Roberto Cortes, president and CEO of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, has become the latest Citizen of the municipality of Resende. The executive was awarded the honorary title from the Municipality of Resende (RJ) this Tuesday (October 22nd) during a commemorative ceremony celebrating the city’s 223th anniversary together with other honored guests and authorities at the Agulhas Negras Military Academy Theater. Cortes, who had previously received the Count of Resende Order, became a citizen of the city several weeks after being awarded the Tiradentes Medal by the Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly.
The title of Honorary Citizen of Resende was created by the local City Council in 1966 and was initially only awarded to councilors who had not been born in the municipality. Starting in 1984, however, a new resolution extended the title to individuals who provide the city with relevant services. Roberto Cortes received the award from Sandro Ritton, city councilor and president of Resende City Council.
"The granting of the title of Honorary Citizen of Resende to Roberto Cortes represents an extremely well-deserved recognition for an executive that not only worked to bring Volkswagen Truck & Bus to our city, but fought for the continuous growth of its modern factory. VWTB’s Resende plant is currently home to the brand's world research and development center, which has had a significant impact on the economy of the entire southern region of Rio de Janeiro state", affirmed Sandro Ritton.
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Volkswagen Truck & Bus brought not only a factory to Resende, but also its global research and product development center. Roberto Cortes worked endlessly to secure six consecutive investment cycles with the company's head offices, which by the end of 2025 will reach a total of R$7.5 billion.
“Receiving the title of Honorary Citizen of Resende while celebrating a 55-year long career and 45 years at the Volkswagen Group is truly phenomenal. Resende is more than the city that Volkswagen Truck & Bus calls home. It is where we develop and produce the company’s latest innovations, which are sure to leave our customers in more than 30 countries worldwide extremely satisfied. As head of the Brazil’s leader in truck sales and second largest company in the nation’s bus market and person responsible for VWTB’s 5,000 employees, I wish to thank you all for your support as we have embarked on this journey of success together”, stated Cortes.