Rafael Patury joined Advent in 2012 and is a Managing Director in São Paulo. He advises on investments in the consumer sector. Rafael has advised on nine investments during his career at Advent.
Prior to joining Advent, Rafael spent four years at Bain & Company, working on strategy, operations, and merger and acquisition projects for major Latin American companies in different industries, including airlines, telecom, and utilities. Rafael also worked for Kuka Robotics, in Germany, as an engineer in the research and development department.
Rafael holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering, with honors, from Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
What sort of reputation has Advent established in Brazil and Latin America?
We’ve been in Latin America for several decades, and Advent has a strong track record of growing the businesses in which we invest. One of our mottos is that Advent always work with companies as if we will be shareholders forever. This philosophy has made us the partner of choice for many entrepreneurs and families.
How does Advent’s culture of collaboration drive impact at portfolio companies?
Because we don’t have a top-down culture, there’s a sense we’re all here to support each other, and we’re all working together to grow the company. For instance, we bought a haircare company in Brazil that’s expanding internationally. We established that we had to grow in the United States – a market where the Brazilian team didn’t have a lot of experience. We created a committee including the Portfolio Support Group and Operating Partners from the US, all helping the company to assess the opportunity of the US market. If we didn’t have our collaborative culture and every office worked by itself, we wouldn’t have been able to do this.
“It’s immensely rewarding when you’re able to help companies grow locally and internationally, improve the lives of people involved with it, and make things better for the communities that surround it. That will never stop motivating me.”
Rafael Patury
Managing Director, Advent
What advice would you give to a new hire at Advent to set them up for success?
I’d say we have an apprenticeship mindset. You learn by doing, seeing others doing, and understanding. You need to have a strong intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn. Don’t be shy to ask questions of our more senior people. Everyone tries to help each other at Advent, and it’s the best way to get exposed to different investments and industries. The people who succeed here are the ones who have that curiosity and aren’t afraid to satisfy it by asking questions.
What is it about the job that keeps inspiring and driving you?
I love partnering with companies to transform their business: making them bigger and more institutionalized and improving their processes. I’ve been here for 13 years, so I’ve passed through several cycles of Advent investments. It’s immensely rewarding when you’re able to help companies grow locally and internationally, improve the lives of people involved with it, and make things better for the communities that surround it. That will never stop motivating me.
What keeps you busy outside the office?
I love spending time with my family and travelling with my wife and kids. I barbecue a lot for friends and family, and I’m very keen on sport. I love playing soccer, volleyball, and running.
