Joe Berardo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Berardo
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| Born |
José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo
4 July 1944 Santa Luzia, Madeira, Portugal
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| Occupation | Businessman, investor, and art collector |
| Spouse(s) |
Carolina da Conceição Gonçalves
(m. 1969) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Ilse Everlien Berardo (sister-in-law) Rubina Berardo (niece) |
José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, better known as Joe Berardo, is a famous Portuguese and South African businessman, investor, and art collector. He was born on July 4, 1944. In 2010, a Portuguese magazine said he was one of the richest people in Portugal.
Over the years, he became involved in several serious disagreements. These issues were connected to his businesses and how they were run.
Contents
From Madeira to South Africa
Joe Berardo was born in Santa Luzia, a part of Funchal city on the island of Madeira, Portugal. His parents were Manuel Berardo Gomes and Ana Rodrigues. He left school at age 13 to work for a company that made Madeira wine.
When he was 18, Berardo moved to South Africa. He started by working in the plant-selling business. He was very successful and later started his own companies. One of his biggest ventures was a company called Egoli Consolidated Mines Ltd. This company specialized in gold extraction, which is the process of getting gold out of the ground.
His company was clever and found gold on land that other people had ignored. Later, the company also began mining for diamonds. By the time he returned to Portugal in 1986, he had become a very well-known and wealthy businessman.
A Major Investor in Portugal
When he came back to Portugal, Joe Berardo became a powerful stock investor. This means he bought parts, or shares, of large companies. He owned parts of businesses in many areas, including hotels, telecommunications, and banking. At one point, his total wealth was estimated to be over €1.9 billion.
He was known for being an activist shareholder, which means he used his position as a part-owner to influence how companies were run. He often shared his opinions publicly, which would get a lot of attention from the media.
The Portugal Telecom Takeover
In 2006, Berardo played a big role in a major business event. A company called Sonae.com tried to buy, or take over, the big telecommunications company Portugal Telecom (PT). Berardo, along with the leaders of PT, opposed this takeover. In the end, Sonae.com's attempt to buy the company did not succeed.
Interest in Football Clubs
In 2007, Berardo tried to buy a large part of the famous football club Sport Lisboa e Benfica. He made an offer to buy many of the club's shares. However, his attempt was not successful, and he did not gain control of the club.
After this, he turned his attention to the football club from his hometown, Club Sport Marítimo. He is a big supporter of the team and has been a member for many years. He even offered to help with plans for the club's new stadium, the Estádio do Marítimo.
The Famous Art Collection
Joe Berardo is also one of Portugal's most important art collectors. He began collecting things like stamps and postcards when he was a boy. As an adult, he started collecting modern and contemporary art. His huge collection has over 40,000 items, including valuable paintings, sculptures, and Chinese porcelain.
Museums for Everyone
Berardo wanted to share his art with the public. He worked with the Portuguese government to create a foundation to display his collection. This led to the opening of the Museu Colecção Berardo in Lisbon in 2007. The museum is located in the Centro Cultural de Belém and shows hundreds of his most famous artworks.
He also created other unique places to see art:
- Buddha Eden Gardens: After hearing that important Buddha statues in Afghanistan were destroyed, Berardo decided to create a huge garden filled with Buddhist statues. This large sculpture park is located near Lisbon.
- Aliança Underground Museum: In 2011, he opened a museum in a large, unused tunnel on a winery's property. It displays tiles, ceramics, minerals, and fossils.
His collection includes works by famous artists like Gerhard Richter, Francis Bacon, and Andy Warhol.
Honours and Awards
For his contributions, Joe Berardo has received high honours from the country of Portugal.
National Honours
- Commander of the Order of Prince Henry (March 13, 1985)
- Grand-Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (October 4, 2004)
Review of Honours
In 2019, a special council was formed to review whether Berardo should keep his national honours. This happened because of disagreements related to his business activities. The council, led by former government officials, investigated the situation. After the review began, Berardo publicly apologized for his actions during a government inquiry.
See also
- Novo Banco
