In Brazil, leading companies respond to globalization by forming international alliances and networks of relationships. This research aims to verify whether expatriate participation in the administration of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) international subsidiaries constitutes a critical success factor for the effective management of the networks of relationships between the Brazilian parent company and its international subsidiaries by contributing to an effective corporate governance of these networks. In order to do this, a less traditional concept of corporate governance was adopted, taking into consideration the existence of social mechanisms complementary to formal governance mechanisms. Variables pertinent to such mechanisms and respective indicators and sub-indicators were proposed. The sub-indicators enabled the identification of the positive and negative implications of each variable. This research amplified the concept of strategic networks, adding the intra- organizational perspective, exclusively for the relationship between the parent company and subsidiaries. This rupture in scientific paradigm generated a new approach for the Macedo-Soares Strategic Network Analysis model, used as a tool for strategic analysis. The case study utilized triangulation of methods: documentary/telematics (online) research, surveying perceptions via questionnaire and interviews. 30 expatriate executives and 24 executives of the international subsidiaries responded to the questionnaire (response rates of 61% and 57% respectively). The results suggest that expatriate participation in the administration of CRVD`s international subsidiaries contributes towards an effective corporate governance of networks of relationships with the parent company. It was concluded that the expatriates add informal means of governance (pertinent to the social mechanisms), with positive implications. Perception of this benefit is more intense in the parent company.