Management Team
Our management team has extensive experience.
Felipe Samuel Argalji - Chief Executive Officer
Felipe Samuel Argalji is our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Argalji is also a Partner of Crescera and co-responsible for the Education platform. Prior to joining Crescera in January 2009, Mr. Argalji began his career in the private equity division of Gávea Investimentos from June 2007 to November 2008, where he covered investments in several sectors including agribusiness, logistics, retail and utilities. He is currently a director of AOVS Sistema de Informática S.A (Alura) since December 2020. He previously served as director of Afya Ltd. (Nasdaq: AFYA), from June 2019 to August 2021, Afya Participações S.A. (formerly NRE Participações S.A.), or Afya Brazil, from August 2016 to December 2019 and of Anima Educação (B3: ANIM3) from January 2012 to January 2015. Mr. Argalji holds a Bachelor degree in Economics from IBMEC Business School, Rio de Janeiro.
Rafael Moreira Pereira - Chief Financial Officer
Rafael Moreira Pereira is the Company’s newly appointed CFO. Mr. Pereira joined Crescera in July 2022 to head the Company’s SPAC operations. Prior to joining Crescera, he was one of the four founding members of the Greenhill office in São Paulo (May 2014 to July 2020), helping establish Greenhill and later Seneca Evercore (July 2020 to April 2022) as one of the leading independent investment banks in Brazil. Mr. Pereira began his career as an analyst for Goldman Sachs (May 2006 to February 2014) after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Fundação Getulio Vargas.
Jaime Cardoso Danvila - Chairman
Jaime Cardoso Danvila is the Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Cardoso is also a Partner at Crescera and is co-responsible for its Consumer, Retail, Healthcare & Services platform. Prior to joining Crescera in May 2010, Mr. Cardoso served as a Director of mergers and acquisitions at Citigroup Global Markets from June 2000 to April 2008, at Bradesco Banco de Investimentos from April 2008 to April 2010 and as an economist at the International Monetary Fund from May 1999 to May 2000. Mr. Cardoso serves as a board member for Semantix Tecnologia em Sistemas de Informação S.A since August 2019, Vita Participações since August 2018, Hospital Care S.A. since December 2017, Hospital Vera Cruz since June 2017, Grupo São Lucas since December 2017, Domicile Home Care Assistência Médica Domiciliar since December 2020, Grupo Baia Sul since December 2018, Grupo Zelo since August 2020 and Rede Oba Hortifruti since December 2017. Mr. Cardoso has also served as board member for Estapar from February 2012 to January 2021, Hortigil Hortifruti S.A from September 2010 to April 2016, Laticínios São Vicente from May 2013 to August 2019 and Forno de Minas Alimentos S.A. from January 2014 to March 2018. Mr. Cardoso holds a Master of Arts and C. Phil degree in Economics from UCLA.
Daniel Arthur Borghi - Director
Daniel Arthur Borghi serves as a director on our board of directors. Mr. Borghi is also a Partner at Crescera and is co-responsible for its Education platform. He joined Crescera in February 2008. Mr. Borghi served as a member of the board of directors of Afya Ltd. (Nasdaq: AFYA) from July 2019 to August 2021. He was also a member of the board of directors of Afya Participações S.A. (formerly NRE Participações S.A.), or Afya Brazil, from August 2016 to December 2019, when the board of directors of Afya Brazil was extinguished. Since November 2018, he is also Co-Chief Executive Officer of Crescera, a managing director and a member of its Executive Committee. He is also currently a member of the board of directors of União Educacional do Planalto Central S.A. (UNICEPLAC) since March 2018 and Nelogica Sistemas de Software Ltda. since December 2020. He was previously a member of the board of directors of Wide Desenvolvimento Humano e Tecnologia S.A. from February 2015 to July 2020; Prepona Sistema de Testagem e Avaliação S.A. from July 2015 to March 2018; Passei Direto S.A. from February 2015 to March 2018; and Guardaya Empreendimentos e Participações S.A. (Medcel) from March 2016 to January 2019. Prior to joining the board of directors of Afya Brazil, he was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. from July 2006 to February 2008; an executive at Docas Participações S.A. from September 2003 to June 2004; and a partner at Finance Ltda. from May 1999 to August 2003, working in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and restructuring. He holds a degree in electrical engineering and telecommunications from PUC-RJ, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Specialist Title in Finance from the Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais – IBMEC.
Denise Pauli Pavarina - Director Nominee
Denise Pauli Pavarina serves as a director on our board of directors. Mrs. Pavarina was Director of Companies at BNDES (Brazilian National Development Bank) from April 2019 to September 2019, responsible for corporate credit for large companies. Before BNDES, she was an executive director and investor relations director at Banco Bradesco from January 2012 to January 2019, managing director of Bradesco Asset Management from January 2009 to January 2012 and, previously, head of the investment bank of Bradesco (Banco Bradesco BBI), from January 2007 to January 2009. Mrs. Pavarina holds over 30 years of experience in financial and capital markets. She was president of the Brazilian Association of Financial and Capital Markets (Anbima) from April 2012 to April 2016, and a member of the Advisory Boards of Cielo S.A. (B3: CIEL3) from June 2008 to July 2009; Belgo Mineira (Arcelor Group); Alpargatas S.A. (B3: ALPA3), Latasa (Reynolds Group); Vale S.A. from February 2017 to March 2019; of B3 S.A. – Brasil Bolsa Balcão (B3: B3SA3) from April 2015 to April 2019, of from Hospital Care Caledonia from February 2021 to February 2023. In addition, Mrs. Pavarina was a member of the Advisory Board of BSM Supervisão de Mercados and is a member of B3’s Mergers & Acquisitions Committee (CAF) since September 2019. Mrs. Pavarina is currently a board member of Solvi Essencis Ambiental and Banco Bradesco S. A. and vice chair of TCFD (FSB) – Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. She holds a degree in Economics from Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), a Law degree from Universidade Paulista (UNIP), and post graduate degrees in Finance from Insper and in Advanced Management from Fundação Dom Cabral and IESE – AMP.
Rosana Isabel Sadir Prieto - Director Nominee
Rossana Isabel Sadir Prieto will serve as a Director upon the completion of this offering. Ms. Sadir has broad international general management experience and strategic background in projects for country growth and turnaround, built in companies such as McKinsey & Company from March 1995 to May 1996, Monsanto Chemical Company from June 1996 to May 1997, Abril S.A. from June 1997 to July 2004, Avon Cosméticos Ltda. from August 2004 to December 2012 and Amway do Brasil Ltda. from April 2013 to January 2020. She also has expertise as transformation agent, leading operations through major strategic changes with significant results in digital innovation, aggressive growth, turnaround processes, organizational restructuring and development of new commercial models. Ms. Sadir is a Certified Board of Director and member of the Strategy Committee for IBGC (the Brazilian Corporate Governance Institute (IBGC), the Obramax Advisory Council since November 2020, and the Committee of Strategy, Innovation and Sustainability of the Baumgart Group since December 2020. She holds a Bachelor and Master degrees in Business Administration from Universidade de São Paulo, SDA Bocconi and Kellogg – Northwestern University. Ms. Sadir is fluent in five languages, having lived in eight countries in Latin America.
Flavio Dias Fonseca da Silva - Director Nominee
Flavio Dias Fonseca da Silva will serve as a Director upon the completion of this offering. Mr. Dias holds experience in general management, retail, e-business, e-commerce and CRM. Mr. Dias spent 20 years as the executive in charge in three out of the five of the top e-commerce companies in Brazil – WMB Comércio Eletrônico Ltda. (Walmart) from March 2007 to July 2014, Cnova Comércio Eletrônico S.A. from February 2016 to December 2016 and Via Varejo S.A. (B3: VVAR3) from December 2016 to January 2020. Previously, Mr. Dias was the CEO at Banco Original S.A. from August 2014 to February 2016, the first Brazilian digital bank. Currently, Mr. Dias is an independent board member at Afya Ltd. (Nasdaq: AFYA) since June 2020, Coppel S.A. since September 2019 and is a partner of 500 Startups since March 2020, a company in charge of building and growing the fund operations in Brazil. Mr. Dias holds a degree in Production Engineering from FEI Centro Universitário, an MPA from Fundação Getulio Vargas and an MBA from UCLA.
