Professional Activity

Dr. Vasco Novais Branco started his professional activity as a university student in 1969, collaborating with the State Department of Information and Tourism, in the first inventory of tourism investment needs in the country.

At the invitation of the then "controller" of ITT in Portugal, interned between 1972 and 1973, at the Administrative and Financial Department of Imprimarte - Páginas Amarelas subsidiary of ITT Europe.

This is followed by collaboration with the Financial Department of Cetesa, a company associated with CTT and Telefónica Espanhola, with the aim of assembling and distributing advertising on the side structure of the old telephone booths.

In 1974 at Centrel, a company that manufactures electrical and electronic equipment, he effectively began his professional career, first as a Financial Director and later as an Administrator, with the Administrative and Financial portfolio.

Here, the troubled years of the April Revolution pass, inserted in a very young and highly motivated team, where the difficulties of a company with the will and the means to grow are felt, limited by the bureaucracy created by the legislation before the 25th of April, the so-called conditioning law which hindered and in many cases prevented the appearance of companies competing with multinationals and other established companies.

To this situation, it is necessary to add the fact that Centrel is located in the so-called Cintura Industrial de Lisboa, which in labor terms in conjunction with the economic conjuncture of the time, added to the difficulties, namely financial.

Due to the high growth potential, especially in the Armed Forces market, these difficulties had to be turned around and with some imagination, resolved. The experience lived here was fundamental in his future professional activity.

In the meantime, he collaborated with the company Turmar, a company owned by the Champalimaud family and owner of Quinta da Marinha in Cascais, where he held the position of Director, together with Henrique Champalimaud, President and Carlos Simões de Almeida, Chief Executive Officer.

In spite of all the constraints not only of the official entities but also of the difficulties of understanding between the partners, it was during the period of their management that the family consensus and the necessary legal approvals were obtained, for the split of Turmar in four new companies with the respective patrimonial division, which gave rise to the current successful enterprises, inserted in the designated Quinta da Marinha.

In 1978, he began his collaboration as Advisor to the Administration of the Tourist Company of Vale do Lobo in the Algarve, where he obtained a unique experience in the management of condominiums and tourist and residential resorts.

The company is in full development of tourism and real estate and its growth dynamics are notorious. Obtaining the necessary licenses for its expansion, as well as setting up operations leading to its financing, was part of its action program.

Allied to these functions, it collaborates in close liaison with the Administration, in the global management of the entire enterprise.

At the invitation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banco Português do Atlântico, Eng. Jorge Jardim Gonçalves, he returned to Lisbon where, from March 1980, he started to act as Advisor to the Board of the company Conselho, a company 100% owned by BPA, with the function of supporting and controlling the management of the companies in which the Bank participates.

In this sense, he exercises, among others, the management of Comportel, a manufacturer and assembler of elevators, as well as the management of SPOC, a construction company with great activity in the Lumiar area in Lisbon, Oeiras and Loures, where he obtains great experience in the real estate sector, an experience that will prove to be very useful later on.

In 1982, he took over, first on behalf of BPA and later on an individual basis, the Administration of SPC-Serviço Português de Containores, a highly prestigious company and a huge implantation in the Port of Lisbon as a stevedorer and storage and customs fiscal control of goods, extending its activity to Porto, Figueira da Foz and Setúbal, as well as through ANA concession, to the airports of Faro, Lisbon and Porto.

This company, owned by BPA and the largest shipping agents operating in the country, had its highest level of investment, expansion and the best economic results during the period of its management, whose mandate lasted until 1989.

With the advice of MDM - Sociedade de Investimentos SA, he led the team that in 1987 successfully promoted the company's stock exchange through an OPV - Public Offer for Sale.

Still in 1982, he was appointed Director of Planal, a company based in the Algarve and owner of the Quinta do Lago enterprise. This company had recently been disengaged and handed over by the State to management, to its majority shareholder André Jordan.

At that time, the level of indebtedness inherent to Banking in general and to BPA in particular, required financial control and management appropriate to the situation.

In this sense, he led the team whose mission was the signing with the State (Parempresa), of a Viability Contract that enabled the existence of an economic and financial plan to recover the enterprise.

In fact, Quinta do Lago, with an area of about 700 hectares, had the potential for enormous tourist development. The state intervention that took place in 1975 and the political situation in Portugal in the following years, caused the company to stagnate. The scarcity of equity capital made its financial evolution problematic.

The effort of physical recovery of the enterprise, combined with a very aggressive marketing strategy and major investments, mainly in the infrastructures and in the revitalization of its three Golf Courses, made the company have renewed its image in 5 years. , having been traded in 1987, fulfilling the objectives and commitments for the total settlement of its liabilities and the valuation of its assets.

Today Quinta do Lago is rightly considered as one of the most categorized tourist “Resorts” in the world and its Golf Courses are the most internationally renowned.

As a result of the sale of Planal to an English group of “Real Estate” in 1987, he was invited by André Jordan, to join him, in the creation of Invesplano, a real estate development company that was at the origin of the realization of several real estate projects. Among these, the land acquisition, project design and licensing of the Embaixador Building at Av. Infante Santo in Lisbon and in association with the British company Bovis International Ltd, stand out for their size and acquisition and creation of the resort at Praia da Luz - Lagos, called Quinta da Boavista.

It was also in association with André Jordan that in 1988 they founded Planbelas, owner of the enterprise called Belas Clube de Campo. This was his most important investment, from the strategic and financial point of view, made at that time.

In fact, the know-how obtained at Quinta do Lago, not only in technical, financial and commercial aspects, but also in the experience of community management, led to the acquisition of a land of rare beauty with about 470 hectares in Belas a 20 Kms from Lisbon, where Belas Clube de Campo was designed and developed.

In addition to his personal involvement in the company's capital structure, he actively participated in the conception and creation of the “Master Plan” of the enterprise, from the management of the different projects, negotiation of legal approvals and issuance of the respective permits, to the development of the infrastructure works. -structures and construction of the golf course.

There followed 17 years dedicated to the global management of a highly awarded and top quality project, at the doors of Lisbon.

Belas Clube de Campo is now a reality, where despite its low housing density, more than 1000 families live in an urbanization whose land in the shape of a shell gives it a beautiful landscape, consisting essentially of huge green spaces and with wide views to a Golf course of recognized quality and beauty designed by the talented American architect Rocky Roquemore.

In 1994, he returned to Quinta do Lago through the acquisition, in association with André Jordan, of Aldeamento Vilar do Golfe, an undertaking with about 30 hectares and 180 houses, 90 of which are available for sale and the land for the construction of the private condominium Monte da Quinta .

Both projects, after deep investments in the recovery of infrastructures, in the conception, elaboration and approval of the urbanization projects, were sold in 1999 and 2000 respectively.

At the end of 1995, it acquired Banco Comercial Português together with André Jordan, the majority shareholder of Cofipsa, which in turn held the controlling interest in Lusotur SA, owner of the Vilamoura venture.

In the financial transaction resulting from this transaction, Banco Português do Atlântico holds a minority position in its capital. This position will be later, in 2000, acquired by the majority shareholders in an operation that involved an OPA - Public Tender Offer, by which the “free float” was also acquired.

With the dominance, together with André Jordan of the totality of the Capital, he started to exercise the position of Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the entire group of companies that was agreed to be called Jordan Group.

The main objective was the recovery and revitalization of the tourist and residential development in Vilamoura. With 1,800 hectares, of which 900,000 mtrs2 are for construction, 10,000 built fires, a Marina for 1,000 boats, 3 golf courses, 300 businesses operating in its surroundings, including shops, restaurants, bars, hotels, casino, 6,000 permanent inhabitants - brought together unique conditions for the realization of a Model City.

In 9 years of management, all objectives were achieved, namely the approval of the Urbanization Plan, the establishment of an urban revitalization program, the recovery of a national and international image of great quality, the physical recovery of the existing 3 Golf Courses and the construction of two more prestigious ones, one of them the Victoria Clube de Golfe, designed by the famous American architect Arnold Palmer, where in November 2005 the World Cup was held.

At the same time, the preservation of the environment has given rise to the recognition and attribution of several international awards.

All this management work has enriched the enterprise with the consequent appreciation of the Group.

In January 2005, Lusotur SA was sold to Prasa, a large Spanish construction and real estate company based in Cordoba.

In May 2005, after an agreement with his partner André Jordan for the acquisition of his shareholding position in the holding of Grupo Planfipsa, he started to dedicate himself exclusively to his company Manobra SGPS, which holds stakes in the share capital of several companies that operate mainly in the real estate area managing your personal assets.

Of these companies, Nobrimo and Netherton, which manage the entire real estate and tourism operation in Lisbon and the Algarve respectively, and Branimo, which maintained until December 2008 in association with Banco Millennium BCP, real estate operations in the national territory, are particularly relevant.

In Poland, associated with Plantetra and a local partner, in 2006 he set up Imopol, a company based in Krakow and which manages the real estate activity in Poland. For strategic interests and business opportunities, its stake in this company was sold in 2008.

In June 2007, through Manobra, he took part in the founding of the venture capital company Naves SCR SA, of which he is appointed Director. Until July 2015, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

This company incorporated with an initial capital of 850,000 euros, originating from companies and individuals, had its activity approved by the CMVM in December 2007, immediately starting its first “business” with the participation in the capital of Energia Própria SGPS SA, of which he was also appointed Administrator.

In March 2012, after the participation of Naves SCR SA in the capital of Hope Care SA, its Director is also appointed.

Between 2015 and 2017 through Nobrimo, fully recovered, maintaining the façade, a building in its portfolio, of palatial and pombaline moth, consisting of 7 high quality fires, with a global area in the order of 2500 m2, located in Lapa in Lisbon , intended for lease.

Over the years, he was part of the Governing Bodies of different companies, among which the Presidencies of the Supervisory Board of TV Cabo, Tractors of Portugal and the Porsche Portugal Club stand out.

 

Academic and Cultural Training

After graduating in Finance from ISE / ISCEF - Higher Institute of Economic and Financial Sciences, he participated in several specific training courses in the areas in which he was developing his activity.

As a subject that has always interested him since college, he attended the Foreign Exchange course in Zurich in 1981.

Later in 1984, with more than 10 years of professional experience, he attended the V PADE - Program for Senior Management of Companies, taught by AESE (Association of Higher Studies in Business).

This course, internationally prestigious and based on the “Case Method”, is framed and in close connection with the IESE of Barcelona and the University of Navarra.

In 2005/2006 he attended the National Defense Auditor course taught by IDN - Instituto de Defesa Nacional. This course, with the duration of a school year, is attended by “Portuguese citizens who are members of the senior staff and directors of Public Administration and Civil Society, or other personalities of recognized merit”.

It aims to raise the awareness of the participants - designated by Auditors, to the major issues of Security and National Defense as a multidisciplinary and interdepartmental activity, providing ample information on Defense matters and contact with relevant aspects of the National and International reality.

In 2012, he completed a Post-Graduation - Golden Master at ISEG - Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão - Golden Master, “course designed for those who throughout their lives, due to their qualifications, developed an intense professional activity and rich in experiences”.

 

Works and Publications

In 2006, under the National Defense Auditor Course, he presented a paper with the title “Tourism as a National Defense Strategic Factor”.

Collaborated with the “Citizenship and Defense” newsletter of the ACDN Association