Álvaro de Oliveira Madaleno Sobrinho (born 1962) is a Portuguese-Angolan banker and businessman who built his career in Portugal. He was a director at the Portuguese bank

Banco Espírito Santo Banco Espírito Santo (, BES) was a Portugal, Portuguese bank based in Lisbon that on 3 August 2014 was split in two banks: Novo Banco, which kept its healthy operations, and a "bad bank" to keep its toxic assets. It once was the second-largest ...

, which went bankrupt in 2014. Sobrinho later led Banco Valor Angola, investing in several businesses in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, and invested in the sports club

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

and in two Portuguese newspapers. He also founded the Planet Earth Institute Foundation in Mauritius in partnership with the President of Mauritius.

Early life and education

Sobrinho was born in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

and moved to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

to study mathematics and statistics at

Universidade Nova de Lisboa NOVA University Lisbon (, ), or just NOVA, is a Portuguese public university whose rectorate is located in Campolide, Lisbon. Founded in 1973, it is the newest of the public universities in the Portuguese capital city, earning its name as the " ...

. While in Portugal, he was mentored by Ricardo Salgado.

Career

After a decade with Grupo

, Sobrinho became a director of

(BES) in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

at age 38. He later contributed to establishing its Angolan subsidiary. In 2013, Sobrinho assumed the role of

Executive chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

at Banco Valor Angola. He later stepped down from executive positions to focus on other business investments. Banco Valor is reportedly the 13th-largest bank in Angola. In July 2014, the Portuguese weekly ''Expresso'' reported that

(BESA) had extended loans totaling US$5.7 billion—approximately 80% of its debt portfolio—under Sobrinho's tenure as chief executive, a position he left in October 2012. In 2015, Sobrinho was cleared of allegations related to the collapse of the bank and has since sought compensation from the Expresso news outlet.

Personal life

Sobrinho has investments in telecommunications with YooMee Africa and in the media industry with Newshold Group, as well as in publishing, manufacturing, retail, travel, and renewable energies. In 2015, he invested in exploration drilling projects in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

and

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Sobrinho owns Holdimo, a company that, as of August 2017, holds a significant private share in the Portuguese sports club

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

. In a 2018 interview, Sobrinho stated that he and Holdimo intended to remove the then-president of Sporting,

Bruno de Carvalho Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...

, from office, following the poor performance of the football team and unrest among supporters after an incident at the

Academia Sporting The Academia Cristiano Ronaldo (English: Cristiano Ronaldo Academy), formerly known as Academia Sporting () and also known as Academia de Alcochete (English: Alcochete Academy), is the name given to the football training facilities of Sporting ...

training ground on 15 May 2018. Sobrinho is the founding chairman of the Planet Earth Institute (PEI), based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The institute is accredited by the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

and its mission is described as promoting the "scientific independence of Africa". In 2015, Sobrinho was appointed Business Champion for African Science by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

. Sobrinho has also donated to Africa-focused charities and programs, including the Duke of Edinburgh International Award and the GAVI Alliance. Also in 2015, the Planet Earth Institute launched the Planet Earth Institute Foundation in Mauritius, with Dr Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former President of Mauritius, serving as vice-chairman. The foundation awarded scholarships to researchers in

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

Allegations/Controversies

Estoril Sol

Portuguese authorities investigated Sobrinho during his tenure as chairman of

Banco Espírito Santo Angola Banco may refer to: Places * Banc (Barcelona Metro), also called Banco, a closed metro stop on the Barcelona metro * Banco, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Banco National Park, a nationa ...

(BESA) regarding his use of an overseas company to purchase six apartments in the

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the civil parish of Cascais e Estoril of the Portuguese Municipality of Cascais, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a popular tourist destination, with hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numero ...

Sol Residence complex in

, Portugal, with an initial payment of €9.5 million. During the investigation, the apartments were seized by court order but were later returned to Sobrinho due to a lack of evidence.

Monte Branco

Sobrinho was a shareholder of

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

wealth management company Akoya Asset Management, which was mentioned in the ''Monte Branco'' investigation into

tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...

. Sobrinho ordered an investigation by Swiss authorities that cleared him and all non-executive shareholders of any wrongdoing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobrinho, Alvaro 1962 births Living people People from Luanda Angolan company founders Angolan bankers Angolan businesspeople NOVA University Lisbon alumni