Rafael la Porta de Castro

Rafael La Porta de Castro has extensive work experience in various industries, including steel manufacturing, construction, and telecommunications. Rafael currently holds the position of Director of Business Development North America at BlueScope, a global provider of steel materials. Previously, they worked as the Director of Business Development at Gerdau, where they successfully established the Gerdau Next Venture Fund and managed merger and acquisition processes. Rafael also served as Executive Director, overseeing employees, revenue generation, and digitalization initiatives. Prior to Gerdau, Rafael had roles in portfolio management, industrial mining operations at Grupo Coquecol, and strategic planning and analysis at Vivo (Telefônica Brasil) and Grupo RBS. Rafael started their career as a Business Analyst at T2 Design. Overall, Rafael La Porta de Castro has a strong background in business development, strategy, financial planning, analysis, and corporate development.

Rafael La Porta de Castro's education history includes a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, obtained in 1995. In 2001-2003, they pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Corporate Finance from Ibmec. Following that, in 2011-2012, they completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Leadership and Innovation from Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa. Rafael then obtained additional certifications, such as a Data Analytics for Leaders Certificate from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, and they pursued an Executive MBA in Business Development and Mergers & Acquisitions from IESE Business School in the same year. In 2023, they continued their executive education at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Additionally, they have obtained certifications in areas like management and digital marketing from institutions like LinkedIn and Google Digital Garage.