Cristina Passos is from Porto. Cristina became a Fellow of the CH Group in May 2018.

Cristina has a solid academic background, holding a bachelor in Law, a graduate degree in Management of Non-Profit Institutions at Harvard Business School (Boston, U.S.A.), and a graduate degree in Management at the Catholic University (Porto).

Throughout her remarkable career, Cristina was a lawyer on a liberal professional basis, integrated the litigation of Banco Nacional Ultramarino, worked at Metro do Porto, as a legal consultant, and at the Serralves Foundation, as the main manager of the European Funds and was responsible for Human Resources and, among other functions, she took over the Directorate of Resources and Special Projects in Serralves, which highlights the management of the “Serralves em Festa” Project.

Since January 2018 Cristina has assumed the role of International Account Manager at Dynargie International.

Mr. Óscar Ortiz, is the Executive President of Corporácion Vida, a foundation based in Cali.
Corporácion Vida is a foundation that is dedicated to projects with social impact in the surrounding communities, through the development of innovative solutions, agile, implementable and in accordance with the reality and needs of companies, institutions and communities. It also offers services of consultancy, advisory and coaching, as well as micro-credit and bank projects focused on the local communities.

Mr. Ortiz is an experienced Business Administrator, with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. During his professional career, he worked as a consultant in companies from different economic sectors, holding positions in senior management, strategy, finance and marketing. Mr. Ortiz also has experience in the promotion, strengthening, rescue, restructuring and valuation of companies, as well as the constitution and management of strategic business units.

He was also invited by The Colombo-American Chamber of Commerce of Washington D.C. to participate in the G-50 Summit 2019, an annual event that brings together 50 leading leaders of Ibero-America and which is part of the Washington 2020 agenda, under the motto “50 Leaders Uniting Efforts – 50 Proposals“.

In May 2019, Mr. Ortiz has joined the CH Global Networking, working as CH Fellow Colombia.

Gisela Ciancio makes part of our CH Global Network since April 2019. The invitation to become our distinguished Fellow was addressed by Carlos Lacerda, International Business Director, that met Gisela in Panamá, during the Global Business Forum on beginning April.

Gisela Ciancio has a degree in Tourism from the University of Morón (Argentina), a Diploma in Hospitality from the Technology University de Monterrey (Mexico), and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Human Resources Management from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa.

Gisela Ciancio, born in 1973, started her career 24 years ago in Argentina, working in the leisure and tourism sector in Buenos Aires, before dedicating her time to the hospitality luxury market, in the areas of Human Resources, training, executive leadership and quality assurance.
Gisela has worked for a significant number of international luxury hotel brands including Inter-Continental, Sheraton, Westin, W and Four Seasons in Buenos Aires, Los Cabos, Doha, Macao, Dublin, London, and New York. Until recently she also set up and led the Global HR function for the Global Student Accommodation Group based in Dubai and with operations involving more than 10,000 rooms in UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain China, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and UAE.

In her many years of professional experience, Gisela has worked with around 7,500 employees, more than 72 different nationalities, has conducted over 28,000 interviews, led 12 significant restructuring processes and start-ups, and she has improved the quality of service in more than 40 companies.

Since June 2018, Gisela has been dedicated to providing professional consulting services related to the optimization of People Experiences (Customers & Employees). She predominantly spends her time between Paris and Dubai, and considering her personal interests and experience, she can work anywhere in the world!

Having graduated in International Relations and with a Master Degree in Chinese Studies – Business and International Relations from the University of Aveiro (Portugal), Ricardo Duarte has been dedicating the last eighteen years to understand China’s business environment.

Understanding the complexity of the market, the sudden changes that were going to succeed in China after its accession to the WTO, and especially the cultural differences in doing business, after graduation he decided to stay in China to understand and experience such changes in loco. Having lived mostly in Shanghai and Beijing, Ricardo Duarte worked with several Portuguese multinational companies – including as Sales Manager of Amorim Cork Beijing, a subsidiary company of Amorim Group -, performing roles in purchasing, sales, marketing and management, especially in construction materials and wines, with a focus on understanding the Chinese business mind and being able to provide “cultural translation” between China and the Western countries.

Nowadays, he provides assistance to companies that want to understand and enter the Chinese market, either with market studies, sales and purchasing consultancy.

Ricardo Duarte became CH Fellow in China since July of 2018.

Fast-Track

1. City, country or beach?  A: All, but if I have to choose one, then city. 
2. Day or night? A: Day.
3. Would you quit your current job if you won 1 Million Euros? A: Definitely not. 
4. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you really enjoy to do? A: More work I really enjoy. 
5. Do you take away the amenities of hotels? A: Not anymore.
6. Are you afraid of flying? A: Not at all.
7. What superpower would you like to have? A: Be able to fly or control the time.
8. What is your favorite perfume? A: Rain being dried by the sun.
9.  Is there a book that has changed your life? A: Not quite, but there are many I really enjoyed reading.
10. What movie did you watch more than 10 times? A: None more than 5 times.
11. What word or expression do you use more often? A: China (it’s part of my personal life as well as professional).
12. What is the greatest lesson life has ever given you? A: There’s a solution to every problem.

José Maria Teixeira, businessman and manager, is the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Portugal in Morocco (CCISPM).

Graduated in History of Art from the University of Coimbra, José has been managing director of several entities for more than two decades, with a vast international career in the field of transport and logistics. He has for many years been Director General of the DHL International Company in several countries, on the African and European continents, from Cameroon, to Cairo and Casablanca. José Teixeira recently holds, since 2010, the position of Chairman and CEO of URBANOS Maghreb, in Casablanca.

The exercise of his professional functions has been followed by a special interest and dedication to the associative area, having been awarded several distinctions, namely that of Officer of the Order of Business Merit by the Portuguese Government in 2014.

Fast-Track

1. City, country or beach? A: Beach. 
2. Day or night? A: For sure day!!
3. Would you quit your current job if you won 1 Million Euros? A: Not really but would consider much longer vacations periods…
4. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you really enjoy to do? A: Sometimes less work would be perfect but when you really enjoy what you do, hard work is also pleasant…
5. Do you take away the amenities of hotels? A: Only very seldom….
6. Are you afraid of flying? A: Even though a great part of my life has been in planes and airports, flying always gives me an odd stomach sensation…
7. What superpower would you like to have? A: Inventing the formula to eradicate selfish thinking!!
8. What is your favourite aroma? A: Sea breeze
9.  Is there a book that has changed your life? A: Many writers have had great impact in my way of thinking and living. However, I cannot elect one special book that has changed my life.
10. What movie did you watch more than 10 times? A: None.
11. What word or expression do you use more often? A: “Really??!!”
12. What is the greatest lesson life has ever given you? A: Never take things for granted!!

Gisela Ciancio makes part of our CH Global Network since April 2019. The invitation to become our distinguished Fellow was addressed by Carlos Lacerda, International Business Director, that met Gisela in Panamá, during the Global Business Forum on beginning April.

Gisela Ciancio has a degree in Tourism from the University of Morón (Argentina), a Diploma in Hospitality from the Technology University de Monterrey (Mexico), and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Human Resources Management from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa.

Gisela Ciancio, born in 1973, started her career 24 years ago in Argentina, working in the leisure and tourism sector in Buenos Aires, before dedicating her time to the hospitality luxury market, in the areas of Human Resources, training, executive leadership and quality assurance.
Gisela has worked for a significant number of international luxury hotel brands including Inter-Continental, Sheraton, Westin, W and Four Seasons in Buenos Aires, Los Cabos, Doha, Macao, Dublin, London, and New York. Until recently she also set up and led the Global HR function for the Global Student Accommodation Group based in Dubai and with operations involving more than 10,000 rooms in UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain China, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, and UAE.

In her many years of professional experience, Gisela has worked with around 7,500 employees, more than 72 different nationalities, has conducted over 28,000 interviews, led 12 significant restructuring processes and start-ups, and she has improved the quality of service in more than 40 companies.

Since June 2018, Gisela has been dedicated to providing professional consulting services related to the optimization of People Experiences (Customers & Employees). She predominantly spends her time between Paris and Dubai, and considering her personal interests and experience, she can work anywhere in the world!

Born in Aveiro (Portugal), Paulo Franzini has been performing the role of International Commercial Agent for more than 12 years, offering to foreign companies a wide array of services, including advisory on exporting, importing and investment.

After several years collecting experience in Portuguese, African and Chinese companies, Paulo has decided to focus its energy and resources in Serbia, a country full of opportunities and which potential is still weakly explored by foreign companies.

Hence, he has been living from 2011 in Belgrade (Serbia) where his company, Balkans Gate, is currently headquartered. Balkans Gate is a consulting boutique, dedicated to providing professional services to companies that are interested in the Serbian and Balkans markets.

Paulo Franzini, fluent in Portuguese, English and Serbo–Croatian, works as a consultant specialized in operations, performing research, planning and fieldwork jobs. In every project he is involved with, Paulo always seeks for obtaining the proposed goals and strives for its clients to attain a solid and sustainable expansion in the long term.

Fast Track:

1. City, country or beach? A: I am a city girl, I like action, good vibes, news and challenges. I am not afraid of the need to be creative and reinvent myself. Beach is great from time to time, but not indefinitely.
2. Day or night? A: I am a night bird when I work, as I can concentrate better.
3. If you won a million euros, would you quit your current job? A: I am fortunate enough to do what I like, so if I won that much money I would only chose to develop what I already invested in. And some charity around it.
4. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you really enjoy to do? A: I’d rather work more if my work makes me happy. Not the quantity is the issue, but rather the quality of it, the content of what I am doing for a living. If this is what brings joy and satisfaction, then the more you work, the happier you are.
5. Do you take away the amenities of hotels? A: I don’t take them away if they are not for take away. I use them, of course.
6. Are you afraid of flying? A: I’ve never been afraid of flying, on the contrary it makes me feel in control and powerful and…special. I even enjoy sports that have a …flying component.
7. What superpower would you like to have? A: I would love to be able to be present in more places in the same time. There are so many things I wish to do and so little time.
8. What is your favorite aroma? A: Vanilla…but honestly I prefer the charms of good coffee, especially in the morning.
9. Is there a book that has changed your life? A: Actually there is a magazine that changed my life and it was called “Business Ideas” in my country. At 12, I came across it, I browsed it and it suddenly manifested a strange attraction to me, although I didn’t get much of it. Business books that followed, and faculty as well, were only in line with the path that was opened by a magazine.
10. What movie did you watch more than 10 times? A: I never watched a movie more than two times but I can bring you here 10 movies that I hold dear: The Last Samurai; Braveheart; The Shawshank Redemption; Life of Pi; Gladiator; The Godfather; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Sherlock Holmes; Ocean’s Twelve; The Pianist.
11. What word or expression do you use more often? A: Evolution. Mainly referring to a personal need.
12. What was the greatest lesson life has ever given you? A: There are three, actually:
12.1 Never postpone the things that make you happy and praise every instant that you are with the dear ones;2
12.2 In limit situations just a fraction of a second makes all the difference: be present to grasp it.
12.3 If you are well aware of what you want and work hard towards it, it will happen.

As a child I came across a business magazine that manifested a strange fascination to me: elegantly dressed people, suits, colors and graphics of an odd disposition… While browsing through it, a certain projection of the future took shape in my head: „I want to be part of this universe somehow when I’ll grow up. This is where I belong”.

And so I did. I studied Business Management and an MA in Business Administration and I entered the business world with no experience, but hired by the same publisher that happened to have issued the magazine of my childhood. Strange feedback loop, resembling very much with the picture of destiny. Since then, lots of successful projects for businesses in many areas and industries, lots of interesting people that I met and great projects for the future.

Graduated in Marketing Management at IPAM, Marisa Marcelo had a long experience on the commercial aviation sector. That experience, allowed her to interact with some different cultures and to make knowledge with a lot of people and different countries, granting her opportunities to become a Business Developer and an open mind person to cooperate on countries like Tunisia and Iran.

For the moment, Marisa leaves in Iran and works actively in a project to set up a Portuguese Travel Agency focused on incoming tourism, cultural and academic exchange between Portugal and Iran. In recent past, Marisa conducted a successful project for the Internationalization of a Portuguese brand of footwear and luxury accessories, and in its free times, Marisa still reaches the time to teach the Portuguese Language to Iranian executives.

She expects to bring to CH Global Network a new window in Iran and to achieve opportunities and do business exploring the potential of the Iranian market.

Fast Track:

1. City, country or beach? A: City, preferentially if it has a country nearby.
2. Day or night? A: Day.
3. If you won a million euros, would you quit your current job? A: No, because my current job allows me to improve my personal abilities, while I invest my million.
4. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you really enjoy to do? A: I prefer to have more work that I really enjoy.
5. Do you take away the amenities of hotels? A: Sometimes (if they are appealing, have quality and are useful).
6. Are you afraid of flying? A: No, I actually like it.
7. What superpower would you like to have? A: I would like to have the superpower of being Omni-linguistic so I could understand any language fluently. It would be useful anywhere that I could live or work, especially now in Iran.
8. What is your favorite aroma? A: My favourite is the sea breeze. Reminds me about the freshness and quietness that balances with the agitation of the city.
9. Is there a book that has changed your life? A: Not yet, I keep on searching. (But I can name one book that influenced my way of seeing many things differently in general life which is “ The Power of Now” from Eckhart Tolle that shows that most of our problems are created in our mind and if we focus on what is on now, we can invest better our capabilities and get better results.)
10. What movie did you watch more than 10 times? A: I like movies but I don’t feel like watching the same more than 3 times… I prefer to use the time to see more variety of movies and contents.
11. What word or expression do you use more often? A: “Até já” or “See you soon”.
12. What was the greatest lesson life has ever given you? A: Being patient and keep trying. The results will come, even if it takes time.

Graduated in Marketing Management at IPAM, Marisa Marcelo had a long experience on the commercial aviation sector. That experience, allowed her to interact with some different cultures and to make knowledge with a lot of people and different countries, granting her opportunities to become a Business Developer and an open mind person to cooperate on countries like Tunisia and Iran.

For the moment, Marisa leaves in Iran and works actively in a project to set up a Portuguese Travel Agency focused on incoming tourism, cultural and academic exchange between Portugal and Iran. In recent past, Marisa conducted a successful project for the Internationalization of a Portuguese brand of footwear and luxury accessories, and in its free times, Marisa still reaches the time to teach the Portuguese Language to Iranian executives.

She expects to bring to CH Global Network a new window in Iran and to achieve opportunities and do business exploring the potential of the Iranian market.

Fast Track:

1. City, country or beach? A: City, preferentially if it has a country nearby.
2. Day or night? A: Day.
3. If you won a million euros, would you quit your current job? A: No, because my current job allows me to improve my personal abilities, while I invest my million.
4. Would you rather have less work to do or more work you really enjoy to do? A: I prefer to have more work that I really enjoy.
5. Do you take away the amenities of hotels? A: Sometimes (if they are appealing, have quality and are useful).
6. Are you afraid of flying? A: No, I actually like it.
7. What superpower would you like to have? A: I would like to have the superpower of being Omni-linguistic so I could understand any language fluently. It would be useful anywhere that I could live or work, especially now in Iran.
8. What is your favorite aroma? A: My favourite is the sea breeze. Reminds me about the freshness and quietness that balances with the agitation of the city.
9. Is there a book that has changed your life? A: Not yet, I keep on searching. (But I can name one book that influenced my way of seeing many things differently in general life which is “ The Power of Now” from Eckhart Tolle that shows that most of our problems are created in our mind and if we focus on what is on now, we can invest better our capabilities and get better results.)
10. What movie did you watch more than 10 times? A: I like movies but I don’t feel like watching the same more than 3 times… I prefer to use the time to see more variety of movies and contents.
11. What word or expression do you use more often? A: “Até já” or “See you soon”.
12. What was the greatest lesson life has ever given you? A: Being patient and keep trying. The results will come, even if it takes time.

Andriy Sayenko has two bachelors: Mining Engineering and Translation, speaking Ukranian and Russian as a native and Portuguese with high fluency.

Throughout his professional path, Andryi has worked in several countries located in East Europe, as well in Portugal, Brazil, Canada and Angola.

Between 1999 and 2004, Andryi worked as translator/interpreter for the Ukrainian Embassy and Consul Honorary of this country. Moreover, he worked in SIC, the first private television in Portugal, where he won the first and the second editions of the ACIME’s “Immigration and Ethnic Minorities – Journalism for Tolerance” award.

Andryi kept developing his diplomatic career in Kiev, from 2004 to 2011, as the consultant of the Intergovernmental Commission for the economic and commercial cooperation between Brazil and Ukraine.

At the same time, from 2001 to 2005, Andryi has become an expert in trading and internationalization, as the manager of Espírito Forte – Imports and Exports, Lda. Later, in 2008, Paulo joined Landhill Trading Limited Partnership as the Commercial Director, where is been working in several different industries, such as Agriculture, Pet Food, Renewable Energy, Animal Feed, Waste Recycling, Recycling and Waste Treatment, International Transport.

In 2018, Andryi Sayenko has joined the CH Global Networking, acting as the CH’s Fellow from Ukraine and Angola.

Primadi Wahyuwidagdo Soerjosoemanto is the CEO & Principal of BRIGHT Indonesia, an independent Consulting boutique based in Jakarta. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Marketing from Diponegoro University Semarang –Indonesia, as well as an MBA on Strategy & Organization from Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta-Indonesia and Jonkoping University – Sweden and an MPP Public Policy degree from the School of Government and Public Policy – Indonesia.

His entrepreneurial spirit and passion comes from his father who owns an engineering consulting company. Mr. Soejosoemanto gained 20 years experience working with leading Indonesia marketing consultants, the Anglo Hong Kong global banking corporation, the largest British trading house in Asia Pacific and managing an ICT hardware retail store franchise in Indonesia.

Having lived in Sweden, Finland and Spain as well as travelling exensively to many countries has broadened his perspective and given him a cultural understanding of how global business works. While studying in Sweden he used BRIGHT Indonesia as an umbrella for a coffee export startup business.  At that time, he was knocking on the door of European coffee distributors, factories and restaurants representing high-quality Indonesian coffee products from across the archipelago.

During his time in Europe in 2014, BRIGHT Indonesia won a research project in the tourism sector in Finland and Spain. Therefore, BRIGHT Indonesia was asked by a leading Finland university to represent them in Indonesia. Mr. Soejosoemanto then saw the gap between international companies’ expectations and the reality check in Indonesia and aimed to provide high-quality solutions and become a true global connector.