After two professional experiences, Duarte Cardoso Ferreira decided to start his own architecture office with three friends, focused on urban rehabilitation. The 2008 financial crisis hit the housing market, but he managed to turn it around with his leadership skills. At some point, it was time to leave behind his personal project and embrace a new challenge, where he heard about The Lisbon MBA. Eventually, it changed his life.

The Magazine-Review interviews Duarte Cardoso Ferreira, alumnus of The Lisbon MBA (2015-2017) and Building Consultancy Director at CBRE

Duarte Cardoso Ferreira never says “no” to a challenge. During his BA in Architecture, he started working with one of his teachers, in an architecture office focused on conceptual and creative projects. “When I graduated from college, I looked for another opportunity, in a construction company [Axonométrica Arquitectura], where that part was not that strong. At the age of 23, I was already leading a team of three because there was a need of a step change on our projects. It was a vote of confidence from my general manager and also a challenge because I never had the opportunity of managing a staff of employees”, he recalls.

However, he wanted to do different things and quickly began to design a plan to create his own company together with three friends. They launched ADOC in 2006, but the boom came two years later. The architecture office focused on urban rehabilitation and everything was going smoothly, but the financial crisis of 2008 turned out to be a setback. “No loans, no investments, no business. The consequence was the need to rethink our position in the market. We were architects, not businessmen. But we started to think like that. In the end, we began to work with corporate clients to get back in the business”.

At that time, even though he felt he was an entrepreneur, he ended up leaving the company due to “different strategic perspectives”. “Then, I decided to look for more training to improve my management skills. I had the empirical knowledge, but it was important to have formal skills. I did a postgraduate degree in project management and I ended up working in a pharmaceutical company, where I was responsible for real estate projects”, Duarte says.

GILEAD was a window of opportunities because it gave him the chance to work in different locations, such as UK, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Duarte was travelling and working a lot. Meanwhile, he realized how great was his chance of career growth. “But I needed to have an executive profile”, he shares.

An MBA never crossed his mind until a co-worker told him to do so. “I started to feed this idea and there was a day when it stopped being a question, but it become a real wish. I spoke with my company’s leadership team who agreed that I should do The Lisbon MBA. I was lucky to be surrounded by extraordinary people”, Duarte states.

Companies should encourage people more

“Highly encouraged” by his then-company, Duarte questions if this practice is common in Portugal. “I saw how some of my colleagues had to manage their time to devote themselves to the MBA. I got all the support. I even had messages on my phone from the director saying ‘on Fridays, after lunch, you do not make calls related to your job’. This was essential, a true encouragement. My family also showed total support. My wife deserves the diploma as much as I do”, Duarte says.

Three ideas come out when we ask Duarte about the best things about The Lisbon MBA: “effective networking, great personal growth and fellowship”. He adds: “People seek a relationship with the university and the teachers. The goal is to have a wider view and contact with a wide range of fields”.

After finishing the program, Duarte reap the benefits. “I was challenged by a headhunter to move to a new company. I was in a good one, with a future ahead. I was not sure, but eventually I moved to CBRE. Now, in a more intensive and direct way, I can apply everything I have learned in The Lisbon MBA, because it is the largest company of its kind in the world and market leader in most of the areas where it operates, in Portugal. My focus is to make it even more relevant than it is today”, he says.

 

Music: Bach, Miles Davis and Pearl Jam

Book: Eça de Queiroz novels

Movie: 8½ – Federico Fellini

Motto: Be kind and truthful