Curious by nature,
shaped by people.

I grew up in Taubaté, Brazil, reading encyclopedias and wondering how things worked. My father was a physician and my mother a nurse, so medicine was a real possibility. I visited operating rooms with family and engineering labs with friends before choosing electrical engineering. I liked the machinery in both worlds.

Before the job titles

I began learning programming at 14, in 1996. I explored BBS communities, then mIRC and ICQ, and later moderated Brazilian internet forums. The conversations mattered as much as the computers. Some of those interests and friendships are still with me.

My early work was varied: Access databases for residential buildings, websites, party flyers and shifts as a waiter at weddings. During university, I also wrote training manuals on industrial electric motors. Teaching Portuguese found its way into my life, too.

Itajubá and the people I met there

I studied electrical engineering at UNIFEI, still known to many of us as EFEI. The course was demanding. The friendships formed in shared student houses and late-night study sessions have lasted much longer than the exams.

With friends, I organized Churras é o Bixo. Over five years, a small gathering grew into a festival with stages, contracts and security to arrange. It gave me an early taste of running something with other people depending on it.

At the same time, I was exploring Eastern philosophy and questions about consciousness through online communities and IPPB. Psychology and the symbolism of tarot also interested me. I never felt much need to make all of this fit the same category.

Work, countries and family

I spent time in Toronto during university, then moved to São Paulo after graduating. My career took me into sales and leadership at Siemens and Philips Lighting, now Signify. I worked on complex infrastructure proposals, bringing together people with very different responsibilities and ways of thinking.

I moved to Madrid, Spain, in 2016, took on international roles and completed an Executive MBA at IESE. Spain was also where Raquel and I had our children. We now live in Lisbon, where I lead Signify’s business in Portugal.

The friends I’ve made in each place remain a large part of my life. Some go back almost as far as I can remember. A long meal with them is still one of my favorite ways to spend time.

Away from work

I once flew 27 hours to Japan to watch Corinthians play. I love football, and while living in Spain I also became an Atlético de Madrid fan.

I like tennis and sometimes miss long walks with Raquel and our dogs. These days, noisy playgrounds have mostly taken their place. I read a lot and listen to podcasts and audiobooks.

I’ve spent years learning about investing, starting with stocks and fixed income, then real estate and startups. I want simple approaches that need little day-to-day attention and leave time for everything else.

AI is a newer interest. My curiosity about technology goes back much further, especially its effect on how people meet, communicate and work together. The tools have changed quite a bit since those first forums. I’m still interested in the people using them.