Sonae Sierra appoints Luís Mota Duarte as CEO

Sonae Sierra has announced the appointment of Luís Mota Duarte as its next chief executive officer, effective January 2027, succeeding Fernando Guedes de Oliveira, who steps down after more than four decades at the Sonae Group, including 35 years at Sierra and 14 years as CEO.

Luís Mota Duarte

Guedes de Oliveira has played a central role in Sierra’s evolution, overseeing its international expansion and transformation into an integrated real estate platform with capabilities spanning investment management, development and services, and diversification into new asset classes.

Mota Duarte joined Sonae in 2014 to lead the group’s M&A activities before moving to Sierra in 2018, where he progressively assumed broader responsibilities, ultimately becoming Deputy CEO and executive board member responsible for investment management. Prior to joining Sonae, he spent 14 years in London in private equity, investment banking and business development. He has held academic roles at Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Nova school of business & economics, and holds an MBA from INSEAD.

The leadership transition is designed to ensure continuity, with Guedes de Oliveira and Mota Duarte working closely together until the end of 2026.

Cláudia Azevedo, CEO of Sonae, said: “Fernando played a decisive role in building Sierra and in its evolution into the company it is today. He led through different phases of growth, from internationalisation to the business’s most recent transformation, leaving a more diversified Sierra that is well prepared for the future. Looking ahead, I have every confidence in Luís to lead this next cycle. His in‑depth knowledge of Sierra, its teams and partners, combined with his experience and strong focus on value creation, gives us confidence that the company will continue to grow.”

Fernando Guedes de Oliveira said: “I am immensely proud of the journey we have built at Sierra over the years. The company has grown, expanded internationally and transformed itself to anticipate the future. None of this would have been possible without the quality and commitment of our teams and the trust of our partners.”

Luís Mota Duarte added: “I will take on the leadership of Sierra with a great sense of responsibility and ambition. We have a solid foundation to continue evolving, pursuing new growth opportunities and strengthening our ability to create value for investors, partners, clients and society.”