian arms of the business. Her mission is multifaceted.

“At Boston, we view these functions as strategic enablers. Take Legal, for example. We’re not just reviewing documents at the end of a process. We’re fully integrated into the conversations that define the future of the business. As we evaluate our business model—whether to sell our technology, license it, form partnerships, or pursue in-house production—each path carries distinct legal implications, from regulatory to environmental or tax-related concerns. Legal is involved from the start to help shape these decisions and foster better results,” she says.

From São Paulo to global influence

Silveira’s international mindset took shape early. While still in college at Pontifícia Universidade Católica in São Paulo, she studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark—a transformative experience that lit a fire for cross-cultural engagement. She later earned a master’s degree in international economic law and policy at the University of Barcelona. She completed her Fulbright Visiting Scholar Ph.D. at American University’s Washington College of Law, where she specialized in anti-corruption regulations and compliance systems.

Her early career took her through top Brazilian law firms, where she worked in international trade and competition. While pursuing her Ph.D., she developed deep expertise in anti-corruption law—knowledge that became especially relevant during Brazil’s Car Wash scandal.

“When the Car Wash investigations gained national attention, many clients began asking us to review and strengthen their compliance programs,” she recalls. “Because I was one of the few lawyers with in-depth knowledge of anti-corruption legislation, I quickly became the go-to person for these matters and was involved in numerous related projects.”

But expertise wasn’t enough. As outside counsel, she found herself limited in her ability to implement real change. She made a pivotal decision to move in-house, joining a mining company called CBMM that offered her the chance to build a global compliance program from scratch. The guidelines she created in Brazil were later adapted across North America, Europe, and Asia.

“I was there for over four years before moving to Neoway, a completely different industry and level of maturity,” she says.

At Neoway, a data analytics company, she took on an even greater challenge—joining amid a corruption crisis. She helped navigate the investigation, restructure the entire GRC framework, and ultimately increase the company’s valuation threefold.

“It was a true turnaround. Leadership made all the difference, and I’m proud to have played a role in it. It’s not every day that a compliance officer gets to see, firsthand, how their work contributes directly to the survival and value creation of the business,” she says.

GRC with Purpose—and Personality

Now at Boston Metal, Silveira is leading with intention and innovation. She oversees a team of 11 across Brazil and the U.S., including legal, investor relations, risk and compliance professionals—and a PMO dedicated to ensuring that implementation aligns with timelines and goals.

“When I said I wanted to bring a PMO into Legal & Compliance, someone told me, ‘That’s not normal.’ I just laughed and said, ‘Perfect—I’m not a fan of normal anyway,’” she says with a smile.

Her approach is deeply collaborative. Whether it’s risk mapping or setting up internal controls, she insists that every department must row in the same direction.

“A company can’t move efficiently if every team is rowing in a different direction,” she says. “It’s like a rowing crew. If one person is out of sync, the whole boat slows down. It’s not about telling people what to do. We sit down together, build the plan as a team, and help ensure it stays on course.”

Her work is driven by a belief that legal and compliance professionals must demystify their role.

“We’re taught to use a vocabulary that others don’t understand. But if we’re not understood, we’re not heard. It’s our responsibility to make ourselves relatable and our work valuable.”

To amplify that message, Silveira launched a personal passion project: GRC Fora da Caixa, or “GRC Outside the Box.” The videocast series highlights professionals who tackle governance, risk, and compliance issues with unconventional thinking. With eleven episodes released since late 2024, the platform continues to follow its monthly format and has already expanded its reach through strategic partnerships—including live sessions, an upcoming e-book, and other relevant content tailored for GRC professionals, reinforcing its role as a hub for thought leadership and community engagement in the field.

“If we’re boring, no one listens,” she says, recalling the early days of the project. “GRC doesn’t have to be stiff or dull. We need to communicate differently—with emotion, with practicality—so we can spark real change.”

Shaping the future of legal leadership

Recognized five years in a row as one of Brazil’s Most Admired Compliance Executives by Compliance On Top Research, Silveira also serves as an advisory board member at Instituto Sivis and KYD360 and contributes to multiple editorial boards and academic institutions. She is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional – International (CCEP-I) and a Certified Board Member by the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC).

Her inclusion in the SW50, a global leadership program for 50 women in Brazil, further underscores her capacity for adaptation, curiosity, and transformative leadership.

An advanced skydiver who currently holds a Brazilian record in women’s free-fall formation, Silveira contrasts her personal life with the typically risk-averse profile of legal professionals.

Silveira’s journey is one of reinvention and clarity—recognizing the limitations of the traditional legal path and forging something bolder. At Boston Metal, she’s not just guiding the company through legal frameworks—she’s helping redefine what legal and compliance leadership looks like in the age of climate innovation, global risk, and radical transparency.