“But what is the CNPJ?” The question came naively and directly, coming from Ernesto, 16 years old. He was attending an online meeting hosted by his mother, Tatiana Schuchovsky, 48, chairwoman of consortium administrator Ademicon. Hearing the question, the executive was sure of two things: if a teenager is interested in understanding the consortium’s product, it is a sign that the company’s marketing campaigns, from the BBB to the São João de Caruaru party, through TikTok, are working.
It was also a sign that she had been a good mother: she had managed to involve her youngest in the family business, which Tatiana herself had been trying to understand and develop since her adolescence.
“I was 19 years old and I was a ballet teacher, I taught tap dancing. My father, a civil servant, had just bought 100% of Ademilar, opened in 1991 with 35 other partners. He asked me if I wanted to know the company, he knew that I was good at sales. But I didn’t understand anything,” recalls the manager.
Today, she leads the largest independent consortium of administrators in the country (not linked to a bank or an automobile manufacturer) and is expected to close 2025 with 65% higher sales: 45 billion reais in credit volume.
Considering the entire sector, Ademicon became the fourth administrator in Brazil in September, surpassing Itaú in volume of assets: Curitiba’s portfolio amounted to R$77.3 billion, ahead of the administrator controlled by the country’s largest bank (R$76.7 billion). In the first positions in the ranking are Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Porto Seguro, according to data compiled by the Central Bank.
It is not only the former Ademilar – which became Ademicon in 2020, after joining Conseg, specializing in vehicles – which has grown. According to Abac (Brazilian Association of Consortium Administrators), from January to October this year, the volume of credits sold increased by 35% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 423 billion reais. The value corresponds to the sale of the shares.
During the first ten months of the year, 101.8 billion reais were made available to almost 1.5 million consortium members, including natural and legal persons, included in the consortia. According to Abac, the country had 12.4 million consortium members in October, an increase of 11% compared to the same period last year.
The consortium is one of the few sectors to benefit indirectly from the increase in the base interest rate. Faced with a Selic at 15%, many consumers prefer to pay a fixed, interest-free monthly payment each month, to compete, also monthly, for a quota with the amount they wish to obtain to purchase a property, a vehicle, a good or a service.
If it is granted, you can repurchase the “letter of credit” (the amount you wish to obtain) and continue to pay the installments (the property is sold). Otherwise, you receive the rectified amount at the end of the consortium, which can last from 1 to 20 years.
It is also possible to bid monthly (ranging from 10% to 50% of the value of the letter of credit) in order to be considered more quickly. Another option is to use the resources of the FGTS (Service Time Guarantee Fund) to reduce the value of the quotas, according to the rules of the Caixa.
“The big challenge of the consortium is to explain what the consortium is and what it is for, which can cover everything from in vitro fertilization, university studies to buying a property abroad,” says Tatiana, who is increasingly investing in marketing to achieve this. In 2026, the company will practically double its investments in the area compared to 2024, reaching 140 million reais, a value 40% higher than that invested this year. Presenter Tadeu Schmidt is the spokesperson.
In January, the brand sponsored Globo’s Big Brother Brasil reality show for the fifth consecutive year and the Rio Open tennis tournament for the second year. A novelty is the support for Yago Dora from Curitiba, world champion of the World Surf League. This year, with the expansion of activities outside the South and Southeast regions, the administrator sponsored for the first time the festival of São João de Caruaru, in Pernambuco.
But the biggest visibility came in 2023, when the brand began appearing on the São Paulo Futebol Clube jersey, a partnership that is expected to last at least until 2030, the centenary year of the São Paulo team. “I’m CEO of marketing,” jokes the executive, who also supports her country’s two teams, Coritiba and Athletico Paranaense, as well as the Palmeiras women’s team.
“I think sport has a lot in common with our business: it requires planning, concentration, discipline, it’s long term, it depends on a lot of dedication to achieve the goal.”
For the consortium’s critics, this is precisely its weak point: the delay in completing the property. “You’re paying for something you don’t have,” says Myrian Lund, a financial planner certified by Planejar (Brazilian Financial Planning Association). For the finance specialist and master in business management, the consortium is not an investment. “This is an opportunity for those who have difficulty saving money because it requires the person to pay a deposit.”
Nayra Sombra, a financial planner at Planejar, says buying a high-value asset with cash or financing it isn’t worth the high interest rates. “The consortium represents a lower cost, but the consumer cannot be in a hurry,” he says. “There is a market for covered allowances, on which credit can now be used, but at a slightly higher cost.”
At Ademicon, the product that sells the most is real estate, which represents 70% of the total. Vehicles and services represent the remaining 30%.
“It’s a product that everyone benefits from,” says Tatiana, convinced that this modality is an investment. Drawn to the business by her father, she falls in love with the consortium when she is given one of her first tasks: informing five consortium members of their selection. “I called and it was a joy on the other end of the line. I heard people calling relatives, crying. I said to myself: this is worth working with.”
She covered all areas of administration, which had only 9 employees: credit, after-sales, retention, collection and marketing. But the first years were not easy. “I cried every day,” he said. “I knew it was something that had potential, but I didn’t know how to develop it.” Until it created the model of authorized stores, responsible for selling the product in person and online. Ademicon charges an administration fee, which also pays the partners. In addition to marketing, the company takes care of team training: it has a corporate university and has just launched the Boomerangue platform, which it presents as “the first streaming and financial education consortium in Brazil”.
Accelerated growth attracted the attention of competitors and the company became an acquisition target. Today, 30% of the capital is in the hands of investment managers 23S Capital and Treecorp. “We are open to the market, I have two funds that must come out at some point. But the family does not give up control,” she says, happy because her eldest son, Germano, 18, is already an intern in the company.
ADEMICON RADIOGRAPHY
Foundation: 1991
Thirsty: Curitiba
Employees: 450 direct and 8,000 sales advisors
Presence: 278 units in 24 states and the Federal District, stores in Miami and Orlando (USA)
Main competitors: BB Consórcios, Bradesco, Porto Seguro, Itaú Administradora de Consórcios
2024 turnover: R$27.3 billion (credit sold)
Net turnover 2024: 930.7 million reais
2026, HOW TO USE
New series of Leaf offers weekly interviews in text and video format, presenting the expectations, fears and strategies chosen for 2026 by the main leaders of ten different segments: supermarkets, retail, consortia, textiles, footwear and clothing, air conditioning, technology, telephony, financial services and mobility. All companies in the series earn more than 1 billion reais per year.
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