Our people

Paulo Carapuça has extensive experience in senior management and leadership positions in various companies and institutions in the public and private areas.

In the 90s, among other public offices, he was president of Movijovem, Member of the Board of Directors of EYCA - European Youth Card Association and representative of Portugal in the Hostelling International Committee. Between 2004 and 2008, he assumed several responsibilities as manager and senior management member of several companies, in the areas of investment risk, credit restructuring, real estate and tourism development and in planning and studies and projects.

At the beginning of 2008, he assumed the position of Executive Board Member of the Casais Group, being, within the scope of SGPS and in Engineering and Construction, responsible for the commercial areas, strategic development, concessions and participations and international area. In this context, he was responsible for markets and companies in Brazil, Mozambique, Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Cape Verde, operating in the engineering and construction, and maintenance - Facility management sectors.

n the last seven years he has been a Member of the Executive Committee of the Portuguese Technological Platform for Construction and in the last four years Vice-President of the fiscal council of the Portuguese-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This year he accepted the challenge of APPII, to participate as Permanent Advisor of the Forum for the Promotion, Development and Sustainability of Real Estate. Graduated from the Institute of Higher Accounting Studies, he holds a Leadership AMP Degree from Kellog - Northwestern University and an MBA in Management from the Business School of the Autonomous University of Lisbon.

João Pedro Barbosa Fonseca, MBA in The Lisbon MBA, promoted by the Portuguese Catholic University and the New University of Lisbon in partnership with MIT - Sloan School of Management, has a degree in Civil Engineering by Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon. Worked 3 years as a structures designer, participated as a founding partner and director of a development Investment Fund focused on urban renovation, worked as project manager in Eastern Europe in the residential and hotel sector. He is a real estate appraisal expert.

For the past 10 years he has been working focused on the African Market as a consultant to Governments and state owned entities, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and family offices, in several economic areas ranging from sovereign debt, infrastructures, oil & gas, real estate to the industrial sector.

Luiz Guilherme M. Affonso (Gui Affonso) is one of the founders of Piquet Realty Portugal and co-founder and advisory board member of successful Brazilian startups, as Qranio (www.qranio.com). Qranio is an educational and corporate training platform used by major corporations and banks.Users play quizzes, earn iQ$ (virtual currency),and exchange them for prizes. Gui studiedBusiness Administration at Universidade Candido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and then served as Vice President of BancoBoreal.  He then lived in the USA for many years where we was a Director at Agora SecuritiesBroker Dealer USA and Metasa Inc a PrivateEquity fund. Together with his wife (Ana), they founded a social project called “Casa ArteVida” (www.casartevida.org.br), an assistance program for developing low income areas ofRio de Janeiro.  Gui is also passionate about art and used to serve on the Board of the American friends of Centre Pompidou.

Paulo Cesar Peixoto de Castro Palhares Filho, holds a Law Degree by PUC in Rio de Janeiro, he began his career at Grupo Peixoto de Castro, where he worked in business development, financing and sales department in the areas of Steel Production and Petrochemicals.

As an entrepreneur he started a large agro- business in Bagé, RS. With an holistic approach to business and a well-rounded experience he served as consultant to various corporations acting as negotiator in complex transactions including M&A, Credits and Distressed.

Marco Aurélio Virzi, attended Economy at University Candido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was Partner and Director at Icatu Bank from 1992 to 1998, serving as head of fixed income and equities.

Fund Manager licensed at CVM, he was founding partner of Mercatto Investments from 1998 until 2005, when he decided to operate his own portfolio and advisor for family offices.

Carlos Augusto Carvalho Nielebock, MBA in Business and Finance, promoted by IBMEC of Rio de Janeiro, has a degree in Chemical Engineering from the School of Engineering, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Highly experienced investment management professional with nearly 17 years as portfolio manager, trader and sales trader.

For the past 4 years he has been working focused on the Portugal Market as a consultant at a company specialized in European fund grants, and as a real estate developer on a luxury housing project in Lisbon.

Pedro Andrade is a Senior Civil Engineer with more than 23 years of solid professional experience in Casais at the second largest contractor’s company in Portugal.

He has a degree in Civil Engineering from Universidade de Trás os montes e Alto Douro and started his career as a Site Project Manager executing several Projects in the public and private sector. He contributed to the establishment and growth of companies in Europe and the Middle East, having assumed various positions in the Construction value chain. He sits at the Executive Committee of Built Colab promoting the digital and environmental transition of buildings and infrastructures, making them adaptable, intelligent, resilient and sustainable.

For the past few years, he took a leadership role in developing the business and expanding operations actively participating in defining the operational strategy, market positioning and collaborating with the several internal departments and external authorities as Governmental and Financial Institutions, Customers and Partners. He also prepared, developed and implemented several international certification systems.

Sofia Marques has a Marketing degree, and is a Strategic, Marketing and Communication Manager with more than 20 years of solid professional experience. She offers a global strategic vision, demonstrated through skills in Business Transformation, Marketing & Communication Boost and proven success in several areas.

Her differentiated experience includes, among others, cooperation with the Portuguese Architects Association, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, Advertising Agency and Retail market leaders.